The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-22


days work among the biscuit shooters
he had kept his stomach from standing
on its hind legs, and, better still, he
had TO his credit several dollars in real
money
With this capital he bought a shoe
polishing stand. He hired several news
boy gamins to assist, and in a few
weeks he had enough velvet To walk
into clothing store and outfit himself
from hat 10 heel in city buds. After
donning the new apparel and busying
a barber for an hour, his general aspect
was vastly improved, but he still bore
some of the earmarks of having ar
rived by a recent train from a sparsely
populated district of one of the middle
west provinces.
Brave in a boiled shirt and clean
linen collar, he bearded the city edi-
tor of the Tribune for a job. He was
not accustomed TO asking metropoli-
tan city editors for work. The c. e.
looked him over and promptly told
him there was no vacancy; that there
was absolutely nothing stirring.
The cold and brusque rundown did
not feaZe Kelley. He merely told the
boss Of the local room that he had come
there to go to work. and that nothing
in this wide, wide world would deter
him from that ambition. 1t was a
warm, murky day, and Kelley took
off his coat and hat and sat himself
al a desk TO await developments.
/ Not always are city editors suspected
of it, but sometimes they are almost
human. This one grinned-inwardly-
and instantly decided he rather liked
Keeley's style.
/ 4 few idle reporters were about, old
/ timers. and there was a whispered
] consultation and some quiet laughing
with the city editor over the appli-
/ cant. Within q short time these smil-
ing and superior-lOoking reporters had
been sent out on assignments, and the
local room was deserted. Presently the
city editor turned stifiiy in his chair
+ and summoned Kelley
What's your name?"
! Jim Kelley"
| Ever done any repOrting?"
Yes, sir"
where? >"
Kelley told of his experience on
country paper.
Z "All right, young man, I'm going TO
send you out on a story that not
reporter on my staff has been able TO
! land. I warn you that it's a difficult
( job, and that you're likely, unless eX-
tremely cautious, to have a few shots
/ taken at you"
! Kelley was instantly afire with eager
ness. He was a Daniel; naught should
! keep him back. The city editor be-
/ gan TO feel guilty as he watched the
! Repression on the face of this sincere
and ambitious youth. To ease his con-
/ science from the possible effects OF
what he and the Old-time reporters
| had regarded in the light of a pTac-
! teal joke, he went into details.
He told Kelley of an old hulk of
| a barge which was anchored off the
! lake front, and which was the home
, and rendezvous of a marauding gang
/ OF outlaws which had defied alike the
: police and the sheriff men. They had
! been the terror of the lake shore be-
| cause Of their depredatio They had
! frequently Warded off arrest from the
| deck Of their floating fortress by a
| display of rifles. horse pistols double
| barreled shotguns and other light ar
| tillery. Pitched battles even had been
/ fought, and the outlaws were still the
/ VictoTS and the police the yanquished.
The city editor wanted a good gen
eral story about the armament of the
old scOW. an accurate description OF
her piratical crew, an interview with
/ some of the desperadOes if possible,
and information as to what the gangs
/ plans were. It was a pretty big as
/ signment for green reporter to under
| take.
! Kelley had the God-given gift of rec
OgniZing the story germ without the
/ aid of a magnifying glass. There was
no resistance to its crawling into his
! system. He grabbed the idea of that
story right away, and the possibilities
! in il, and he was the more imbued
with a determination to land what the
/ city editor wanted because the other
/ reporters had fallen down in their at
/ tempts.
! As Kelley started out of the old Tri-
I bune Office the feelings of that city
editor We're mixed He would have
cheerfully given d weeks salary to get
the story. but at the same time he
thought il was a great joke TO send
this raw youth out to get it.
Kelley first went TO his twO-dOllar-a-
week room and took off his new clothes
He got into an old and sOiled flannel
shirt and his old toys and made himself
look just as disreputable as possible.
He took what money he had in the
world along with him, and long stock
OF confidence. as he made for the lake
front. He coon got his bearings and
with little difficulty located the pirate
hulk
4 perch fisherman was idly batting
] a hook out beyond a pier within the
, bTeakwater. Kelley hailed him and
told him he had a job for him and
that there was money in it. Fishing
instantly ceased and the yawl was
brought alongside the pier. Kelley
jumped in and told the professional
piScatOrial artist that he would pay
him a dollar an hour il he would row
him about wherever he wanted to go.
II looked like big pay for the fisher
man and he agreed readily Kelley
had the fisherman row him out to
within 200 yards of the old tub he
wanted TO inspect and then he began
fishing with the ferryman's outfit.
Fishing wasn't particularly good, but
the ruse served to allay the suspicious
of the outlaws. Who constantly kept
WatchfUl eye on the front.
Gradually Kelley worked his craft
nearer and nearer 10 this modern Cap
tain Kidd outfit. He finally WAS SO
close that one Of the loOkouts of the
gang hailed him.
What in HI are you doing out
here?" came the challenge.
rNone Ct your d-n business" re
Joined Kelley.
The boatmau was worried and urged
a retreat. He knew all about that
bad bunch and it wasn't a part of his
programme TO take any chances. Kelley
silenced him and told him that before
lie was through that he intended to go
aboard the wreck.
''Wen, say. young Teller you'd bet
ter keep away from here. You don't
know who we are, / guess. You're
MORN likely to get drilled full of holes
if you don't stand off"
Kelley didn't know who they were
and didn't care. He was minding his
own business and he hoped these fresh
guys would mind their own affairs.
Then Kelley began 70 Jolly" his Wis
avis aboard the hulk. RE joshed with
the tough until the latter was almost
angry. Meantime he managed to work
the yaWl practically alongside. His