The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-02-26
THE CUB REPORTER.
he SCORED A BIG BEAT ON ALL THE
OTHER PAPERS.

he SCORED A BIG BEAT ON ALL THE
OTHER PAPERS.
His First Assignment, Which He
Took With Grim Determination,
Brought Him Fame In More Ways
Than One and Cost Him His Posi-
tion.
While chatting about the oddities of re-
portorial life a Philadelphia newspaper
man, who spent q day in the city last
week, told a queer story Of midnight in
terview. at occurred years ago." he
said, when was holding down my first
regular job on tAe local staff. Like all
cubs had been told at the outset to sim
ply hang around the Office within call Of
the city editor, if ne should happen to
need me; but, not understanding the ne
cessity of having d reserve Of that kind,
/ chafed terribly under the inaction and
thought vaguely that I must be in dis
grace of some sort.
$50 you may imagine my eagerness
and enthusiasm when was called over
to the desk one night and told hurriedly
to go out and get an interview with a
prominent lawyer who was leading cit
izens' antivice crusade that had recently
been started among the chronic reform
ers. This lawyer-call him Thompson
for convenience-was understood to be
planning a bitter attack on the police,
and the tip had just come in that he in
tended to open fire next day. It's now
nearly midnight said the city editor,
and he's probably been in bed for hours,
hr,k 10 70 inn ont
and get some kind of a talk. For heav-
ems sake, don't let him stand you OFF,
T'll get him, SIR replied fervently, IF
have to drag him out by the feet
realized pretty fully what the interview
meant not only to the paper, but to my
own future prospects, and as l hurried
toward the residential section l deter
mined to make Thompson talk or perish
in the attempt.
II found his house without much diff
culty-it was dark, gloomy looking man
sion in a quiet side street-and was about
to pull the bell when the door opened sud-
denly and a man appeared on the thresh-
old. He had on his hat and overcoat,
and, while had never met the lawyer,
his general appearance was about what l
had expected We both started back in
himself. what do you wantY he asked.
I'm a reporter for The - l replied,
and l presume you are Mr.. Thompson
4 am he said CURLY. and | ask you
again what you want? That was a bad
beginning, and | FASTENED to tell him
briefly the nature of my errand. Hmm
he grunted, stepping outside and closing
the door, This is a most unearthly hour
IL a. s,~%o RrTt
you seem about to go out, SIR suggest
ed. Perhaps you will let me accompany
you a little way and talk as we co. i
was going to propose it, he replied. My
wife is sick, and l have been sitting up
with her. In fact, Twas on the point of
going out for a short walk and some fresh
air when you came
II was overjoyed at this lucky turn of
events" continued the story teller, land
as we walked together up the street
proceeded to sound him as to his contem-
plated onslaught on the police force. He
was brusque and reticent at first, but
presently he warmed to the subject and
began to talk in way that promised
rafting good article.
""The only police protection we have in
the city at present. he said, is the pro-
lection given to lawbreakers at SO much
a month, and the citizen and taxpayer
have to look out for themselves. 1t is
mere chance and luck that keep my res
idence in town from being looted. If the
police made a determined effort to stop
burglaries, they would shut off the reve-
nue. of the very gentlemen who are help
ing to buy them bread AMI meat and
champagne He rambled on in this vi
vacious vein, denouncing the chief as
fat headed incompetent and characteriz-
ing the detectives as lot of Matchmaking
imbeciles until l was really obliged to put
on the brakes for fear l would be too
late with my copy
81 thanked him heartily for the inter
view, which was, in fact, mere mono
logue, babe him good night on the next
corner and sprinted back to the office at
the top of my speed. dashed up the stairs
four steps at time, grabbed pad of pa
per and began to write like mad. When
the city editor glanced over the first few
pages, his eyes stuck out Of their sock
cts why, this is the hottest stuff on rec
ordv he exclaimed. I never knew Tbomp-
son to turn loose in any such stylei Are
you sure you are quoting him correctlyY
Dead certain replied. 4 was sur
prised at him myself and took particular
pains to fix his exact expressions on my
mind All right. then said the city ed
itor, grinning. Well double lead this! 1t
will wake up the town.
MY story. as nearly as / remember,
covered about column, and when ! went
home after turning in the last sheets |
had pleasant premonition that the
nights work would make me peculiarly
solid with the paper. ] got up in hap
py frame of mind next morning and went
to the office somewhat earlier than usual,
so as not to miss any stray congratula-
tons on my big hit. To my astonishfnent
found the managing editor and city ed |
itor in excited conference and several
strangers standing around. all talking at |
once Here he is!' yelled the city editor |
as soon as be saw me. What in thunder |
does this mean, sir?' What does what |
meanY / stammered. scared half out of |
my wits. why, this fakpv he bawled. |
This blankety blanked fairy story you |
ran in on us last night. And he shook
the paper under my nose. with my arti-
Gle on the outside fold. That is no faker
retorted Indignantly. Mr. Thompson |
said every word | wrote The - he
did! he screamed. Why. you internal
fakir, here is Mr.. Thompson right now,
and he says he never saw you in his lifer
stared helplessly at the group. and a
solemn looking gentleman stepped for
ward. One moment. please be said to
the others. Now. them he continued
addressing himself to me, will you kindly
describe the exact circumstances of that
81 did so es well as could in my rat
tied condition, and he smiled family as
concluded my narrative. I think ! see
through it. gentlemen, said he. My resi-
dence was burglarized last night. and the
-er-person this young man met at the
door was evidently the one who did the
work. His views on the police are quite
he added bandly. 1t was
some time before got another job" said
the newspaper man in conclusion. "In
fact. I'm on the black list of that partic-
ular office to this day."-New Orleans
Times- Democrat.
The Counterfeit Bill. !,