The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-08-10
PRE- = T ON E ELV / N,
FINE ART FU RNIIUE RE
No. 8 Governor Street.
NEWSPAPER SCOOPS"
some Of the Tests Performed by Wide
awake aud Ambitious Reporters.

some Of the Fests Performed by Wide
awake aud Ambitious Reporters.
4 history Of scoops would form q very
good history Of journalism from the time
newspapers first began 70 be issued. One
Of the great scoops of history was a pre-
diction. The particulars of this scoop
are so historical that they can be found
in "kinglakes History OF the Crlmean
War The London Times predicted the
battle Of Alma 1t called the battle that
had not vet been fought by the name IL
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 bust
ness as to the fall of Sebastopol none OF
its other predictions came true This
shows the beauty OF stopping predicting
when YOU have made one big success.
\ scoop which involved a good deal OF
personal danger was accomplished few
wears 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 a page to his paper, giving am ac-
curate history Of the plague, and show
inc for the first time what was 90 bo
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
n scoop on all his esteemed contcmpora-
ries by holding n wire against all comes
This was at Niagara Falls and there was
but one wire at that .imc TO New York
Tie Herald reporter started sending IN
his messages. and. until he had finished,
none of the other men could send M
theirs. He telcgraphed 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 thesultc
thought and were likely % think about.
and finally he had TO tall back ON the
only book available, a copy OF the New
Testament. most Of which was tcle-
eraphed to The Herald in New York
Nv the time he had finished win the
volume it was then too llto for amy OF
the other newspaper men 20 send in "a
special. d tho men in Tho Herald office
read all the dispatches ihat camoiaf from
tire New Testament, tine big sum OF
money paid for the telegraph bin would
not have been altogether wasted.
VI. Quad. in his younger days char
tered a locomotive to bring n the gov
errors message to The Detroit Free
Press. He had q wild ride against time,
and not only delivered the message in
good shape, but wrote an account OF the
affair which. il is not too much % say
was infinitely more interesting and very
much more widely read than was the
message Of which he was the carrier
I'm a recent issue OF an american magl
zine. Mr. Blowitz, the Paris oOrrospon-
dent OK The London Times, gives a very
interesting account OF how he scoopod
all his esteemed contemporaries by te.c
graphing 20 London a copy OF the Berlin
treaty. Not tho least difficulty which he
had to overcome was the getting Of "a
permit to send by telegraph the lsattcr
which he had the good luck and good
management to secure. lie had to get
into Belgium to do it, and even then he
had to have an order from very high
authority orotherwisc 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 the
correspondents have another difficulty
to contend with, and that is. even after
they have their special Information, and
after they hand it in 10 the Telegraph
office, it IS sometimes not sent During
the troublesome times in Spain awhile
ago, newspaper correspondent found
that no matter what information he man.
aged to get il was never forwarded from
the Spanish telegraph Office. The gov
eminent Il the day took care that no
news that il did not wish to 90 abroad
should be sent This correspondent then
wrote to his friend in London that when
he received the next dispatch he was to
count every fifth word and cable only
every fifth word to New York. Hewrote
his dispatches after that Oh this principle
Whenever he got good piece Of news
he telegraphed long rigmarolc TO his
friend in London, which when sead as
it was sent appeared to 10 a long talk OF
financial and domestic troubles which
were bothering him at that time, but
when every fifth word was taken out il
gave the news he wanted 10 send. This
the Spanish people never got ION to,
and 50 the correspondent secured many
SCOOPS for his paper. Detroit Free Press