Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-14

The REGISTER has had occasion at
various times 20 refer 10 numerous
falSehoods in the metropolitan press
concerning news matters iu West Nir-
ginia. Ia doing so. 10 has always been
careful To discriminate between the au-
thors of honest news items, and the
manufacturers of unmitigated lies. At
uo time has 10 attributed 90 the
management of any paper responsible
ity for an item sent by one of its at
tachcS. unless that responsibility has
been known To exist. 10 is doubtless q
matter % deep interest 10 the public to
know how the newspaper "fakir" ac-
composites his work. DO his beautiful
creations spring like MINERVA from the
brain OF JovE fun armed, or are they
the product of slow and careful elabora-
tione As such a question has arisen
and doubtless will arise again, the REG
IsrEE takes pleasure i'm directing
the public TO the fountain head
OF authority upon this matter. With
Ca the last few DAYS. the columns
OF three papers. which 10y no very
strange coincidence. are represented in
the Office Of the Wheeling Intelligence,
have contained an item which well IL
Illustrates the genesis of ''fabe" in the
mind Of a skilltul and industrious pre-
yaricator. On May o, the PittSburg
Dispatch contained the following:
GRAFTON. MAY Charles Gooding,
well known here. died last night, evidently
from the effects of poison. but how u was
administered is yet mystery. He was
out until after I o'clock I'm the morning
with party Of sercuaders. and two hours
after he retired be was taken violently Ill.,
Three doctors worked with him for sew
cral hours, using the stomach pump, but
without effect. and az = o'clock last night
death relieved his suffering.
With the exception of a slight eNag-
geration, the item was substantially
true. and therefore the correspondent
of the Dispatch in the ntcUigcHccr office
e., not necessarily guilty Of sending it.
But mark the ease with which an able
prcvaricator can fyovcr time and space.
The world never grows old 90 him. \
news item is eternally young. One
week later there was an apparent
scarcity of legitimate news matter, and
the correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial gazette, who is a trusted at.
tachc OF the MtcUigcnccr, bethoughi
himself of the unfortunate GOoDING.
With true genius. 10 think is 20 act. 1t
was so in this case. The next day the
following appeared in the Commercial
Gd-cttc:
WHEELING. ". Va. May g. .Spccidl D.
Charles = GoOdiug, formerly of bridge
port. recently of Grafton. died 40 the latter
place last night from the effects OF swallow
inr chew of tobacco I'm ut of laughter.
Mr.. GOoprNG had now been killed
twice. each time. too. 10 is noticeable,
Just last night before the item was
sent 10 the newspaper. IL would seem
after this that he should have been al
lowed to rest in peace; but alas, when
the ambitious and avaricious fakir is
loose there is no peace even in the
grave. Two days passed ON, and the
correspondent Of the PittSburg CONNER
ciaI Gazette, who is also supposed TO be
a trusted attache Of the MtcuigcRccr,
ran short Of news, and again the COOP
Nc item was called into service. Again
the unfortunate young man was killed
"laSt night, but the correspondent was
not content with this post norton homi-
eide. In order to add 10 his story, he
depicted narrowing SutieringS, and drew
upon his imagination for a touching
death scene. The item appeared in the
Pittsburg paper Of Monday as follows;
GRAFTON. ". VA, May u.-Saturday
night Charles :. Cooling was out late with
"A marty OF serenaders. just before leaving
his friends he expressed himself as feeling
bad. but thinking his sickness was not OF a
serious nature no attention was given him.
About . O'Clock In the morning he woke and