Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-12-30

| Ihe other reporters-New York,
Trenton and Philadelphia-had been
to the house before me, and l was sur
prised and rather chagrined that they
| should be everlast:ngly ahead of me
on the trail. AS to what they had dug
up, l, Of course, could only surmise.
| My honest belief, however, was that
had all there was in the story.
At midnight I was looking for the
telegraph operator. He had closed his
Office at 1880 and gone to bed at his
home, about a mile and half away.
sent for him. He refused to get out
! Of bed
"I'll fetch him or make him lose his
place." said my friend, the ex-sheriff.
Jumping into his buggy he drove rapid
ly away, and in half an hour Mr.. Oper-
ator. as mad as wet hen, was at the
key plugging away on my story, which
went over to him sheet by sheet. He
got red and pale by turns as he peclzed
off the manuscript I could see that
he was amazed, dumfounded, "paral-
yzed." And we'll he might be! l
learned afterward that he was
protege of the murderer.
In my story l boldly named Brad
we'll, chief constable of the county, as
the murderer. In green reporter that
was unwise; in an old stager it would
have been high crime. Bradwell was
the leading politician and Office hold
er in all that part of the country, as
we'll as the richest man Whereabouts.
He had charming wife and severa!
beautiful children, and was withal the
most prominent of the villages citi-
| Gems.
The ex-sheriff took me to a hotel and
| turned in for the night at about two
o'clock, as hungry as a dog and as
tired as spring feeling. Conscious
OF a sood days work. slept the sleep
| Of just man made perfect. What is
hunger to a reporter who has just done
splendid murder and has only one
object on earth at the moment, name
ly. seeing the paper next morning?
was aroused b. a frightful banging
at my door, which l had bclted on re-
firing. In sort of half-stupor I
opened it. Three men entered. One
introduced himself as justice of the
peace, and the others were officers of
the law. They made no hesitation in
apprising me Ct the nature of their
visit.
The justice, a man of some 65 years,
wise-looking behind great goggles, had
my paper in his hand, which shook as
II with palsy.
In few words he told me that had
made serious mistake in naming as
the murderer of the man in the cram
berry bog Mr.. Bradwell, who was en-
tirely above suspicion.
I looked at the paper. The story, in
double-leaded minion-how dear to the
reporters heart is double-leaded min
ion!-began on the last column of the
first page, with 'stud-horse heads"
and made nearly two columns on the
second page. 1t was hot stuff! The
name Of B-adwell, the murderer" ap-
peared three or four times
Great Caesar's ghost! What an aw-
full thing is cold type! 1t was glorious
to write that man down murderer
with lead pencil on a sheet of copy
paper. l was then sleuth, hot on
the TRAIL as eager as hound after a
fox. But to see it all in big, black,
cold type! Whew!
And what fool in the Office had
dared pass such statements? Was it
not violating every rule of the paper
to call man q murderer before his
conviction? Did we not always use
alleged" even when there was not
the shadow of doubt of his guilt?
Great goodness me!
"We have come to inform you that
you'd better not go on the streets OF
this town to-day" said the justice.
"Your life is in danger. You are the
writer of this article?" he added.
Il am I said bravely; ''and I'll
guarantee every word of it."
1T can't be true. young man. Brad
we'll never committed crime in his
life. It amt in the man. He's the
leader here in all that's good and no
Bile, church, Sunday school, charity,
hospitals-in everything. You've got
the whole town stirred up"
"Where's Bradwell?"
Hes standing at the corner with a
double barreled shotgun, and you're a
dead man the instant you show your
head"
But he doesn't know me at sight.
Besides, gentlemen, you are not doing
your duty"
1 turned seriously upon the two Of
fcers.
This man should be in Jail. He
must be Jailed immediately"
But there amt no charge against
him. said the justice. "How can we
arrest an innocent MANI"
l was impatient-madly so.
mo charge? No charge? Do you
suppose that paper you hold in your
hand stands for idle gossip? With So
100000 behind it, do you suppose It.
would stand for your statement that
its clear, open, direct charge Of guilt
against this Bradwell is no charger
You should have seen the three look
at each other. l realized my advantage
and pursued it.
"Bradwell stands charged with muir
der, gentlemen, and YOU will be held ac-
countable if he should escape"
got up to dress.
"What would you adviser" asked the
justice.
why, sir, there is but one thing to
do. No matter how unpleasant may be
the duty, you are sworn to uphold the
law and to vindicate it. Arrest Brad
we'll Immediately and lock him up.