Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-06-02
A GREAT INSTITUTION.
Tho New York Press and It's Tire
less Reporters.

less Reporters.
The universally accepted idea Of q
newspaper reporter is that he is an i'm
pudent, dissolute person, who wandera
over the city until he finds some piece
news-no matter of what character,
rovided it will find readers. This he
takes to his Office and writes out in
very bad English. Like many other
generally accepted conceptions of men
whose business brings them into public
notice, this is not correct one. Not
only are a majority of newspaper re-
porters upon our most influential me-
tropolitan papers men of education
and of culture, but their work is sys-
tematlzed and gathered through organ
lied channels of investigation.
The work of the reporter is given
him by the chief of the local news de-
partment of the journal with which he
is connected, who is known as the city
editor. The duties of this editor re-
quire untiring energy and the utmost
diligence and application. He must
see that his paper gives all the impor-
tant and interesting news Of the city
and vicinity while it is yet fresh, and if
possible before it has been published in
any other paper. Eternal vigilance is
the price of his position. Every inn
pOrtant and unimportant event in poll
tics, finance, society and crime he
must follow, and see that the reporters
under him investigate and present
promptly for the next edition of his
paper.
The city editor of a great New York
daily has the whole city under observa-
ton. as well as Brooklyn, Jersey City
and the adjoining country for fifty
miles around. lie assigns one reporter
to each police court. Men are also de-
tailed to each of the other courts, civil
and criminal, from the district courts
TO the Supreme Bench.
An important bureau of news gather
ing is the headquarters of the police
department. Two men from each
newspaper are kept watching the re-
turns Of this department day and night.
Each of these journals has rooms in a
building directly opposite the police
headquarters in Mulberry street, where
the strictest observation is kept upon
all criminal matters. If a murder or a
crime of any kind is committed in any
part of the city, it is at once reported
by the police officer in whose patrol it
occurred to the police station of his
precinct. Thence it is ut once tele-
graphed to police headquarters.
A record of every event of this kind
is made ona .'blotter" in the reporters
room at headquarters. The moment
this information is obtained, the re-
porter starts out to hunt up the facts.
He may have a whole day in which to
make his investigations, or he may
have only an hour; perhaps but half
an hour. Whenever a fire breaks out
in any part of the city, or an accident
occurs, an alarm is at once sent to po-
lice headquarters. The same trans
mission strikes similar alarm in the
reporters building opposite. Ten Sec
onds after it has sOunded-be it midday
or idnight-twenty men, represent
ing all the papers in the city. burst
out of the door and disappear in the
direction of the fire. They get there
very often before the engines.
II the victim of an accident is carried
to the hospital, the reporter visits the
place where the sufferer was injured,
and ascertains how he was hurt, and
then goes to the hospital and learns his
condition.
In order that nothing of this sort
shall escape notice, reporters are sent
out after midnight to all the police
stations and hospitals from Harlem to
the Battery; for. as most of the papers
60 to press between half-past two and
half-past three o'clock in the morning.
there would be perceptible loss of
time while waiting for information to
get to police headquarters. Even five
minutes makes an important difference
in newspaper Office ut two O'Clock in
the morning. Another bureau of
criminal news is the coroner's Office.
ANY sudden death under suspicious or
extraordinary circumstances is at once
reported to the coroner and registered
for the reporters who cover that Office.
They investigate every case for them
selves, or report it to their city editors
for their Judgment So much for the
news obtained through the departments
of justice.
Each newspaper has also reporter
who calls daily at the Offices of all the
city officials, from the mayor and con-
troller down, and learns of any i'm
portant news that occurs in their de-
partments Another visits the sheriff.
the district attorney and the county
officials. and one zealously watches the
City Hall, where large room is furn-
ished with desks and tables for re-
porters.
A reporter ..covers" the post-office
and the Federal court in that building
and obtains any important news there.
Another spends the day among the ex-
changes and brokers in Wall street, to
keep the public posted ON financial af-
affairs, and one mans sole duty
is to keep a lookout on the water
front for marine news Of any kind.
Other reporters visit the various mu-
nicipal departments-the Department
Of Parks, of Public Works, Of Charities
and Correction. One man is kept At
the quarantine station in the Narrows
to telegraph any important news OF
newly-arrived transatlantic steamers;
another visits all the theaters each
night-not to criticise the play. that
comes under another department OF the
paper-but to learn of any important
changes in the cast of performance.
or to obtain any interesting informs
ton pertaining 70 the stage. The re-
porters also visit all the leading hotels
to get the names of prominent men
from all over the world, from the hotel
registers.
From . great many Of these places
NO information worth printing is OBJ
tanned once a year; but q newspaper
takes no risk OF being ''left' on any
matter Of news. The large newspapers
have each q reporter in Brooklyn. Jer-
sew CITY, Newark and Paterson, who
does not report 1t the Office. but sends
in his copy" by q messenger. Besides
these out-of-town men. reporters are
kept by each paper-one on Long
Island, one on Staten Island and one to
travel daily in Westchester County. up
the Hudson between Sing Sing and
New York, to obtain the news nom
those places.
But all these are merely the routine
reporters, who do the same work each
day. Besides these, there are the men
Who do general work" as it is called
who are sent to religious meetings
and prize-fights; who interview great
men and women: who attend funerals;
who obtain obituary sketches OF men OF