The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-06-18
HOW BILLY STOLE
HIS BIG SCOOP
Tapped the Private Wire Lead
ing into the Opposition News
paper, and Gets the Story of
the San Francisco Earthquake


l Dy ltSE
Memory is dear friend In many
instances; and as start to write, or
to retell narrative that ] once had
the pleasure to listen to, but live
again the last night that / worked
with Billy B., on western paper.
To begin with, Billy and / were both
pounding !inotypes on a western
daily, and TO state that never knew
better operator, or more thorough
gentleman than he, would be putting
it mildly. knew him but short
time. He came into my life one
night when l had slipped up my
card' on the daily mentioned and in
less than two months he had passed
out of it. l have never seen him
since. But in memory / hold him
dear; and often in the silent hours
of night | live again the morning he
babe the boys goodbye, and. catch
ing the step of wanderlust, passed
out and away to pastures new.
The first night | worked beside
Billy.I was fascinated with the mans
speed as a machine operator; and
his endurance and accuracy as he
pounded off page after page of copy,
seemed marvellous to me: for. at that
time, l found it exceedingly difficult
to reach the required speed of a
daily $4,000 ems per hour), and my
proofs were never too clean.
As the hour of lunch approached
that first night. he kindly invited
me to partake of the same with him
at little German grill, where the
boys generally ate at midnight and
also, where they all congregated in
the early morning to enjoy a cup of
coffee and sometimes linger for a
little chat.
All Around Newspaper Man
In the early stage of our acquain-
lance, learned that Billy was not
only proficient linotype operator,
but reporter and telegrapher as
we'll, and that his knowledge of
newspaper work in general was of
such magnitude, that he was often
sought as an authority by men high
er up in the game.
That fact itself first aroused my
curiosity; and seeking to satisfy the
same one night, | was informed by
one of the boys. that it was tender
spot with Billy, and also. that many
others ON the night shift had tried
to become enlightened upon the sub
ject. We all learned the reason
sooner than we expected.
The last night that l worked be-
side Billy was Saturday night, when
the copy is generally heavier than
usual; for the Sunday morning edi-
ton is enlarged, and we were touch
ing the space bars of the machines
almost as often as the keys. To-
wards 1:30 a. m. terrific rain storm
swept up from the north accompa-
MED by lightning displays that
flashed and tore the night into a
thousand pieces. l noticed Billy
ease up on his machine and cast
quick and frequent glances out the
window that gave a view of sur
rounding buildings. As the storm
increased, so did Billy's nervous at
titude. and he frequently stopped to
wipe the moisture from his brow.
About 800 a. m. he seemed to have
reached the limit of his energies; for
he hung up" his machine at the
finish of some copy, stood to his
feet, and turning to me said: Jack,
that's so for mine! I've quit" "I'll
see you and the boys at the grill in
couple of hours and bid you all
good bye" Naturally, at the time,
l did not, nor could ] fathom the
reason for Billy's sudden resigna-
ton. But we met him that morning.
and this is the story he told TO us as
we gathered around the table at the
little German grill.
Billy's Story
Boys. l suppose you are wonder
ing why | so suddenly quit my job,
and apparently, without logical
reason. Others have pondered over
the same thoughts on nearly every
large paper in the country; because
time and again l have taken up
newspaper work, only to he driven
out of it by rain storm. Why a
rain Storm Listen! and you can
draw conclusions.
The winter of 1866 found me
holding down sit on one of New
York's largest dallies; and / believe,
the only daily at that time that con-
trolled private wires reaching out to