The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-12
HAYSEED REPORTERS FEAT
THEY HARDLY EXPECTED TO SEE
HIN COME RICK ALIVE.
His Nerve was Good and the Joae was
on the Editor.
(Which it may be a trite thing

on the Editor.
Which it may be a trite thing tt
say" remarked the Chicago correspon
dent when the gang" fell to talking
about their old reportorial days, ''bu
it sure enough is a fact that you cam
generally pick a winner by sizing VI
his hide and hoofs. BY the same token
you can't pick natural-born neWspa
per man by his raiment or his manned
I've known some newspaper men.
well, anyhow, one afternoon early
in this closing decade, when l was do.
ing reporting work on the Outer Set
let it go at that-in Chicago, a tall
gawky, loose ointed young fellow
walked into the city editors room and
asked for work. His makeup was alice
same Ispwich, Wis, and no mistake.
He was as country-looking young
man to be riding up an elevator in a
metropolitan newspaper building and
inquiring for reporters job as ever
saw before or since. His trousers were
shy about four inches at the bottom,
his coat was as bunchy in the back as
a padded crazy-quilt, and he wore a
crocheted pink four-in- hand tie and q
SLOUGH hat that was all to the bad from
every point of view. However, he was
distinctly cleanly, if farmerly. His
method of tackling the city editor-Who
was a VIGOROUSLY grabbed, but good
hearted, member of the breed-Was
quiet and unassuming. The gawky
young chap simply stated that he'd
been working on small weekly some
where in iowa; that the small weekly
game in Iowa hadn't looked promising
to him, and that he had therefore made
the best of his way to Chicago to see II
he couldn't manage to catch on. All OF
us Smart Alecc in the city room had
grinned when we saw and heard the
countrified-look chap brace the city
editor-we had a good view of the pro-
ceedings through the open door leading
into the city editors private room-and
we confidently expected the old man
to throw mucilage and ink and scissors
and things like that at his visitor. par
ticularly as it was during the dull sum
mer season, and the staff was damned
! full and there wasn't enough work to
go around, and good newspaper men
from other towns, applying at our plant
for jobs every day, were being turned
down without any encouragement
whatever
THE old man wheeled in his chair
and pushed up his specs on his fore
head and sized the countryman up. We
waited for the explosion, but 1t didn't
come. Instead, a cold, sardonic, devil
ish light crept into the old mans eyes
as he surveyed the youth, who only
needed hay in his hair to complete
picture that no artist could paint.
"Wen. replied the city editor, to our
intense surprise, still grinning In that
sardonic way of his, I don't know
about giving you steady work-staif's
beyond the limit now; might try you
out on an assignment or so, though, to
see what you can do. Die ever get
mixed up In rough-house with man
who knew all about that game, and
more?'
some replied the gawky youth,
quietly.
How'd you come OUT? asked the
old man.
Well I'm here answered the
countryman who wanted reporters
work.
Um-so [ seq said the old man.
Then the city editor gave the gawky
youth an assignment Out at the end
of the big government pier at that time
ruffian and all-around bad man, who
went by the name of Black Jack had
a huge barge anchored-it was called
Black Jacks bumboat' Black Jack
had established horrible affair he
called a concert half on this barge, and
the business had become an eyesore to
Chicago. It was frequented by all sorts
of abandoned characters, and scenes of
violence were of nightly occurrence on
the barge. Black Jack" walters were
all rufflans like himself, and if they
didn't like the looks of any man who
came on board the barge they'd rough
house him up and then throw him over /
board IF he could swim well enough to
make the shore, so much the better for
him; if he couldn't then it was his fun
eral. and no mistake. Black Jack 4
didn't pay for any liquor license what (
ever He claimed that his barge, being
anchored In government waters, was
under the federal jurisdiction, and such .
was the deadly fear in which even the
Chicago police held the man and his .
band of deSperadoes that Black Jack (
actually made his contention stick, and .
kept his nefarious business going for
long time. The papers roasted the au-
thorties for not driving Black Jack
and his loathsome barge to the north
pole, but the roasting didn't do any
good Black Jack continued to stick
t,;n ut oil cft ha e
'orts to dislodge him.
THE old man gave an outline of the
character of Black Jacks malodorous
large to the gawky youth who wanted
work, and asked him If he'd care to go
nut to the barge and have talk with
Black Jack and look the plant over.
The city editor explained Black Jacks
worn hatred for newspaper men, and
lis particular aversion for the city edi-
or of the Outer Set-'who is myself,
aid the old marion account Of the fe-
ocious attacks that the Outer Seas
'ity editor had directed against his
arge
"'Thnk you'd like to take a chance
it's not a soft assignment, you under
tand-and go out and look BLACK =
ack" over the city editor asked the {
awky youth, who didn't hesitate lit
lie bit in replying that any kind of a
how was what he was looking for. So j
he old man gave him some additional t
irections, and the ambitious youth S
nth the high-waters went out to COW {
r. the assignment We thought-we {
foresaid smart Aiees in the city room
that this was a pretty mean trick on