The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1907-08-03
SOME NEWSPAPER EXPERIENCES.
For The Sea Coast Echo by Miss Mary Abarr, OF
N. o. Daily Picayune Reportorial Staff.

Relate some newspaper experiences,
did you sayP Very well, here are some
that are not enjoyed by every newspaper
woman. Possibly, it is the perverse-
ness of my nature, or, may be am like
the Pharisee, different from other folks.
Anyway, it is not every one that takes
keen delight in doing all-around re-
portorial work, especially the police
department; but do. The man in the
prison cell does not come out the next
day in column article and declare he
never said it, as some folks do who are
on the outside even, if you have writ
ten interview dictated and corrected by
themselves. Ones words in cold type
do not look as they do written with pen
ell and paper without being well
smoothed with little "softsoap". The
woman on the rock pile does not berate
you because you did not write up her
Paris gown as she thought it should be.
The police work gives one chance
to stand up for the "under dog" by
giving his account of himself without
comment, and then the reporter who
Wills is in position to lend hand in
more ways than one to the unfortunate
ones.
Police work is fertile field, and the
police reporter need meyer go empty
handed to his desk-aye. and such good
stories, too-stories that will make the
reader shed tears of sympathy; stories
that will touch the hearts and loosen
the purse strings for the unfortunate.
OF Course, there are murders and sui
cides and accidents, and sometimes the
reporter may be called upon to help the
surgeon; but, with heart full of SYM
pathy and brotherly love for his fellow
man, even this, which to the casual
on-looker may be disagreeabel, becomes
a benediction Of duty done.
The police reporter who is faithful
will never get left on good item. If
he shows himself friendly, every man
in blue uniform will be his sworn friend,
and he had rather lose his star than to
let the paper 60 to press without put
ting his friend, the police reporter, on.
But you want some experiences. Here
are q few: One dusty August day a
most forlorn- looking woman was found
in q small room in the top story of a
tenement. She was ragged and dirty
and sick, lying on pile of rags in the
corner. She had been reported to the
police by some of her neighbors. A
phone message was received for me to
como to the police headquarters. The
Captain said: "There's good story
for you, think, down on Washington
street." and indicated the officer that
was to go there to investigate the case.
After much persuasion and even threats
of force, the woman consented to go to
the hospital. The fun began after she
was assigned to the ward. She had to
be undressed and sponged off by force.
Finally, her rags were replaced by a
clean white gown, and she was laid in q
spotless bed. In her hand she held, all
this time, some filthy old garment and,
when she was put in bed, tucked it under
her clean pillow, but kept her hand on
It. The attendant sought to take the
bundle for the purpose of fumigating
and washing it with her other clothing.
The patient forgot her ailment and sal
bolt upright, holding the tighter hel
bundle. II WAS taken away from her by
force, and tie jerk that vrenched i,
from her grasp, nnloosened II, and the
gold coins to the amount OF nearly, OF
quite, 5000 rolled out over the ward
door.
Il was one Of those years when dis
ease VAS abroad and the fight on any
possible gorm was made most persis-
s Not many Days afssr this / was pas