The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-28
THREE REPORTERS WHO DIDN'T.

I tSit ana ne Eaa mica 4 pace o. NdtlohaI
prominence II a poitica! way be was
also old and venerable and most people
We're glad 70 oblise him in any way in
their power.
He came in one day and saw The owner
OF the WhirIwind
MY son" he said. sis just OUT OF Yale
and wants 10 get into the newspaper
business. I wish you would give MIN a
| trial"
So y7urg Goodrich was sent up to the
/ city editor, with 4 note. OF introduction.
I and put to work He filed Cp his pockets
/ with note books and lead pencils. wore
/ a big nickel-plated star pinned On the
lapel Of his coat, ard did almost every
/ Thing else which the real reporter shuus-
But he was Z long-iegged. athletic youth
! and the city editor found him useful in
I hunting up photographs and running
ether errands which required leg work. :
But he never showed the slightest sign
of that nose for news" which is the
birthright OF the newspaper man.
He wouldn't recognize story i he
was introduced to il. the city editor said
! one morning. when he was taking ABOUT
| Goodrich. hut I don't know IS It makes
much difference so long as the Senator
! pays his salary
The Senator was his father.
/ The next afternoon one of the evening
/ papers came out with the biggest scoop
I OF the year. 1t was an extremely sensa-
( tional story It was spread all over
! the first two pages OF the evening paper
1 and told of the arrest OF a prominent
minister Of the gospel on a charge Of hav-
ing murdered his wife. The story was
well written It left little for The morn
/ ing papers TO say, and was calculated 10
bring wrath and sorrow into the Office
! of every other city editor in town.
The city editor OF the Whirlwind was
/ particularly sore" His paper made q
/ speciality of sensational news. and the
/ fact that he had been ''scooped" SO com
/ pletely by an afternoon paper hurt his
! professional pride. He sat in his little
! room that afternoon with the scoop
I in his hand and looked as If he would
I ike 10 bite somebody.
THE old nan IS crazy" said one Of the
! old reporters. Look, there goes in that
( little fool. Goodrich TO talk TO him. Now
something is likely to drop.
Young Goodrich walked into the lions
/ oen with yacuous grin IN his face. The
city editor glanced up with n snarl.
/ Pretty good story the Evening Bells
/ got isn't it," he said patronizingiy.
/ Well" snapped the city editor. with a
/ look in his eyes that presaged coming
/ storm.
! I've known all about that for week"
went on the devoted Goodrich
/ You've WHAT" roared the city editor,
! springing to his feet and unconsciously
/ assuming a threatening attitude.
why, the Governors one OF the law
| vers in the case" stammered Goodrich,
! backing out of the office. He told me
all about it n week ago"
| It happened that the city editors office
was located at the top of the winding
stairs which wound round and round
through the seven stories OF the Whirl-
wind building. AS Goodrich confirmed the
worst fears in the mind of the city editor
the latter started for aim with an oath.
! But Goodrich was a Splinter himself
/ The other reporters hanging over the top
railing shrieked as they saw him fairly
/ fy round and round down those long
/ steps with the city editor about four
/ jumps behind him. Eventually Goodrich
! reached the street first, and the city ed
itor took the elevator back to his eyerie
on the seventh floor.
Goodrich never came back. Next day a
note came over from his father. MY
SON." it said. has decided that he is
not cut out for a newspaper man. and
has begun to read law in my office"
There was another freak on the staff
of the Whirlwind at the same time. His
/ father was a distinguished senator of the
United States. from one of the southern
states. The son was perhaps 40 years
old, and his father was chiefly interested
in keeping him away from home. AS in
the case OF Goodrich, the salary Of Fitz-
hugh Stanton was always paid ont of
the paternal exchequer. Staunton had
al of the typical Southern vices. in addi
tion 10 q number which he had picked up
during long sOjourn in the North. He
had never got used to the status of the
negro in the North, ard was always
thrown into fury of anger when sent 10
report a negro meeting of any kind Per
haps for that reason he was almost al
way giver such assignments.
On the evening in question a negro de-
batting society was TO hold 4 meeting in
the First Methodist Church building. The
subject for discussion was the Chinese ex-
clusiOn question Stanton was sent TO
report it.
4 number Of colored orators had lavish
ed their eloquence in defense Of the idea
1 of barring out the Chinese and Stanton
Trithed in his seat IN silent wrath. Fl
nally he could stand the strain no longer.
Up he jumped, and climbing on a chair
expI essed his views.
You niggahs' he began, scornfully:
''Talkin' about bahing out the Cinnamon.
Why. thuh Chinese wuh civilized when
youah ancestors wuh throwing cocoa
nuts at thuh monkeys in the palm trees
of South Africuh." Just as that moment
chair on which Staunton was standing
and he feI 10 the floor with q crash. I'm
mediately afterwards half dozen others
seized him and greatly accelerated his
arrival al the bottom Of the flight OF
stairs which lead TO the street.
Staunton appeared At the Whirlwind or
fee half an hour later with his clothes
badly torn and dirty. He was suffering
with rage and breathing forth bloody
revenge. What he wanted was 70 orga-
ME a corps Of sharp-shooters 10 go out
and teach the 'nigsans' a lesson. In
stead he got the laugh"
His father sent for him soon after
wards. and ne returned to his home IN
tne South. He was glad TO Go-slmost as
much so as the people in the Whiriwind
Office were TO bic him good-by.
This man differs from the other two IN
that he knew enough 20 keep quiet about
&C.. He stuck 10 the business and made a
place for himself. so that now he can
,.nord TO tell the story on himself
RE had been working on ar evening
PAPER for a couple Of months and vas
"a owe with his work Unfortunately be
had never heard Of such a thing az an
extra except on the occasion Of a ma
tional election or some similar lonc-look-
a for event
Re had started IN as 4 police reporter.
and. wisely. had decided 70 cultivate the
acCua intance Of the police officials One
evening i-ring the Worlds Fsir he vas
sitting IN the inspectors Office az the
Harrison street station when the fcie-
lho1e bcr rang. The cub reporter vent
10 the phone.
'.IIello.r sad a voice. This Is DR.. Jen-