The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-01-10

"All right said the stranger, and
thereupon be 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
ners" of the Chicago Times and Gin
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 combination,
which would make the cost of the mes
sage 1875 to each of the four papers,
the additional expense to each for tele-
graphing it as 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-porrdge.
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 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 if
| anybody had heard anything about the
message. All this time the ten or twelve
thousand words were chasing each other
rover half 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
entire success of their scheme the three
met by appointment and went down the
Row to see the boys and hear the re-
turns come in.
| oil oh oil G
standing in front of General Boynton's
office. As the trio came up they ac-
costed the former with:
"Have you got on to the message
yet?"
mo, have youp'' was the reply.
"Well," said the New York man, II
sent it to the Times last night"
There was stare of wild amazement
on the faces of the disguised group.
Their eyes opened still wider when the
two others chimed in:
1.-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 of the hour
walked up the street they met the cor
respondent OF the Chicago Tribune. 1t
was now their time to be surprised, and
particularly 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 credit mark. But the
Tribune has got the me ssage all the
samer'
And this proved to be true. In some
way the Tribune people had the idea
that it would appear that morning in
New York. The difference in time of
an hour afforded the possibility of hav-
ing it telegraphed from that city i'm
mediately upon it's publication, and yet
the amount of matter to be handled
was SO large as to render the feat
difficult one. In carrying out such
the issue in Chicago be made as
In anticipation of such an attempt, and
Times delayed its issue fifteen or twenty
Ainutes, until it could be no longer kept
back and meet the early outgoing
trains.
The Chicago Tribune people had the
impression that it was the World that
had the message. and kept that office
closely picketed all the latter part of
the night. Thay also had their skir-
mishers at each 0. the other Offices. The
first copy OF the THaes that appeared
on the street was snatched up by rep
resentative of Chicago paper, who
went with 1t at his utmost speed to the
telegraph Office. Tho manager of the
latter had been notified of the job and
had ready all the operators that could
be employed. Corresponding arrange
ments were made at the other end
of the line. and the message in sections
went buzzing over twenty wires. There
being little ordinary business at that
time of day they had full possession of
the line. At the Tribune Office in Chi
cago there was the utmost activity |
Every printer was at his cease" and
editors and proof-readers by the dozen
gave their best energies to the work.
The marvellous feat was accom-
plished in an incredibly short space
Of time. In little more than
an hour from the issue of the
Times in New York the entire message
appeared in the Tribune on the streets
Of Chicago but few minutes behind
the issue of the Times of the latter city.
When all the facts became known along
the Row here il was voted that on the
whole the Chicago Tribune should take
the cake. The New York Tribune,
which shook the tree for the others to
gather the fruit, was left entirely out in
the cold.