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

II S not only in the detective business
nat luck counts. Luck affords us all our
chance to get good grip on success. It's
only another name for opportunity IF a
man has the brains to follow up 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 'luckiest fellow I ever knew was
q newspaper man who worked out West
z 5000 many years ago. 1 suppose he
would have got along anyhow if he
hadnt stumbled into several Of the best
stories that ever We're but his luck helped
nm a great deal. especially as he had
the sumption to push it for all it was
W2rth. One day when things were not
coming very we'll for him he made I'D his
MIND to change his base of operations
/ o n one city to another. This used to
De a great trick with Western news
PAPER men, They went the round from
city 10 city. and the movement was so
S!eadY that it was neve~ difficult to
ca,ch on to new job. Well, this fellow
went INTO a new town and got a job on
o% -naner. His salary Wasn't big
enough toIkeep him awake nights, but he
was energetic and started out lust as
1h""e'h he was making millions. He did
only lndlfferently well for a week or two
and the city editor began to think that
he new man was dead one. but All
he new arrival wanted was a chance
md he vowed he'd show them what kind
# man he was.
"The chance came very unexpectedly
it was a cold, dark night in the late fail
when he was sent out to. cover the out
wiz cto VIZ
was i'll 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 a 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
If there was a mysterious murder to be
committed in the Immediate future he
hoped it would happen on this particular
night.
Nv nile he was trudginC along q
deserted street thinking Of these things
he 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
was deserted Then ne approached the
PROSTATE figure. He naturally thought Il
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 man. There
was blood on his face. The reporter
struck: another match 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.
above all other things he decided thai
no rival paper must know of his find
The body lay on the board sidewalk.
Some, of the boards were loose The
reporter pulled up three of them and
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-
citen1ent, filled the night desk with his
own enthusiasm, and ground out a COL
umn and a half, double-leaded, before
the paper went to press When his lated
rivals woke up the next morning they
found that the new reporter was the
biggest man on his paper. The dead man
rI0,6 to hn If INN rfo
and the case ran in the papers for sew
eral days. 1t was a murder clearly
enough, but it WAS never solved.
'"This was only the beginning Of 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, 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
neighborhood. The reporter reached the
house about 8 o'clock in the evening.
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
tner 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. &s ....-..r# 20
ON the arrival of the reporter the
conversation which the husband and wife
mad 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,
chair near the door. The reporter was
= Ill at ease and stood for a moment won
declng what to do. Suddenly the man
turned in his walk, wllinned out a re-
votver from his hip pocket and fired
plump at the woman. She fell over with
a groan. Then he turned the weapon ON
himself and blew out his brains with one
sh Ut before the reporter could lift hand
to stop him. #
NOW there was situation The man
ana woman Were dead. The reporter sat
isf1ed 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 s..il the .louse to taa. tflS-1 rtae
lt g. g. sz.-e lse-22aaIes t:i-e s1irls..eE
-8z..ss -sS< =; 3-es. q ic:2s bisI.1 and
walked to the door. He opened ii, pulled
out the key and stepped outside Clos
1rtg the door behind him he put the key
IN the lock gain and turned it. The
I dead husband and wife were inside and
no one in the town knew that their do
nestle troubles were over except that re-
porter As he walked down the front
steps OF the house he was Wflistling.
Very deliberately he walked up the street
until he reached cab stand Arrived
there he jumped into a cab and away he
went to his Office There I,. cat doyyn an, =