Reporter Hugh goes to the scene of a traffic accident where a man has been run down in front of the Tally Ho Lounge across the street from the State Fairgrounds.

Trooper Herb is already at the scene as he and the coroner turn the body over and remove the wallet from the man’s pants pocket. Trooper Herb holds a flashlight while Reporter Hugh lays the wallet on the hood of the patrol car and fishes for some identification.

According to the driver’s license the man lying in the street is Wendell Leatherly, 1801 Huguenot Balloon Drive. "Got it!" says Hugh, as he heads back to the newspaper to write his story.

Several hours later and moments before the first edition deadline, Reporter Hugh’s phone rings. It’s Trooper Herb: "Did you write your story yet? Well, you’d better unwrite it real quick, ’cause the guy ain’t dead!"

Reporter Hugh explains it to Call The Cops!: the dead man is no longer dead. He was just knocked unconscious when the car hit him. He may have a cracked hip bone and a couple of busted ribs, but he’s alive and talking.

Turns out the wallet in his pocket isn’t his—it belongs to a guy in the bar named—you guessed it—Wendell Leatherly. The formerly dead guy is named Mattie Garlicsen, a regular at the police drunk tank.

Trooper Herb says Mattie stole Leatherly’s wallet in the Tally Ho then bolted out the door and ran straight into the path of an oncoming car. The driver of the car, realizing he hit somebody, had a heart attack but he’ll recover.

Mattie is charged with larceny. Reporter Hugh is grateful that the story — in its original draft - never saw the light of print. So is Hugh’s editor.