Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-02-20
A LIVELY sKIRMISH.
Confct OF Ambitious Newspaper
Reporters
On the Relief Boat Irea city-Desps'ats
Efforts for "Scoop"-The Trip -
of the Boat.

The enterprising correspondents who
were sent out on the relief boat Iron City
by the Pittsburgh press, had quite falling
out, at Moundsvills, Monday night aris-
ing through energetic attempts to ont
general each other, and considerable bad
language and a general display Of revol'
vers was the outcome. About ten o'clock
in the evening the boat was landed, ten or
twelve miles below Moundsville, and after
all on board had agreed to make no attempt
to send off news until morning the party
prepared to retire 1t appears from subse-
quent developments, however, that each
and every one of the morning paper men
had made mental reservation, e1empting
himself from the terms of the agreement.
No sooner had the members of the party
sought their state rooms and the boat set
tled down into comparative quiet, than ii
occurred to Ogden, of the Times, that il
would be the proper caper TO give his com
panions the slip and get a report
of the days doings into the
Moundsville telegraph office, thus ettecting
PALPABLE SCOOP
on the rest of the gang. Imbued with this
idea, Ogden slipped ashore, and srmed
with q lantern, started through the mud
ON his anything but pleasant journey.
Shortly after his departure, the same
idea struck Herbert, OF the Post, and
launching skif, the newsgstherer spit on
his hands and pulled out to the towboat,
Smoky City, which was slowl y ascending
the stream through dense fog. Shortly
after the departure OF Herbert, Ogden re-
turned, having met countryman mile
or two from the boat and subsidized him
TO convey his manuscript TO the operator.
! Climbing aboard the steamer the first man
Ogden met was Charley Jahn, OF the DIS.
patch. jain at once 'smelled mice" and
not having the remotest idea OF getting
left, he chartered the boat, assumed COM
nand, and headed her up stream, soon
passing the Post man, who Was grinding
his teeth aboard the tow boat.
Arriving at Moundsville, jain had the
boat stopped when within few yards oil
the bank, and prepared to go ashore alone,
giving orders that no one else should leave
| the boat. To this command Davis, of the
Commercial Gazette, entered a demurrer,
giving it out in the most solid and sub
| stantial manner that he intended to go in
| the skitf, emphasizing the assertion
WITH A REVOLVER.
jain grabbed the weapon and quite row
ensued, ending by Ogden jumping waist
deep into the water and getting TO land.
Arriving at the telegraph Off &c the opera
tor was found to be the veriest amateur,
and jain was in despair. Leaving Ogden
to worry along with him as best he could,
Iahn bearded the midnight train and after
styeral minor incidents and long walk,
reached Benwood, where he arrived more
lead than alive, only to find that Ogden
vas holding the wire. After repeated at
ren pts to break in" a truce was finally
patched up by Jain agreeing to duplicate
ais tel gram 10 the Times, and the weary
3o.res pondents sought quarters for the
uight. coming up to this city yesterday
morning, where they related their adyen'
lures to their admiring fellow reporters on
the local press.
DON'T LIKE DoNEHoo.
This is only part of the story. Wake.
field, OF the Leader, says he and Ogden
were purposely left at Moundsyille by the
Iron City. All of this skirmish party say
Rev. Doneboo, who was commander of the
boat, tied up below MoundsvilIe in the in
terest of the evening papers, with which
fe "stood in" and some of them gave Park
Walter, of the Telegraph, all the bad
French in their possession, saying he was
not fit for the secretaryship, and only got
it because be was a dandy and put on good
clothes. jain says the Dispatch got in its
work, though it cost it hundred dollars.
Well, they are all good fellows and am
bilious workers, and the boys here enjoy
ed il.