Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1917 — THACKERAY AS A REPORTER [ARTICLE]

THACKERAY AS A REPORTER

Records the Case of Pat Fogarty, Who Thrashed Enemy 1 With a HorsesheaZ Thackeray once acted as police reporter for the Loudon Diogenes and performed his work in no perfunctory way. “How the future novelist must have enjoyed observing and recording this bit of courtroom humor I” exclaims a writer in the Los Angeles Times. Pat Fogarty went all the way from Manchester to London In order to thrash Mick Fitzpatrick, which he did, winding up the performance with the assistance of an “awful horseshoe.” He was detected and brought before Mr. Justice Simpleman. “Well, sir,” began the court, “you came here from Manchester, did you?” “Your honor has answered correct.” “You see the complainant’s head; It was cut by a sharp instrument. Do you know what cut it?” e “Ain’t your honor afther sayin’ that a sharp insthrumlnt did?” “I see you mean to equivocate,” said the court, becoming restive. “Now, sir, you cut that head; you came here to cut it, did you not? Now, str, what motive brought you to London?” “The locomotive, your honor.” “Equivocating again, you scoundrel!” said the court, waxing warm. Raising up the horseshoe, and holding it before Pat, he said, “Do you see this horseshoe, sir?” „ “Is it a horseshoe, your honor?” “Don’t you see it is, sir? Are you blind? Can you not tell at once that It is a horseshoe?” “Bedad, no your honor.” “No?” angrily. “No, your honor; but can yersllf tell it?”- - “Of course I can, you stupid Irishman.” “Oh, glory be to goodness, see what education is!” soliloquized Pat, aloud. “Sure, your honor, a poor, ignorant creature like mesilf wouldn’t know a horse’s shoe from a mare’s.” 1