The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-02-23


Is II not only in the detective business
nat luck counts Luck affords us all our
chance t2 get a good grip on success. It's
only another name for opportunity. If a
man mas the brains to follow UP a streak
OF luck he is pretty sure of getting ahead
opportunity. comes to most of us sooner
or Later and the fellow who doesn't catch
On has only himself to blame.
| The aluckiest fellow I ever knew was
a newspaper man who worked out West
. - 1000 90 many years ago. I suppose he
would have got along anyhow if he
fhaont stumbled into several Of the best
stories that ever We're but his luck helped
| MN great deal. especially as he had
the sumption to push it for all it was
| W h2t One day when things were not
| coming very well for him he made up his
mind to change his base of operations
ron one city to another This used to
pc great trick with Western news
PAPER men. They went the round from
city to city. and the movement was 50
steady that it was neves difficult to
eaten on to a new job. Well, this fellow
went into new town and got a, lob on
= Is ananer. His salary wasn't bic.
enough to4keep him awake nights, but he
I
a thoue'h he was making millions. He did
only i1ldifferently well for a, week or two
and the city editor began to think thar
he new man was a dead one. But an
he new arrival wanted was a chance
E Ind he vowed he'd show them what kind
If man he was. s3#
'The chance came very unexpectedly
It was a cold, dark night in the late fail
when he was sent out to. cover the out
sying police stations. The regular man
was Ill and a substitute was necessary
The assignment wasn't good one, but
t was better than sitting around the
office. and the reporter went out with as
light heart as he had had in some time.
If only something would happen the
young man knew he would cover him
self with glory. He didn't wish anybody
to suffer misfortune for his sake but
II there was a mysterious murder to be
committed. in the immediate future he
hoped it would happen on this particular
night s%s@ -.5.- ~. -v5.g
While he was trudging along a
deserted street thinking Of these things
ne saw on the board walk ahead Of him
the outline of a human form. 1t was get
ting On toward midnight and there was
not soul in sight The reporter looked
up and down the street and saw that. it
was deserted. Then he approached the
PROSTATE figure. He naturally thought II
must BE some drunken person who had
fallen asleep, but his mind was alert to
the possibilities of a big beat in case it
We're something more interesting. Lean
ing over and Striking a match he saw
that the figure was that of a man. There
| was blood ON his face. TlIes reporter
st rlclss another ma ch and looked closer
He saw that the blood came from lit
tie round hole just under the mans right
Jaw. He felt the hands of the body
They were getting cold. He listened al
the heart. There wasn't sign of life
The man. was dead beyond all question.
and the reporter knew that he had his
beat. 2.>5@E-' ~. t.a.5 ,.. r
above all other things he decided tina.
no rival paper must know of his find
Inc body lay on the board sidewalk.
Some, of the boards were loose. The
reporter pulled up three of them and
z dropped the body down into the hollow
between the scantlings on which the
boards were nailed. Then he carefully
placed the boards in their proper position
right over the body, so that an army
might pass without knowing what was
underneath. This DONE he made tracks
for his office, letting the rest of his tour
go by the board. He rushed in, all ex-
ge1tenent, filled the night desk with his
I own enthusiasm, and ground out COL,
umn and half, double-leaded, before
the paper went to press When his .ated
rivals woke UP the next morning they
found that the new reporter was the
biggest man on his paper. The dead man
turned out to be of some Importance,
and the case ran in the papers for sew
eral days. It was a murder clearly
enough, but it was never solved.
This was only the beginning Of a run
Of luck Of this kind that made the new
reporter. the wonder of his friends Not
50 very long after this he was sent out
to see a man who had been having.
trouble with his wife. A divorce was
under way, and developments were ex-
pected. The man lived in a fashionable
part OF town in his own house. His wife
was living with friends in the same
insighborhood. The reporter reached the
house about 8 o'clock in the evening.
3 He was ushered into the parlor and to
his surprise he found the wife there also.
The man had sent for her to have a
last talk with her before going any fur
ther with his plans. No one else was in
the house, not even the servants, for
the house had been closed for several
months and only opened by the man for
this occasion.
"On the arrival Of the reporter the
conversation which THE husband and wife
had been carrying on before his arrival
ceased. Both Of nthem were evidently
greatly excited. The man was walking
the floor. The woman was sitting in a
s chair near the door. The reporter was
III at ease and stood for moment won-
de ing what to do. Suddenly the man
turned in his walk, whipped out a re-
volv er from his hip pocket and fired
plump al the woman. She fell over with
a grean. Then he turned the weapon ON
himself and blew out his brains with one
shit before the reporter could lift hand
to stop him.
Now there was situation The man
and woman were dead The reporter sat
isfied himself of this fact and then sat
down to think it all over. He waited to
see II any one else had heard the shots
No one came. Evidently they had NOT
been heard in the street, and there was
10 81 IN the lloiise 70 tasI. ths-a
sss-.s &. 1sz-e penal IL. e ,1in,..es
~ess a lc.sss 1iSst.l, and
W2iis:d - the door He opened il, pulled
out the key and stepped outside Clos
Ing the door behind him he put the key
IN the lock again and turned it. The
dead husband and wife were inside and
10 one in the town knew that their do
nestle troubles were over except that re-
porter As he walked down the front
steps Of f11a house he M, g isti;,,~,