Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-26

old days, and 1t was hard for a green
man to break into the mystic circle.
Whenever strange reporter came on
the job he was looked upon by the old
timers as an interloper, and 1t was scam
dalous the way they would go after him.
If the rev man didn't have it thrown
into" him for column on the first page
before the week was out he could call
himself lucky. ~
This humping process was accen-
tuated II there was suspicion that the
newcomer was college graduate or a
''rah, rah boy" as he was called by the
police gang.
Before the night was over AIDE had
made friends with every reporter on the
job. He did not try to impress them
with the fact that he had come to Chi
cago to resuscitate journalism.
But he was in for dumping, never
theless. The second or third night he
missed out on porch climbing diamond
robbery In Grand boulevard, and from
perusal of the story in the papers
all except the Morning News-one would
think that the entire police department
knew of 1t. How AIDE could have failed
to hear something about it was puzzle
to his city editor 1t was one of those
stories that were plugged" but one Of
the night reporters got tip on 1t from
a druggist, from whose store the police
we're telephoned. AIDE, of course, knew
nothing about this, and it would have
done him no good If he had When he
reported at his Office the next evening
the city editor asked him for an ex-
PLANTATION. He was handed clipping
about yard long, and cross was on it
in blue pencil from top to bottom. AIDE
looked at the clipping for a second and
then laid it down on the desk with the
remark:
. Il suppose the young man who ran
the blue mark through that thought he
had something on me- Well, he didn't,
for can do it myself"
This explanation as to why he had
been "scooped" saved George AIDES
bacon. The city editor leaned back in
his chair and roared at the new report
er's unique excuse for being bumped"
by the gang. With the injunction 10
keep awake" the city editor told him
to go ahead with his work.
That night AIDE drifted out to the
Brighton Park station, where a reporter
had not been seen for years. He had to
ride on horse car and he was two hours
in getting to the station. The town
could have burned down before he got
back, but he didn't care. Old-timers on
the job satisfied themselves by telephon-
ing to Brighton once month over the
police wire, just to know if the station
was still there. Nobody was ever known
to get line of news out of the station,
and 1t was standing joke with the re-
porters when leaving Central in the
evening for one Of them to say: We'll,
l guess I'll drop out to Brighton to-
night. I've got bunch there's some
thing doing out there"
On the night in question AIDE had
heard one of the gang make that re-
mark, and he was not going to be
caught mapping the second time when
there was anything in the shape of news
floating around
And it so happened that there was
something doing that night. The lieu
tenant in command had a tip early in
the evening that a notorious safe
blower, for whom the police Of the en-
tire country had been searching for
months, was hiding in a house in his
precinct. He surrounded the building
and then raped on the door for admit
lance. His knock was answered by a
revolver shot from within. The door
was burst by the officers, who sprang in
side with drawn revolvers, and, after a
desperate fight, the fugitive was cap
tured.
AIDE was just entering the station
when the patrol wagon with the prisoner
drove up. He "butted in," to use his
own words, and dragged of the story"
What was more, he had 1t exclusive,
nice, Juicy" column, with all the de-
tails Of the arrest and few others to
make it more realistic. The South side
gang took him into the combination the
next night and he's been making good"
ever since.-Chicago Record Herald.