The story of the Sun, New York, 1833-1918 / by Frank M. O'Brien.

" SUN " REPORTERS AND THEIR WORK 341
or how delicate. Edward G. Riggs was sitting beside
him in the Populist convention of July, 1896, when the
suspenders of the sergeant-at-arms of the convention,
who was standing on a chair, cheering, surrendered to
cataclasm. Riggs turned to his colleague and said
triumphantly:
" At last, W. J., there's one story you can't write!"
But Chamberlin wrote it:
He clutched, but he clutched too late. He dived and
grabbed once, twice, thrice, but down those trousers
slipped. Mary E. Lease was only three feet away.
Miss Mitchell, of Kansas, was less than two feet away.
Helen Gougar was almost on the spot. Mrs. Julia
Ward Pennington was just two seats off, and all around
and about him were gathered the most beautiful and
eloquent women of the convention, and every eye was
upon the unfortunate Deacon McDowell.
Then he grabbed, and then again, again, and again
they eluded him. Down, down he dived. At last victory perched on him. He got the trousers, and, with
a yank that threatened to rip them from stem to stern,
he pulled them up. At no time had the applause ceased,
nor had there been any sign of a let-up in the demonstration. Now it was increased twofold. The women
joined in.
McDowell, clutching the truant trousers closely about
him, attempted to resume his part in the demonstration,
but it was useless, and after frantic efforts to show enthusiasm he retired to hunt up tenpenny nails. When
it was over, an indignant Populist introduced this resolution:
"Resolved, that future sergeants-at-arms shall be required to wear tights."
The chairman did not put the resolution.
The number of Chamberlains and Chamberlins in the
history of American journalism is enough to create confusion. The Sun alone had four at one time. They