The Irish standard., 1903-12-26
!: HIS BIG NEWS BEAT. !
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@ 9
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aSA NlSloh SMllh.
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mi ENVSFAPER reporters have SO
Nv many narrow Shaves that they
Iearn To love danger. What other men
.StyIe ~heroism" is to them mere
Ima1ter Offacl mOnOtOny OF drudgery.
1t is regarded as unprofessional to
dodge an assignment, no matter what
hts difficulties or perils. Every duty is
lin effnct leap in the dark when it
involves The unrayeling Of u mystery,
:and there is no happiness greater than
Calling ones life in ones hand and
scoring 4. beat"
In my sappy days there were anx-
dous moments, but good luck and some
wit pulled me through. One morning,
being early at the Office, the assistant
city editor Informed me that a murder
fhad been committed in the southern
part of New Jersey.
ut may be big story" he said;
-''do you think You can handle it,"
No reporter living would have an
severed in the negative.
"You have never been out on a muir
tAer. have you?"
"No But I'd like it,"
well, go down and see what you can
cio with this. l want to give you q
chance
At II O'Clock was en- route; at eight
tOclock-nine hours later-I arrived in
n small village 81 miles from New
York H. was in the heart Of the cram
berry country. The place was dark
AT modest inn ran into group OF
willagers WHO were speaking solemnly
sabout the crime. AS usual in such
ceases. they eyed strangers with sus-
Lpicion. when their eyes fell on me,
knew I was a marked man.
At first no one would give me the
slightest Information. 1 had at best
-four hours in which to dig out the
sstory and put in on the wire. That
E1Ieant hustling. A little questioning
ihere and there soon led the group to
understand that l was reporter for a
New York paper, and every man shut
mp tighter 1han a clam. Other report
GERS had been there ahead of me, and
:all had gone ont into the country three
:and one-half miles to interview tht
family Of the murdered man.
tNot Il man of EN- got any news
here" said the inn Keeper. "and you're
wasting time"
''I suppose every man Of you is 9
friend of he alleged murderer" | ven.
rtured
|tNaybe SD, an maybe not. What
Heads You ip say that?"
"BecaMsse ii there were friend of the
victim here he would speak out ant
help me to find the murderer Oh
course ! can't expect you fellows tt
talk"
That seemed to strike them. One
took me aside and whispered:
If 5son want to find all enemy Of
EsradWell, who is suspected of thu
scrine, why don't you go and see ex
SHERIFF Watts? He's right around the
'cornsn. and maybe he'll fill you full o.
sguG guess he's about the only mar
lin the village who's dom any talkin'.
The ex-sheriff was easily approached
:and when named the paper for which
Il worked, he exclaimed:
THAT'S my paper. I've took it nigl
ON 40 years, an l don't mind tellin
you jest what know about this terri
Tble affair. think lnow-I think
tlSnow-all the parties, the motive, ant
when the deed was DONE"
We sat in his office an hour, and h,
did indeed fill me full of one of tn,
gnost amazing stories ever told, ant
with such minutia of detail that in
sitinctively knew he told the truth.
soon had two or three columns in m,
mind and few notes.
1t was unnecessary to ask him t,
Heave something to the Imagination
.fcr no Imagination could picture al
Improvement upon his narrative.
Nov" he said in conclusion, "I'v,
gut you in the way of gettin' at tn,
whole affair
Il must see the family of the muir
GlersA mGn, and, if possible, shoult
nike to- Interyiew the murderer"
~As to d.he former, will drive 70,
eSi1e 10 LIZ 1IIUI III my DuSSy, as u
CHE satter, you'd better wait till to
RnorroW'
We went ont to the farm at fas
'erut, arriving there at little afte
cen O'clock had long talk with tn
window, her handsome daughter of Is
and hr dMD SONS, boys of 13 and IL
respectIT6E- Everything eX-Sheri1
Watts had dold me was vouched 70
0y the family, and I learned man
othar Interesting. nay, startling, Incl
dents which in his haste had bee
overlooked. Ii is unnecessary here t
entr npnn the story of the crime. ]
ls ~ purpose to tell what happene
TO 1oGez-th1t is, myself.
The ether reporters-New Yorl
Tnenfm ana Philadelphia-had bee
tn d. house beinie me. and I was sui
VI - and EfAr chagrined that the
sss = eyarlAstinSly ahead Of n
=! Z! j ~ xsex had III