The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-08

''calI around Monday morning and
you'll get your money, on condition
that no other newspapers have it.
"All right" said the stranger, and
thereupon he laid upon the correspond
ent's table printed copy of the Presi-
dents message, and departed. The
Times man quickly thrust it into his
pocket and fastened to find his part
cinnati Enquirer There was great re-
joicing as they perfected their plans for
getting the message off to their respect
i've papers without its leaking out. The
least slip in the arrangements might
prove fatal. In order that they might
not excite suspicion along the Row they
hired for the night room at the Ebbitt
House, which they used as their ''head-
quarters" They decided to admit the
Boston Globe into the coordination,
which would make the cost of the mes
sage 1915 to each of the four papers,
the additional expense to each for tele-
graphing it as a special being about
800. The Globe man wired his paper
on the subject and received reply that
he might give $3.50 and no more. The
other fellows refused to let the Globe in
unless it would pay its full share; so
the Boston people did not have the mes
sage to mix with their bean-pOrridge.
In the meantime the New York, Chi
cagO and Cincinnati papers had tele-
graphed their representatives fully APP
proving the arrangement, and telling
them to secure it at any price. The
most discreet of their number was out
to privately interview the manager of
the telegraph Office, and invoke upon
him all the curses in the calendar if he
permitted anybody in that Office, through
which it must 90, to give it away"
The precious copy" was deposited in
his hands with full instructions, and the
three lucky journalists Sauntered down
along the Row. They called upon their
friends, the wretched correspondents of
old fogy journals. who had not enter
prise enough to do so easy a thing as
getting a Presidents Message two days |
ahead of time. They inquired for news
as if they had not already furnished |
their papers with just as much as they |
could handle, and asked deSpairingly il |
had heard anything about the |
All this time the ten or twelve |
thousand words were chasing each other
over half a dozen wires TO each of the |
three cities,
Next morning the Row showed early
signs of animation. The representatives
of the two Illnesses and the Enquirer
knew the boys would be around betimes
to continue with redOubled vigOr their
hunt for the message, as this would be
the last day of grace. Conscious of the
met by appointment and went down the
Row to see the boys and hear the re-
turns come in.
Half a dozen able journalists were
in front of General Boynton's
office. As the trio came up they &C
costed the former with:
''Have you got on to the message
yet?"
mo, have you?" was the reply.
well" said the New York man, 81
sent it to the Times last night"
There was a stare of wild amazement
on the faces of the disguised group.
Their eyes opened still wider when the
two others chimed in:
THE Cincinnati people are all read
ing it in the Enquirer this morning."
''Me, too" said the Chicago Times
man.
And those who ''got left walked
sadly away. At that time there was
nothing on earth that had any interest
to them.
AS the three heroes CT the hour
walked up the street they met the cor
of the Chicago Tribune. 1t
was now their time to be surprised. and
he of the Chicago Times.
His utter Generalization may be i'm
agined when the Tribune, with broad
smile on his face, said to them:
''Well. boys, that was a good job.
You deserve a credit mark. But the
Tribune has got the message all the
samew
And this proved to he true. In some
way the Tribune people had the idea
hat it would appear that morning in
New York. The difference in time of
IN hour afforded the possibility of hay
NO it telegraphed from that city i'm
upon its publication, and vet
The amount of matter to be handled
" |
lifficult one. In carrying out such
/ scheme it was necessary that
he issue in Chicago be made as
nearly as possible even with the Fines
IN anticipation of such an attempt, and
% prevent it if possible the New York
Times delayed its issue fifteen or twenty
until it could be no longer kept
back and meet the early outgoing
rains.
The Chicago Tribune people had the
IMPRESSION that it was the World that
lad the message. and kept that office
closely picketed all the latter part of
he night. Thay also had their skir-
mishers at each of the other offices. The
irst copy of the Times that appeared
IN the street was snatched up by rep
,esentative of Chicago paper. who
vent with it at his utmost speed to the
telegraph office. The manager of the
after had been notified of the job and
lad ready all the operators that could
,e employed. Corresponding arrange
nents were made at the other end
If the line. and the message in sections
vent buzzing over twenty wires. There
,eirrc little ordinary business al that
ime of day they had full possession of
he line. At the TTt5HRe office in Chi
ago there was the utmost activity
Every printer was at his lease" and
editors and proof-readers BY the dozen
PAVE their best energies to the work
The marvellous feat was accom- |,
,lished in an incredibly short space
IF time. In little more than
an hour from the issue of the
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