The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-19

pungent paragraphs that will, they hoEa
hypnotic the>city editors into their ac-
ceptance. Here and there, however,
are coteries listening to one anothers
yarn spinning in the intervals of replen-
ishing beer glasses and lighting fresh
cigarettes or cigars. Stories of scoops
are largely the burden of talk-stories
many of them, as fanciful in fact as
the fanciful estates of the Marquis Of
Carabras, and with sIiIc1e @ounuation as
the Nephelcoccygia of Aristophanes. But
that's no matter-they are well told, and
would read well if they We're ever lucky
enough to be TRANSPORTED into type
The other day, at one of these coteries,
one of the fdst-fading remnants of old
newspaper reporters, who is credited with
having written the story of ''The Flood
but who neither afirms nor denies tne
impeachment, although he does go as far
as to say that the story was spoiled in
being "cut down" by the ''blue pencil
fiend," told two stories of his antique
reportorial experiences-one, how he say
ed himself from scoop and the other
how his head became encircled by lot
of laurel through a scoop of Brob-
dingnagian's proportions. Here are the
two stories about as he told them.
There are times" began the veteran
scribe, when it requires as much sharp
ness to avoid being 'scooped' as getting
scoop. I had a narrow escape from
being scooped when the Prince of Wales
was on visit to this country. Only
tactful strategy saved me. The Prince
and his suite were to go to West Point
on the United States revenue cutter Har-
r1et Lane, and I was assigned to cover
it. The cutter was to leave at a. M,
and had to lose considerable beauty
sleep to get there in time. AS it was
I crnf fJcro i1xe, Oh
the cutter left. With a quick glance L
took in the situation. There was a big
crowd on the pier, End a passageway
had been kept open in the center to the
gangplank. Police Superintendent Ken
nedy, 1 noticed, was on hand with a
squad of police, to keep the popular en-
thusiasm down to a proper level. L had,
accompanied the prince on previous ex-
curs1ons, and SO was familiar with the
personnel of the party.
1T was a. cool October morning. His
royal highness and several of his suite
were lowering around the smokestack to
keep warm, as they smoked their cigars.
Several reporters were standing near en-
circled in pleasing halo of smoke Col
lector Schen stood by the side of the
gangplank. / hurried to go on board, but
bumped up very suddenly against a Sc
rious and startling fact-the collectors
refusal to allow me to do so. He had
nothing personal against me, only he had
determined no reporters should accom-
pany the excursion. The reporters on
board had boarded the cutter before he
had arrived, and, if it were not for MAX
ing scene, he would order them ashore.
One thing he could do and would do
keep any other reporters from going
aboard. There was no use, I saw, In
talking, and I retired in good ORDER
SO, then, you got left?" interrupted
one of the listeners.
mot MITCH" he replied. when the
collector refused to allow me on board.
l determined on my line Of action. 1t
was one of those spur-o -the-moment de-
cisions we reporters SON etimes have to
make. The gansplank was pulled IN,