The independent., 1907-01-31
WANDERlNGS OF A PARAGRAPH.

New York Sun: A reporter on
Louisville newspaper wrote a few
weeks ago a harmless fake story, and
his paper printed it the next day. II
told of Kentucky man who had been
aleep for twelve years.
Since that time the pleasant bit of
fiction has been earning bread and but
ter for people all over the land. Thus
we read several days after the thing
was published:
"a man in Kentucky has been asleep
for twelve years. When he wakes up
he should be assured of a permanent
job as juryman"
Chicago made that up. In fact, most
of the Chicago papers commented in
one way or another upon the somno-
lence Of the Kentuckian.
The st. Joseph (Mo) paragraph man
handled it thus:
Down in Kentucky a mans been
asleep twelve years. Won't he be
mighty glad to find out all his debts
are outlawed."
Somebody in Denver has evidently
had experience in Kentucky. because
the next time the newspaper waif
shows up it is in a Denver paper, thus
disguised:
"a veteran Kentucky citizen has
been sleeping for twelve years. Prob
ably only snoozing off a real old Ken
lucky jag
A spirit Of envy may have inspired
the next text on the subject. 1t comes
from a New Orleans paper:
"A Kentucky man has been buried
in a sound sleep for the last twelve
years. Most likely he started in to
read one Of Marse Henry Watterson's
editorials"
Hot on the heels of this unkind cut
comes the deliberate insult of Detroit
newspaper:
See that Kentucky man has been
asleep for twelve years. Dom blame
him. That's about all there is to do
nowadays if you have to live in Ken
tucky.''
There is probably some allusion to
local conditions in this from ST. Louis
"A Kentuckian of some standing has
been asleep for twelve wears In all
likelihood the gentleman is dead. and
some of those highly efficient ambu-
lance surgeons have made one of their
usual hurried diagnosis of his case"
Still hurying on IT'S way. the scrap
of intelligence slips into Columbus. O..
editorial room. where the man takes
1t end hurls 1t back in this shape:
There's a man In Kentucky who's
been asleep for twelve years. AS long
as he keeps his eyes shut and lies still
it's all right. He's blamed sight
honester than q lot OF other Kentuck-
ians who have been walking around
sound asleep for twice twelve years"
One might be inclined to wonder sus-
piciously about the habits of the Har-
risburg man who fixed II UP this way:
I'VE learn with interest that a Ken
lucky man has been asleep for twelve
years. He probably eame IN at 3 a. IN.
too muddled 10 make excuses to his
wife. and now he's simply sidestepping
the morning-after explanations"
When the Cincinnati writer Starts In
we SEQ how far man dare go for a
pun
THAT Kentucky chan who has been
quietly sleeping for the last twelve
years must have filled himself full OF
still whisky"
pittsburg shows II still manages to
keep an eye on literary affairs;
"A Kentucky man went To sleep
twelve years ago and hs's asleep yet
This shows us the terrible effects ot
reading one of Henry James novels"
The handling OF the theme In cieve-
land shows tendency To gct gay with
the police. The paper says
~ man In Kentucky has hecP
asleep for twelve years, This natnr-
ally brings up the pertinent inaulry
Why isn't he on our nnlleo foreer-