Daily Republican., 1889-09-21
CORRECTING AN ITEM.
BY LUKE SHARP.

| was sitting alone In the Office th,
ether day about noon when a couple q
gentlemen came up, who were ovdent,
exceedingly angry. Their temper had
not been improved by climbing the long
Nights ot stairs that led TO the editorial
room. which flight they had been com.
pelled to walk up, as the elevator wa.
not running between 10 and l..
Look here" said one OF the men. "tbis
Is Capt John Boom, OF Northern Michi.
gan. Your paper this morning publishes
scaudalous and utterly untrue item
about him, and we have come up here to
get retrac;ien made or there will be
trouble"
"Yes," said Capt. Boom, mopping bis
nea'ed prov, there will be trouble. 1t
Is perfectly outrageous the way news.
papers publish Items in which there ism
word OF tru.b, utterly reckless Of what
damage they may do, and"
"0i course 1t is," broke in the othtr
but IN bet you dollar and half we'll
have that thing fixed"
"Well, said, gentlemen, am very
sorry indeed, but II isn't In my depart.
ment lhave really nothing to do with
the matter at all. The proper man to
see would be the city editor"
"Wbat did ! tell you2" cried Capt,
Boom. "You wanted me to come up
here, but knew II was no good. knew
they would shift It of Just that way.
told you we wUuld never find the fellow
In that Wi ote 1t.
"You'll find him in all right enough. -
/ said, "if you call up at o O'Clock.
"Five O'clock" cried Cant Boom.
"Why by that time Will be on the tail-
way for home. No, sir. You correct
that item right here, now, or there is 20
ing 10 be trouble"
"All right" / said, "what is the itemY
will make whatever corrections there
are to BE- made In II and hand It to the
city editor. He will only be too glad to
correct 1t II he has b en In the wrong"
TOO glad" Numbered the other,
"don't correct the damage he has done. u
"What Is the i'em" / asked, unfolding
IL copy of that mornings paper.
"Aere 1t is," ne answered, putting his
finger OH the place.
The Item Was as follows:
"Capt John Boom, of Joeawauk.
Northern Michigan, is at the Cadill &C.
He ia interested iu the development OF
some timber limits on the JogAwauk
River, and is here to induce capital sis to
20 into the scheme. Capt. Boom has ac :
qui;ed the Ght to so 900 acres of vslu-
ahlo timber land and hss engaged MIR.
Theo. Dolite, the surveyor, TO go mp
there and run the lines. He is nego,la-
ting with Capt Brlney for tie purchase
Of tug that will navigate the raging
Jopawauk.'
"Well," l said, when ! had read that
through, "what Is there wrong about it2"
TITS all wrong" cried Capt. Boom.
"There isn't word OF truth 10 1t. /
want you to say in TO morrow's paper
that you entirely mislead and that there
wasn't word of truth In the item rrlst-
ing to Capt. John Boom. You have got
to do that or stand the consequences.
at can't he all wrong" said; "there
must be some foundation of truth In the
matter. The reporter has no reason for
falsifying tbings."
"You can take 1t any way yeu like, but
you have got to retraet that thing or there
will be music, now tell you"
"Capt. Boom" said the man who had
come up with him, 'is worth Sl00, 900,
and he don't care darn what he spends
in order to set himself right, now | tell
you"
"Well," l answered, che DOESN'T need
to spend a cent of it. The paper is as
nxious to get it right as he is to have 1t
righted, but let's see where the wrong is.
In the iirst place, Capt. John Boom of
Northern Michigan, Is at the
Cadillsc.' Are you Capt. John Boom"
"Yes, sir, | am"
"Very well, then, that much is right.
Are you from Jogawauk?"
'Yes, sir, | am from Jogawauk."
"Is JogaSaule in Northern Michigan?"
''Ye-, 1t is."
And are you staying at the C4dillacl"
"Yes, am"
"All right, then, there is nothing wrong
with the tlrst OF 1t, is therel"
mo, 1t isu't that, l."
swell, let's take the 81 copd s, ,nteuce.
Are you interested In some OF the timber
limits on that rivei?"
snow, that's just where the trouble is.
or course am interested in TIMBER limits
on the Jogawauk river, but | dn't want
that published. didn't see any report
eIs, and those that / told about that |
TO d 1t In confidence, and AN not going
to have 1t cast br adcast all over the
c, untry"
"Well, what we are after now is to get
this thing right The timber liml,s are
on the Jogawauk river, AID is 1t true
that you wish to interest capital SITS In |
tne sGhemei"
"Why, that's what am here ior, as L |
said, but don't want any publicity
about IT. We are doing this thing ON a
quiet. Thers are other parties that have
claims on those limit, aud II ley get on
o th1 racl wi y the -"
The person who came up with him
coughed little and said:
''Neyer mind, Capt. Boom, that, of
course, has nothing to do with the mat
ter"
swell, it says here that you have ac-
luired the right to $4,000 acres OF timber
land. Is that true?''
"Well, yes, it is true. That Is to say
It MT $4,000 acres, it's about $4,000
acres. Oh, yes, and there is 1900 acres
more that, but-yes, that's all right.
Fifty thousand acres is all right. But It's
nohody's business"
"Well, have you engaged Mr.. Theo,
Dolite, the surveyor, to 90 up there and
run the linep
Engaged hint Yes, have ongag ed
him, but what OF III It int anybody's
business but his and mine, Is itl"
mo, but that part Of the item Is cor
rect, anyhow. am trying to get at
what 10 untrue IN the item. Now, 1t
- a.