CONFIDENTIAL FILE

A Story for Birds — Down Texas Way

Sometimes, I heist other reporters’ stories.

It’s a harmless-enough pastime, and I only do it on special occasions.

I only do it, for example, when some other reporter has a story I like.

But don’t misunderstand me.

I have professional scruples.

It’s just that I don’t believe in being excessive about them. After all, you can overdo anything.

Yesterday, I put them to the test again. I received a letter from a friend of mine in Texas.*

He enclosed an article from the El Paso Times, which was my kind of story. It was about a man named Jesse Pennington.

Pennington — the story related — had become indignant at the way El Paso was treating its pigeon population.

So he took matters into his own hands.

According to the article:

"Pennington has rented a 52-room downtown hotel and converted it into a pigeon coop.

"’I’ve
got about 50 birds to a room,’ he said. ‘They’re very comfortable and
glad to see me when I come in. Those pigeons have heat and running
water and everything.’"

The article mentioned that Pennington
had rounded up in excess of 6,000 birds and added that he had removed
the linen from the hotel’s beds and set up slats across them "so the
pigeons could roost more comfortable.

"’I reckon,’" it quoted the pigeon-catcher, "’that I am the only person in Texas who has rented a hotel for pigeons.’"

The
vision of 6,000 pigeons loose in a 52-room hotel was more than my
imagination could handle. This was a story worth stealing.

I
tried to locate Jesse Pennington through the El Paso information
operator, but she didn’t have a listing. So I called the Times there,
and they gave me the reporter who handled the story.

"This Jesse Pennington," I said, "must be quite a character."

"He is that," the reporter answered. "I been trying to rustle up another story on him today.

"He’s still got his hotel full of pigeons?" I asked.

The reporter grunted, "Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

Facts Under Spotlight

"Well, when that fellow told me that story, he just kind of stretched it a little."

"Then it wasn’t a 52-room hotel?" I said.

"More
like two rooms. And human beings hadn’t lived in them in I don’t know
how long. I finally got out and took a look and there couldn’t have
been more than 100 pigeons in all."

"I see," I said coolly.

"Yes, sir," continued the reporter. "Quite a guy, that old Jesse. He can spin quite a yarn."

"Sure can," I agreed.

"Yep," he said. "But I feel sorry for him."

"How’s that?" I asked.

"Well,
after my story about his 52-room pigeon hotel, his landlord went up to
his two dirty rooms and opened the windows and chased all his pigeons
away."

Right then I decided not to steal the reporter’s scoop. I just can’t stand stories with unhappy endings.

*We were friends before he moved to Texas.