Alleged Dead Man Denies the Report.
Once upon a time the city editor of a newspaper printed a story about a man being dead who wasn’t dead.
Much to his consternation, the man arose the next morning and read a lurid account of his death. He pinched himself to see if he were dead or alive, and, coming to the conclusion that he was very much alive, after looking at a black-and-blue mark where his fingers had closed together upon his tender flesh, he sought the city editor.
“I read in the morning paper that I was dead,” he remarked to the newspaper man at the desk.
“Well,” laconically responded the city editor, “what about it?”
“I am here as a living witness to testify that I am not dead,” responded the man who was printed dead, “and that the reports of my death are very much exaggerated.”
“I want you to understand here and now that if this newspaper says you are dead, you are dead,” retorted the city editor.
“But don’t you see that I’m very much alive?” queried the astonished dead man.
“All right,” replied the city editor, “we’ll put you in the birth column to-morrow morning.”
Well, there is a parallel case to this in Montana, as is[Pg 61] shown in an opinion by the State supreme court, written by Associate Justice Sanner.