The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-11-26

a buffer" Of q New York newspaper
office, says the New York World.
What is a BUFFER" Why, he is the
fellow you u up against on a Visit
to a newspaper office, and who asks
questions before you can see 1.-The
Editor"
He believes he can distinguish a
bank president from a bank burglar,
and tries awfully hard to be polite
and courteous to all. II you have
business with the editor he'll try to
be Of service and give you all atten-
ton. But if you are a member Of the
large army Of "cranks'' and bugs
that flock to q newspaper office to
tell their troubles. ask silly questions
and do ridiculous things he will put
you through a third degree" His
chief duties are to hold uD" those
who have no business, and who would
be an annoyance and greatly inter-
fere with the work Of the boss"
While playing the chief role OF
New York daily he has encountered
nice and curious people.
One Of them was a man who
wanted to see the editor on an impor-
ant story. He had two live Holsters
in a paper bag. The bag burst and
the Holsters began to crawl about. to
he delight Of the office bows. The
man a bought them to convince
himself that Holsters move backward
instead Of forward when swimming.
He a q magnifying glass, and with
it showed marks on the claws which,
he said, spelled the name Of John"
and Mary" He argued that Holsters.
like humans. have m
Feeling in the best OF spirits and
wondering why everybody else wasn't
in the same hilarious mood, this caller
roodQ. Innurn hic hyciroocc o~ fnl1o u,o.
Dams me name-shimply Dan," he
said. Il Wanter see de editor"
Dan wanted to know the weight Of
the heaviest elephant, and he felt GER
! tain that the editor could enlighten
him.
A man who had served three terms
In prison for robbery and just been
released had learned h name OF a
reporter and called to pay him a y isit.
He told the reporter that a man doing
"a bit" had spoken of him as a great
newspaperman. The reporter told the
convict he was glad to make his &C
Quaintance. h man made two other
calls to see the reporter. On the third
visit, believing hat the reporter was
a "paf' he took him to one side and,
taking two gold watches from mis-
pocket. whispered: Can yer do any
thin with these"
Another man came to tell Of a
mine disaster in which a hundred
miners had been traDDed and killed.
he said he was a survivor and spoke
tNDf a mine horror tina had occurred
many years ago. He finally admitted
that he was never inside a mine, but
a SIMPLY read newspaper accounts
Of h catastrophe. After relating his
, story he took from his pocket a small
box containing rubber ink erasers
Buy one" he urged: "onl- ten
cents"
A woman called to ask financial aid
saying she and her seven children
5 were going to be dispossessed. Irves-
tigation disclosed that she had onl,
t one child and that she was not ir
4 straitened circumstances.
: Three hours later she reappeared
2 accompanied by seven small children
Informed OF the investigation of ne,
case. she confessed that she had col.
2 lected the children in the neiehber-
;. hood. Then h began to cry. anf
the seven little ones joined in and
4 kept it up all the way down the Gle.
: vator.
For many days following the Tri.
angle factory fire inventors cam.
e pouring in to show new fre-escan
devices. One man had a rope anf
e pulley attachment. He began to dem,
8 onstrate his device by fastenfnr ~
pU1 80 1caoluB TO the edi.
torial rooms. He climbed I'D the ron
= until he reached the ton Of the d,,o,
8 and cramped his body, ~ese1nhlin =.
monkey Gliding a tree. While loxar
ing himself by letting out the ron.
= the door began to sag and the hinge,
e were partly pulled from their fa.ten'
e ings.
A man who had escaped from
: Kings Park asylum appeared in par,
u fto" and treated the newsboys :,
e y style. He bought their news
q papers and spent money for DRINKS
He came from Hoboken, where IA,
had fed after escaping from the asy
e lum. He entered the newspape OF
nee wearing a heavy iron hprsesho,
suspended from q blue ribbon wh;c,
was strung around his neck. He ha.
a seal such as used by notaries. an,
said IT afforded him protection. Da
tecttves were searching for him wha,