A JOURNALISTIC STRATAGEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 256, 4 December 1909, Page 4

A JOURNALISTIC STRATAGEM.

i The recent report that Mr. Tim Hcaly is about to retire from active politics is , a good excuse to recall the following 1 story. ' One morning, during the Land League ■ agitation, Mr. Parnell left Dublin bv the ■ early mail train for Roscommon to adfdress a meeting. On arriving in the 1 town he received u telegram from Dublin which ran: ".Missed mail train. Will get down at three o'clock. l'ost|joue meeting till I arrive.—Hcaly." -Mr. Parnell was pleased to learn that Mr. T. M. llealv, M.P., was coining down; delighted, too, were the local promoters of the demonstration, and the meeting was gladly postponed for a lewhours. At three o'clock the railway station and its approaches were thronged with people with bands and banners, and the train from Dublin steamed in amid terrific cheering for "Tim Hcaly." I The train pulled up, a carriage door [opened, and the local reception commit-1 tec rushed to it, when out stepped I "Hcaly" but it was not Mr. T. M. j Healy, M.P. It was llr. W. Wallace lfealy, a well-known reporter on the stiff of the Irish Times. He had been "rnarked" tor the Roscommon meeting, had missed the mail train, it was most important that his paper should have a report of Mr. Parhell's speech—hence the telegram. i