164 DEEP FURROWS 



and three farm journals. Concealing his identity under 

 the nom-de-plume, " Observer." the writer attacked the 

 Grain Growers* Grain Company and the men at the 

 head of it. Declaring himself to be a farmer, Mr. 

 " Observer " endeavored to discredit the farmers' trad- 

 ing organization by casting suspicion upon its motives 

 and methods of business. As letter followed letter it 

 became evident that the object in view was to stir up 

 discontent among the farmers with the way their own 

 agency was being conducted. 



After issuing a single, dignified and convincing 

 refutation of these attacks, the Company ignored the 

 anonymous enemy. But the gauntlet was picked up by 

 the Grain Growers' Guide. It lay right at the editor's 

 feet. Chipman recognized a direct challenge and did 

 not propose to drop the matter with a denial in the 

 columns of his paper even with a dozen denials. His 

 old reportorial instinct was aroused. Who was this 

 mysterious "Observer"? Why was he going to so 

 much trouble as to launch a systematic campaign? One 

 thing was certain he was NOT a farmer ! 



All good newspaper reporters have two qualifications 

 well developed ; they are able to recognize news values 

 having " a nose for news," it is called and they are 

 able to run down a "story" with the instinct of a 

 detective. G. F. Chipman had been a good reporter a 

 good police reporter particularly. He had the detec- 

 tive's instinct and it did not take him long to recognize 

 that he was facing a situation which could be uncovered 

 only by detective work. 



In the first place, he reasoned, the letters were too 

 cleverly written so cleverly, in fact, that they could be 

 the product of a professional writer only, most likely 

 a Winnipeg man. This narrowed the search at once. By 



