Wichita eagle., 1888-04-29


and other famous statesmen, and spoke Of
the curious mistakes that were frequently
made in deciphering the shorthand notes Of
their debates. Son one OCCASION he said,
Thomas II. Benton had made long and
elaborate speech on the French SpolIatiOn
bill, and, as was then the custom before
sending the copy TO the Government printers,
1t was submitted to the Speaker for re-
vision. In the course of his remarks Mr.
Benton made use OF the phrase you might
as well attempt to sing maniac TO sleep
with lullaby etc. The next afternoon,
soon after the opening Of the Senate, Ben
ton, VITA half-angry, half-amUsed expires
sion on his face, came to my desk and hold
ing out sheet of manuscript exclaimed:
Young man, did you write thatN / did,
Mr.. Benton; what's wrongH Look at ii,
SIR and he pointed TO the line, You might
as well attempt to sing a monkey to sleep
with hullaboo' That's idiOtic, sir; that's
internal nonsense; humph! l never said
any thing Of the kind. You must be fool,
sir"
Well, felt ike one, for when turned to
my shorthand notes, l found that in the
haste OF transcrlbIng them at three or four
IN the morning, for we had no aLaanuenses IN
those days, l had used the wrong words for
similar outlines. When l explained TO the
old gentleman that in photography, mink
stood for monkey as well as maniac, and
that lib without the vowels, was very sug-
gestive of hulIaboO, he laughed good IA
turedly and went TO his seat But he told
the joke on me and it soon got around
among the boys, and didn't hear the last
OF my attempt TO do the monkey act with
old Bullion during the rest OF that session.
THAT story reminds me- said another of
the party, ''of curious incident that occurred
in the House Of Representatives during the
closing hours of the Kansas debate in 1886.
1t was near daylight and Charles B. Collar,
now court reporter in New York, was
taking his turn" These turns" by the
way, were, at that time twenty minutes or
a half hour long. Well, Charlie was tired,
for, like the rest Of US, he had been on
almost continuous duty for more than
twenty-four hours. As the time approached
Tor hum TO stop, McElAone, another member
or the official staff, slipped into the seat by
his side for the purpose of following him.
Reaching a convenient paragraph, he
nudged Collar in the usual way but Charlie
kept right on, and probably wrote five
minutes before Mac got chance TO speak
10 him. Then Collar stopped with dazed
sort Of expression, shook himself, aud
looked around. He had been fast asleep,
Yet had mechanically taken notes of some
OF the most rapid takers in the house. And
the work was correctly done too, for when
he began transcribing, although he did not |
remember having written the greater part |
of the matter, it was all there and the only |
question he had to ask about il was con- |
corning the point where he ought to have |
stopped. Ears, eyes ana fingers had been |
alive, but the brain was as dead IS a door
nail. 1t was unconscious exercise OF purely |
automatic skill.
Where half dozen men are reporting a
long session, 1t is customary 10 write at the
end of maG's turn the name of the repor-
ter who follows, as, for instance. Brown fol- |
lows Smith" Ia this manner, confusion IS !
avoided in the arrangement Of the copy" |
4 gentleman present mentioned a curious /
incident Illustrative of the occasional care
Iessness of printers and proof-readers.
One Of the reporters Of a debate was
named Fitzhugh and the other Fleming.
The latter wrote at the end Of his turn"
"Fitz follows Flem.n The CONSERVATION
and disgust of the orator may be conceived !
when no read in the published report the
next day the irrelevant and irreverent re-
mark intcrjected in what happened to be
the most brilliant portion Of his speech that
Fits follows Phlegm."
Some of the most notable reportoral work
in the early days of photography in this
country was done in the trial of Prof. Web
ster, for the murder of DR.. Parkman, in
Boston, when Charles B. Collar above re-
ferred to, and F. q. DeFontaiue, now q New
York Journalist, then the only two profess
sional shorthand writers in the city. sup
Piled the Boston Herald with the entire pro
ceedings verbatim from day to day during the
ba
DeFontaine, with the aid Of two long hand
amsnuensis, to whom be dictated while him
self writing, made verbatim report of the
trial of General Dan Sicl1es, in Washing
ton, for killing Barton Key, and IN twenty
minutes after the rendition Of the verdict,
Dewitt, the publisher was selling pamphlet
report of the trial. numbering over two
hundred pages, on the streets Of New York. |
The last days work had been done by teIe-
graph. The New York Herald on that occa-
sion. by having the scenes in the court room
described in advance, was enabled TO print
the verdict mot guilty" in seven minutes
after the announcement; quick work.
The shrewdners of reports in getting
ahead OF each other was Illustrated
by many stories that passed around the
lunch table. One of these was of Gill. of
Boston, who. when be heard Of the wreck
of the steamship Atlantic on the Newfound-
land coast, hurried TO the spot, chartered
tug and a diving bell and went down to the
bottom among the dead bodies and wrote a
narrowing account of the scenes he saw.
Another swan out TO sea with Paul Boy
ton in patent India rubber suit ana nearly
lostfis life among the drifting Ice, al for
the honor of getting beat as IL is pro
fessionally called, when the description Of
the event came TO be written.
A few years ago murderous assault
was made on an old couple residing on
Long Island. \ dozen reporters FASTENED
10 the spot, which was revote from the rail
road and had 10 be reached in sleighs III the
midst Of a driving hail-srorIa. One Of the
number arriving late found his brothers
either investigating the scene of the at (
tempted murder or eating their suppers il
@ neighboring tavern BE said nothing. but I
sawed wood. In other words. no Quietly
went back 10 his sleigh ana told the driver
TO set him down at the telegraph station in
stanter. Entering the little country Office,
he asked if the lines were engaged. No"
- Then want the wires untg further or
ders."
Hastily writing a dispatch 70 his New
York paper that for the next two hours 1t
would be in receipt Of blind" message
and after that his regular report, he turned
10 the young lady operator and asked If she /
had a copy of the Bible. She had Finding !
an easy Place, now" he said, " l want you
10 send this right along until cone back
and say stop" Then he went Of. took his
supper lessurely, visited the scene Of the as
sauit, secured all the facts and when he was 3
ready. drove back TO the telegraph office. 1t
was fhrOn ced with a crowd of furious. rcd