Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-17
A Disguised Newspaper Man.

The most thoroughly disguised man in Wash
ington to-day is Frank Hatton, ex-Postmaster
General and editor of the Washington Post.
Mr.. Hatton is one of the survivors of the
Johnstown disaster. He was a passenger on the
Chicago limited which SO narrowly escaped
destruction at South Forks. As soon as it was
learned at Washington that Mr.. Hatton was a
passenger on this train the great public keyed
itself up to the highest pitch of expectancy.
and began to watch the Washington Post for
graphic word pictures of the awful scene. But
day followed day, and the Post continued to
come out with the excellent reports of the
United Press and the American Press, and
nothing whatever from Our Special Core
spondent on the Field.n Mr.. Hatton's friends
became uneasy. They feared that the horror
of the event had overcome him; that he was
lying sick at some little station of the Penn
sylyania Railroad. The President, sharing in
the natural alarm, sent messages OF inquiry
On Friday of last week Mr.. Harton stepped
quietly into the city. He refused to be inter-
viewed, Dur after "a hours Of perfect quiet he
sat down and wrote thrilling account of the
way in which he was not drowned or crushed
to death. found Mr.. Hatton somewhat re-
covered from the shock of recent occurrences,
sitting at his desk in the editorial room of the
Post, few nights ago. and he explained to me
the causes of his apparent recreance to the
great reading public:
1.-THE first dispatch about this disaster was
lily. II wrote the story and it was good story.
There was no telegraph station within 13 miles
of u.s. and hired man with horse for SIS to
ride to the nearest telegraph office and file my
dispatch. He rode; he filed; he returned be-
fore the train started and reported what he
had DONE settled back in my seat assured
that the world would know all about the way
we were not drowned and that my family and
friends would have assurance of my safety
within IL hours. Before long we started up the
nd " in AItn0na
was my disgust to learn that my beautiful
story of the food had been sent only as far as
Altoona and there had become 'pocketed" by
the storm. Tearfully took it out of the tele-
graph office and turned it over to the Altoona
Tribune. At the same time William Henry
Smith consigned to the tender care of the Al.
toona Times the story of the disaster which he
had prepared for the Associated Press. We
had the pleasure of reading those stories the
next day and of assuring each other that they
were good stories. But cannot help feeling
that they were lost on the inhabitants of AL.
toona. They were written for other readers"
The Presidents Caution.
The care which the President is exercising in
the choice of persons to fill responsible offices
is well illustrated by an incident, the story Of
which is being freely told about the hotel cor
ridors here. A gentleman who had indorsed
for position of some value man in whose in
tegrity he had every reason to place faith was
approached by a stranger who took him aside
and said to him: You indorsed Mr.. - for
the position Of -, did you not?" He re-
sponded in the Affirmative. HE is not the sort
Of man you want to indorse," said the stran.
ger Look at this check. 1t is forged, and
the man who forged it is your friend"
"And what is your interest in this matter%
was the instant query.
The reply, which came as quickly, was the
exhibition OF detectives shield and the an
nouncement that the wearer had received his
instructions from the Executive Mansion. In
this case it happened that the applicant could
prove his innocence. and it is said that the dis
coYery was afterward made that there was
plot to prevent his appointment. However that
maybe, this case may prove salutary warning
to those people who are in the habit of signing
papers indorsing men with whom they are not
acquainted, or Of whom they have but casual
knowledge. o'BRIEN-BAIN.