The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-01
TIE CHAMPION LIARS:
NEWSPAPER aspoeTERs IL AT REST.
Som. Of Their R.nIaI.e.,e.s-nov the wuhIn,
I. ton Corrs,psndsats Secured Information
Duriar Garasld's Illn.Is-orirla
OF the Sensational Stories.

OF the Sensational Stories.
WASHINGTON, April S0.-It might vel
have been some such place, as Washington
on rainy Sunday that Gilbert make
Bunthorne wish himself "wafted away
from, for such another Aceldama cannot
be found at this season Of the year
Presently some one spoke Of the 'bil
worknthat was done during the assassination
excitement Of 1881, and this was the cue
for long and interesting series Of incidentl
Of that stirring time. Itwould take many
pages to reproduce every one Of the Incl.
dents narrated, interesting though they
were, but q few may be mentioned TO show
how great q rivalry existed during that
eventlnl period among the correspondents
TO send the earliest and most readable
news 10 their respective journals. As a
fact, great many things published during
that exciting period were based on mere
rumors, hence the circulation Of so many
sensational storiss.
THE EAGER CORRESPONDENTS. 4
The eager correspondents, however, like
the hungry pike, snapped at every bait,
and haunted hotel lobbies and telegraph
offices day and night, sending away one
story at one time, and very often contra,
dieting 1t in another telegram. Indeed,
when recalled in these dull and presy
times, it seems almost impossible TO realize
how hard and steadily the newspaper men
worked in these days, and that, too, with
no manner Of complaint at the hardships
which they were forced to undergo. But
to return to the "reminiscences OF the day.
One OF the party, a Brooklyn scribe, told
an amusing story Of how he killed the
President one night about O'Clock, and
restored him to life again about one hour
later; "You see" he said, there had been
rumors out all day that the President was
sinking rapidly and could not survive the
night. The bulletins from the White
House indicated bad state Of affairs, and
| knew that there was work ahead and
that there was no time to play. Billy Cope.
land, who was my Brooklyn rival here,
had, understood, effected some mysterious
arrangement at the White House by which
his paper in Brooklyn was to be advised OF
the death simultaneously with the drawing
Of the Presidents last breath. felt worried
and anxious. Ny managing editor had tel.
egraphed me sharp instructions. and l
knew that il | was beatena regular monkey
and parrot time would follow. Iput my
wits to work. l secured the services OF
three men. l stationed one ut the White
House, one at the gate leading to the
grounds, and another at the Treasury, their
instructions being to pass all news or ru.
mora verbally from one to the other, the
last man to advise me at the telegraph
office, where I was stationed, with my dis
patch drawn up in blank. Well, as I ex.
pected, the scheme worked spiendidly.
Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue
were literally packed with people that night.
Hundreds clambered up salong the iron
fence enclosing the White House grounds,
and the most intense excitement prevailed.
About niue o'clock one Of my men rushed
into the telegraph Office as white as ghost,
and exclaimed:
"LET ngR. GO, mss DEAD"
Let her go; he's dead An instant later
the night clerk had the message, and
then framed another dispatch picturiBg the
death-bed scene pathetically, aud filed that.
In the meantime no other correspondent
had turned up, and I thought it little
strange, but knew that there were other
offices to which they might have gone. I
went out on the street. The rumor OF the
Presidents death was on everybody's g
tongue. Atthe Riggs House l saw strong
men actually crying, and other sights 10
strange that rushed back to the telegraph
office and wired street scenes briefly, but
highly sensational. Just as was about TO
start out again the night clerk called me
and handed out 8 telegram. Gentlemen,
'parenthized the correspondent slowly 1t
was from the managing editor. Only a
few words, but pointed. The message was
this: Stop your rot. President is not
dead. Go home and sober up.' Be-
fore | could express my astonishment my
three assistants entered the Office. They
had all taken too much nourshment, but
were anxious to make amends for their
blunder. They had heard the runior OF the
Presidents death in common with others,
believed it, and were prompt in notifying
me. They had since learned differently,
and each wanted to send a dispatch. Be:
tween the four OF US we sent off snug
paragraph Of the events and then went
home. l learned day or two later that
my first despatch was bulletined by the
home office, and that the greatest excite
ment prevailed there. II took me week
to strengthen matters out, and you can bet
that | have never given faith 10 rumor
since"
A LEFT REPORTER.
"That's nothing" said another scribe, as
the story was concluded; "pretty nearly
everyone used to send of some sensational
matter in those days" "Yes," chimed in
another; "but the Times man who worked
up that choir.singing story about Garfeld's
first Sunday at Elberon carried of the