The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
HIS IMAGINATION TOO LIVELY.
A Washington Correspondent TelIs
How He Lost His First Position.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
II lost my first position through sin.
gular and most unfortunate combination
of unforeseen circumstances, said the ole
newspaper man. Il served my time as
cub reporter on a morning paper in one OF
the large cities in the Northwest. and ]
was as full of ideas as a watermelon is of
seeds. Besides L had an imagination that
had to be driven with a curb biz and
was pleased with myself and az ny ways
OF doing | had been on the paI only q
few months when l was sent down - the
state penitentiary to report a hanging. The
hangee, If / may use the term, noted
criminal, and my paper wanted gooc
story about his exit 1t happened that none
of the other papers in the city saw Mt &c
send a special correspondent 10 the prison
so was alone in my glory. and 1 could see
signs in myself Of rising TO the occasion.
When / arrived in the town where the
prison was located / found that 10 reach
the scene Of the execution 1 would be
obliged to drive several miles. IL was
bitter cold night and | did not look on the
ride with favor. Besides 1 really didn't
yearn TO see the actual hanging. 1 could
imagine what il would be like for / hac
seen one or two affairs Of the kind before,
so as ! had the field all 10 myself decided
TO sit in the railway station, where II was
warm and pleasant, and write my story
there. l began the story with bulletins.
The more OF them I wrote the palmer
could see just how things were going out
at the penitentiary. ] remember hit upor
the idea of yellow kitten which had beer
a pet of the condemned man during his last
DAYS / worked in some delicate pathos
about the little animal and fast as ]
had a sheet Of copy written ! passed IL over
to the telegraph operator, who fired IL into
the home Office.
Once or twice / fancied he grinned al
me- but as 1 had set him down good and
hard as soon as / arrived. l didn't take any
notice of his actions / worked up the
last meal. the procession to the scanold.
and the adjustment Of the black cap.
could feel how fine my work was as
reeled II off / let the man off without
farewell speech. for I'd had word from the
warden of the prison that there wasn't &c
be any speech-making. but I felt that
must work in at least one breaking Of the
rope / had just written that and showed
il over 10 the operator. when he said:
There's a message for you.
Let it wait said l. for / was on my
high horse. I'll read IL as soon as turn IN
the rest of this story
Then | went on and told in my finest
language how new rope had been brought
and the prisoner finally assisted into a con-
dition of having been. 1t was all so I'M
commonly good and sounded so true that
felt sorry l hadn't sent in a longer story.
l finished il, however. and then / took a
look at the message which had come for
me about an hour earlier. II was from the
man on the telegraph desk, and this Is
what il said
Stop sending tommyrot fakes. Man re-
prieved four hours ago
Nothing in the world but the fact that
the operator was twice my size prevented
me from bathing my hands in his life-blood.
/ lost my position They didn't appreciate
my Imaginative style and IL has always
been the grief OF my life that my wonderful
story was never printed