Carroll stared wonderingly at these words.
“There Was a Burglary in Town Yesterday, and Here’s the Reason Why.”
“Underneath that heading,” the Camera Chap explained, in response to Carroll’s inquiring stare, “will go the snapshot which I took at police headquarters a few minutes ago. It’s a picture of Oldham’s chief of police, fast asleep at his desk.”
CHAPTER V.
A TELLING SHOT.
Chief of Police Hodgins let out a bellow of rage the next morning when his startled gaze rested upon the front page of the Oldham Daily Bulletin.
The editor of that belligerent sheet had eagerly availed himself of Hawley’s snapshots and the latter’s suggestion as to how to use them. Both negatives had turned out excellently, and, although there wasn’t a great deal of difference between the two poses, Carroll decided to use them both, so as to make as big a showing as possible. They appeared side by side at the top of the page, and above them, stretched across the full width of the page, was the heading which the Camera Chap had composed.
Beneath the cuts was an editorial from the pen of Fred Carroll, written in very short sentences, and with many words capitalized—a style of editorial which he had copied from the New York Sentinel. The first paragraphs were as follows:
“The above genuine snapshots tell their own story. They were taken at police headquarters at two o’clock yesterday afternoon. They show our chief of police in a thoroughly characteristic pose. A brief study of these interesting, and genuine photographs will enable the reader to understand why CRIMINALS regard Oldham as their HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.
“Most police officials believe in keeping their eyes open and their mouths closed while on duty. Our chief of police reverses that old-fashioned policy. As these snapshots show, he does HIS police duty with his eyes CLOSED and his mouth WIDE OPEN. Citizens and property[Pg 46] owners may not approve of this original policy, but, no doubt, BURGLARS, STRONG-ARM MEN, and other CROOKS heartily indorse it. Of course, they are thoroughly satisfied with our SOMNOLENT chief of police.
“Night before last there was a daring burglary, committed in this town. Bold thieves got away with plunder worth many thousand dollars. We frankly confess that the Bulletin is not, as yet, in possession of the full details of that burglary. We tried to find out about the crime, but were unsuccessful. When a Bulletin representative called on Chief Hodgins, to ascertain the particulars, he found him SNORING. The Bulletin representative was too polite to disturb the chief’s daylight slumbers, so, instead of interviewing him, he took his picture. That could be done without WAKING him. Besides, our representative thought that the taxpayers of Oldham would find these snapshots much more interesting and illuminating than a mere detailed account of the burglary.”