Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-09-05
NEWSPAPER scoops
Some of the Feats PerfOrmed by wide
awake and Ambitious Reporters.

good history OF lOurna2lsm from the ume
newspapers first began TO be issued. One
of the great scoops Of history was a pre-
dictioa. The particulars of this scoop
are so historical that they can be found
in "Kingiake's History of the Crimean
War" The London Times predicted the
battle of Alma. 1t called the battle that
had not yet been fought by the name it
has been known in history. 1t pointed
out where it would be fought and pointed
out what would be the result. This re-
markable prediction was verified in every
particular, and, although The Times
afterwards kept on the predicting busi-
ness as to the fall of Sebastopol, none of
its other predictions came true. This
shows the beauty of stopping predicting
when you have mace one big success.
A scoop which involved good deal of
personal danger was accomplished few
years ago by the correspondent of The
New York Times in London. Mr. Harold
Frederic went through the cholera smit-
ten districts of France and Spain, and
cabled page to his paper, giving an ac-
curate history of the plague, and show
ing for the first time what was to be
feared from the cholera epidemic and
what was not. In fact, it gave people
for the first time an accurate estimate of
| the situation.
When the Prince of Wales visited
America The New York Herald man got
scoop on all his esteemed contempora-
ries by holding wire against all comers.
This was at Niagara Falls and there was
but one wire at that time to New York.
The Herald reporter started sending in
his message, and, until he had finished.
none of the otheE men could send in
theirs. He telegraphed every mortal
thing that he could think of, described
all the suits the Prince of Wales wore
and what the Duke of Newcastle said and
did, and what every member of the suite
thought and were likely to think about,
and finally he had to fall back on the
only book available, q copy of the New
Testament, most of which was tele-
graphed to The Herald in New York.
By the time he had finished with the
volume it was then too late for any of
the other newspaper men to send in a
special. If the men in The Herald Office
read all the dispatches that came in from
the New Testament, the big sum of
money paid for the telegraph bill would
not have been altogether wasted.
NJ. Quad, in his younger days, char
tered locomotive to bring in the gov
ernors message to The Detroit Free
Press. He had wild ride against time.
and not only delivered the message in
good shape, but wrote an account of the
affair which, it is not too much to say.
was infinitely more interesting and very
much more widely read than was the
message of which he was the carrier.
In recent issue of an American maga-
zine, Mr.. Blowitz, the Paris correspon-
dent of The London Times, gives very
interesting account of how he scooped
all his esteemed contemporaries by tele-
graphing to London q copy of the Berlin
treaty. Not the least difficulty which he
had to overcome was the getting of a
permit to send by telegraph the matter
which he had the good luck and good
management to secure. He had to gel
into Belgium to do it, and even then he
had to have an order from q very high
authority or otherwise his message would
not have been taken.
In America the only trouble that CORE
spondents have is to get the news. Once
they have that, there is no doubt about
its being telegraphed. In Europe tho
correspondents have another difficulty
to contend with, and that is. even aftel
they have their special information, ant
after they hand it in to the telegraph
office, it is sometimes not sent. Durina
the troublesome times in Spain awhil,
ago, newspaper correspondent foune
that no matter what information he man
aged to get it was never forwarded from
the Spanish telegraph Office. The gov
ernment of the day took care that II,
news that it did not wish to go abroat
should be sent. This correspondent thel
wrote to his friend in London that whel
he received the next dispatch he was t
count every fifth word and cable onl,
every fifth word to New York. He wrot
his dispatches after that on this principle
Whenever he got good piece of new
he telegraphed long rigmarole to hi
friend in London, which when read a
it was sent appeared to be q long talk o
financial and domestic troubles whicl
were bothering him at that time, bu
when every fifth word was taken out
gave the news he wanted to send. Thi
the Spanish people never got ION to,
and SO the correspondent secured man
scoops for his paper.--Detroit Free Press