BOGUS REPORTERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10042, 12 May 1910, Page 7

BOGUS REPORTERS.

On seme of the American railways the newspaper men are allowed to travel "on their card" as it were. One day an irr.pecur.ious free-lance des'ring to visit a town some distance away, decided, to see how far on. his journey bluff would take him. With assumption of importance he boarded a train, saying to the conductor—"l'm Stubbs, of the New York, . Havent' got a card on me. It's all right I suppose?" "Come right in," replied the train attendant; "we've got tha editor of your paper on board this very train, , so he will be able to identify you." With his heart in nis boots, and seeing nothing in store fru- him but ignominious exposure, he followed his guide into the presence. Much to his astonishment, the editor merely remarked, '.'Quite right, conductor. This gentleman is a member of my staff," and began talking as though he knew him quite well. The attendant withdrew, and the iuumb-founrfe'd journalist thought he had better make a clean breast of it, as the great man was evidently tak- j ing him for someone else. ', When he had finished his confession, the other just drawled —"Guess ws are both on the same lay, sonny. I was in as big a funk asl you. As it happens I'm not the editor." This story is beaten easy by one from an Australian city. A big banquet as in progress at a swell restaur ant, when the manager happened to ask the chief waiter casually it the reporters were being well looked af« ter, in accordance with his custom. "Oh, yes," replied the chief, "but my word, there's a terrible dose of tlnm!" "Never mind, treat them well," replied the manager as he disappeared downstairs In tha morning a column notice at the least was looked for, but not a line appeared in any uf the capers. Subsequent inquiry led to the astonishing fact that no \c.cs than ten bogus reporters had got into the banquet on the "bluff" by merely giving the name of one of the city papers, and showing a card, and the matter was so well arranged by the ringleader of the joke, that to this day not one of them has been discovered. Managers are more careful nowadays.