The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-20

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i New York Sun, the Chicago American
and few of the other metropolitan
sheets. He did not explain how he hap
| pened to be making a tour of the prov
inces. but modestly admitted to the city
editor that lie could "chop copy, mold
down the telegraph editors chair, or il
necessary go up stairs and make up.
the paper. As the managing editor was
fairly well satisfied with the working
force, the city editor sent the man of
more than ordinary ability out to cover
the police run.
Fifteen minutes later the central po-
lice station detail knew all about it,
The new reporter had opened his heart
to the entire blue-coated squad. He made
the staid and dignified captain chuckle
on three-minute schedule by conde-
scending to address the ruler of the
precinct as plain '.Mile,'' and the jailer
was completely overcome when the man
from New York. Chicago and the other
big cities whispered to him the boast
that he intended making monkeys out
of the nine-spots who were beating the
other morning papers out of ten or eleven
dollars a week. There was to be just
one newspaper in town printing all the
news when the new police reporter Sc
cured his running start
After the first night Mike locked
himself in the captains office and the
Jailer worked overtime in the cell room
but the driver of the patrol wagon and
two or three plain patrolmen were com
PEELED to remain in the station proper,
| and they heard every night for week
the tale of the finish of six or seven dub
reporters that was about to be.
The captain and the jailer. the patrol
driver and the plain patrolmen caught a
feeling of pity for the poor backwoods
reporters creeping into their breasts.
The boys had become old friends,
and the officers hated to see them mark
ed for the slaughter The newest man
had been there for more than two years,
but like all the Others he refused to
please the precinct boss by addressing
him as Mike" 1t was plain captain,
with all the dub reporters, but mike"
overlooked the slight and actually de-
voted official time in an attempt to fig
ure out how he could save the young
fellows
Il am sorry, boys he said to the
news gatherers as they filed into his
Office looking for a story, "but your fin
ish is written. This new man on the
World has it all mapped out He is
He Is all prepared to beat you all so
bad that You won't even dare to go to
the offices for your pay checks.
L am really sorry repeated the cap
tain. in mournful tone, although the
jailer insists that there was a naughty
twinkle in his eye. This boy from New
York Chicago and other places is
World-beater and your end it written"
The reporters, every one of them, had
dreamed of the time when they were
to go to the big cities and command
large money, but now the light looked
turned out, and with bowed heads they
walked out of the captains office.
1t would be hard to be nipped right
IN the bud of bright career but if it
was fate, they could not help it. They
saw gloom all around them, but with a
rising vote they decided to battle along
until the waves overpowered them. They
would work, and work hard, until the
finish.
That very night they started their hard
work
simmons, of the Star, was sitting in
the station. The 8 o'clock detail had filed
out, and the Star man did not have
line of news. The man from New York.
Chicago and other large cities was at
table writing what to Simmons looked
two-column story
Ihe telephone bell whirred and tbe
Jaller answered the phone.
YES, he shouted in the phone, and
then turning said "Sommers someone
wants to talk to you"
Sommers hurried over to the instru-
ment The world-beater continued to
grind out copy" at his table
Hello called Sommers.
The man at the desk continued to write
Is that So" gasped Sommers from in
front of the telephone. When did it hap
pen"'
the Lew man on the World continued
to write, but he was listening.
What's that NUMBER inquired Som
mers in an excited tone. "One thousand
seven hundred and ninety-five Grand
street,? Is it north or south? North? All
right. I'll look it up tomorrow
Sommers tried to look unconcerned and
sauntered back to his chair The man
from New York, Chicago and other large
cities noted the assumed look Of uncon-
Germ and chuckled to himself
Then the door opened and Brown, an
other Star reporter, dashed in. ne
stopped short when he saw the man from
the World, and joined Sommers in the
attempt to appear unconcerned.
Brown sat around for five minutes and
then strolled out to the station stable.
He winked at Sommers, and Sornmers.
rising with careless yawn, followed him
out Not bit of this was missed by the
man who intended to scoop the entire
newspaper corps
The new man knew many tricks He
decided to use one of them right now
He rolled UP his paper and walked up
stairs to the police telephone exchange.
Hello" said the operator. Have you
seen any of the Star men? Their Office
is calling for them
What's the matter?" asked the new
man in a don't-care-about-it way
why 1 heard the party telephoning
say that some man had cut up woman
out on some street L guess the Star will
have good story the way they are hur-
rying things up at their Office
Then the new man decided to hurry
He remembered the number repeated by
Sommers at the telephone ard he remem-
bered the name of the street. He smiled
a smile of pity when he thought of Som
merS clumsy attempt to conceal his
break by saying I'll look it up tomor-
row." The new man did not have much
paper money with him, but he hired a
hack and started for 1895 Grand street
He laughed o,it loud when he thought of
the look that Sommers would flash when |
he appeared on the scene.
After driving for an hour the hack |
stopped and the door opened. Here's
your place. said the driver.
1t did not look like a good story from |
the street The house was dark and not |
a human being in sight. The man walked |
up the front steps and pushed the but |
ton
what do you want?" inquired a voice
whats been the trouble here?" asked |
the new man.
.There has been no trouble here. WHAT'S |
the matter with your
wasn't a woman badly stabbed here |
tonight?"
s'wen, guess not, and the door Slam
med shut
The new man visited every residence IN |
the neighborhood, but could learn nothing |
of stabbing affair.
At last ne climbed into the hack and |