Middletown transcript., 1882-03-03
REPORTERS.
HOW AND WHERE THEY GET THE
LATEST NEWS"
" How do thev get the news pn


This is a question very frequently
asked by the readers of the daily papers.
A man is killed, fire occurs, col
: lision happens-"a a reporter of the
was on the spot
How does he get con the spot ?"
If you were to-day to slip on the ice
and break your leg OF neck, every re-
|, porter whose duty it is to look after
such matters would know it within
half an hour after the accident-possi-
bly, within fifteen minutes.
Every occurrence of note is reported
by the police in any precinct to the sta
tiOn house. The sergeant in charge is
required to telegraph it at once to police
headquarters in Mulberry street and
there it is the press boys wait and watch
for news.
1t is an arduous task.
The reporter assigned to police head
quarters is never safe. For several
days there will be little or nothing for
him to do, and he may stay at his post
for hours, idle. But, let him go away,
and in comes news Of a murder or a
big fire, and his reputation and bread
and butter may be at stake.
Formerly the reporters there is
at least one from each newspaper
permitted to remain in the police head
quarters, where room was assigned
them, but they became a nuisance, and
were bundled out.
They actually shadowed the detect
ives. These lynx-eyed gentlemen found
a keener lot of fellows after them, and
case after case was developed by the re-
porters before the information should
have been made public. Their noses
were into everything.
Finally they were, as the Irish would
say, evicted.
Now theapewspapers have possession
of several houses in Mulberry street,
and divide the expenses.
There is keen competition there for
news, and green reporter has very
bad time of it.
For years there was a fight against
the Herald, and I think there is one to
this day. 1t was considered at one time
equal to discharging a reporter of this
paper to post him at headquarters,
where he was bound to be /" beaten'' by
the crowd.
The information coming over the
wires of new character, is free to all;
but reporters have been known to carry
off the dispatches sent by the police, or
hide them from their associates. Then
again, bogus news has been arranged
and palmed off upon green young men.
Some years ago this trick was success
fully played upon Herald man. A
reporter upon a rival paper wrote a
great sensation about cholera breaking
out on Governors Island. He pre-
tended to hide the news from the Her.
aid man, but finally, in an unwilling
way, gave up the intelligence. The
Herald published it and was soundly
berated the next day by all the other
papers for perpetrating an g outrageous
hoax"
Of an evening four or five of the con-
federates will hold convention in
whispers and then quietly steal out of
the building. The poor fellow not in
their confidence, of course, scents trou-
BILE, and presumes they have got big
case on hand.
He follows them, they walk all over
town, and finally return to headquar-
ters without doing anything.
Very often, just as the whole crowd
feel that there will be nothing more
tonight, +" ding, ding, ding, sounds the
fire signal, and away the entire party
have to rush. If the fire is Of impor-
tance, elevated roads, carriages, and
other vehicles are utilized, and as rule
the entire crowd work in unison and
exchange whatever items of news per-
tanning to losses they can obtain.
The rooms in Mulberry street are
by telephone with the down
town newspaper offices, and the report
ers keep the editors posted as to events,
and call for assistance in the shape of
extra men when deemed necessary.
If any police official attempts to con-
ceal news, OF is meagre in doling it out,
he is selected for their vengeance, and
The whole crowd set upon him. If, for
he be detective, in their re-
ports they will indicate that he is doing
absolutely nothing that the case in
which he may be engaged was really
very simple one to any intelligent man,
put Detective Jones, or whatever his
name may be, is absolutely without
1rainS.
The home office' will occasionally
AXE up the fight and the consequence
S that few men in authority care to
nub the headquarter man. AS rule,
'ficials aid him in the pursuit of news.
BY doing this the old Dickens business
# 8 the active and intelligent beadle''
S revived at times, and we read notices
ike this
Captain-showed great courage
nd determination in making the ar
est, !" Or
The discovery of the robbery was
wing to the exceedingly shrewdness of
Detective -"
What life it is for man to lead.
He dimes on suicides, revels in mur-
er, and gloats over " a fire with ter
ible loss of life.'' Men sit in the dingy
tile rooms listening to the "ticker''
t night, and picturing in their minds
ye murder and suicide. 1 have often
card a man say, 81 wish there would
9 big fire tonight ~
Another will exclaim: I'd like a
ouble murder and suicide - This will
ring up pleasant recollections, and
'me young gentleman with cigarette
i'll exclaim, "I tell you what that
oosevelt street case-the one where
le fellow cut his wife's head off with
n ak, stabbed his mother-in-law, set
re to the house, and then shot himself
was bully thing.''
" 1 made column and half of it."
Iys one in reply.
6 I made nearly three columns, /" ex-
aims another.
They all heave sighs of regret that