Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-06-14
SCOOPS"
HOW THEY ARE SOMETIMES 81
CURED BYLITE NEWSPA-
PER MEN.

HOW THEY ARE SOMEIIMES 81
CURED BY LIVE NEWSPA-
PER MEN.
IF is AN ADVANTAGE TO JOURNAL
IsTs TO BE TELEGRAPH OPERA
TOKs-AN INCIDENT OF EX'
PRESIDENT CLEVELAND'S FISH
ING TRIP
All the SORES about the fishing
trip which Grover Cleveland and
Dan Lamont made into Upper Sdr'
anac two or three years ago have
never been told. Two cOreSpOn'
dents of New Pork papers, one OF
whom had been a telegraph opera
tor, were sent to Upper Saranac to
"cOver" the fishing trip, and were
early enough to secure quarters AT
the hotel. The representative OF a
third New York daily, who hap
pened to be an operator also, was
too late for that aud WAS obliged to
retrace his steps fifteen miles to
Paul Smiths aud put up there.
Clearly, then, he VAS a long DIS
lance from the scene of operations
and would have hard time OF
sending any Hews at all, unless he
could depend upon a very vivid
! imagination. The two cOrrespOn'
dents ut Upper Saranac got their
information ia the regular way
from Dan Lamont aud filed iheiT
"storiesn early. They went to
New York over a wire that passed
through Paul Smiths. The CORE
spondent at that point was at a
loAs 10 know what TO do until he
heard the accounts OF his rivals
sizzle down on their way to the
metropolis. lie could not help
| listening. He could not help gath
erlrg the facts. lie could not help
knowing just what kind of a fish
the President had caught at such
an hour, aud just what kind he had
failed to hook. He could not help,
in short, knowing all about what
he WAS there to find out about.
Vita his viIid Imagination, which
he always bad with him, and the
two reports Of the other cOrrrspon'
dents at his disposal, it was very
easy for him to send good "story"
to bis own paper. This he did for
two nights. Then the New York
papers began to get bAGk to Upper
Saranae. The two Oorresp Indents
who were proceeding iu the regu'
lar way found that the rival Jour
nal had no facts but theirs and no
correspondent on the spot. The
only inference, therefor, was that
somebody was stealing their dis
patches.
That night, by some reversal OF
the instruments which telegraphers
understand, they were able to send
their dispatches back ward but the
third correspondent at Paul Smiths
understood this trick also, The
instrument at that station was
simply reversed, aud the two cor
respondents was beaten u third
time. The next day they sent word
to New York that the daily so and
30 was stealing their dispatches,
aud that the Office at Paul Smiths
must be ordered to stop II. Those
orders were carried out, and there
was nothing for the third CORE
spoudeht to do then but to return
TO the home Office, a discounted
man, but one who had died game.
TwOO three months ago they
thought they had White Caps, or
the newspapers thought they did,
in one OF the New England States.
Two great rival newspapers of
Boston sent special correspondents
to the supposed scene OF the sup
posed Outrages. One man found
that the telegraph operator at tho
station where he should he obliged
to file his dispatch was what is
called in the language of the craft
a cham" aud that no matter how
much he might exert himself to col
lect and write a good "stOry" it
could not be got through to the
home office in any sort OF season.
so he telegraphed to Boston to
have special operator sent mp.
That was done. THIS new man,
QUE OF the best in New England,
took bis friends four column &C.
count, induced the regular operator
at the station to spend the evening
with his girl, aud sat down at the
key himself. He bothered with no
local business that evening.
Pretty soon, strangely enough,
the special correspondent OF the
rival paper came in to file lis dis
patch. That was four columns
long also.
Fire his right dOAn To Boston, &,
he said, somewhAtgruffly. "lt mnst
be through early. IL is for the
morning 20 aud 80. Get it through
quick, won't youi ~
Tue operator, who knew, OF
course, tuat be was taken for a