The daily critic., 1890-09-04
A SCRIBE IN DANGER
BIS EEWS-GATHERING ENTERPRISE
GOT BIN INTO TROUBLE.
He Stole One Newspaper, ana only an
AFFECT Apology saved Him rrom
Heavy seuteuce-The
English Law
- -r---.M- ". - 49,

...#. '.'..sH ~ .N. .fNfN lNIH NINI.F
BmNINoHAu, Sept. IA New
York newspaper, with London aod
Paris editions, which makes preteuse
Of parading its virtue continually in IT'S
editorial columns. was hauled into the
Police Court here 90 lay on charge VI
common theft On the day Cardinal
Newman died New York reporter ar
rived here from london. After mid.
night he went 20 the office Of the Bir.
minrham Daily Post, Joseph Chamber
lain's newspaper
The presses were running of q special
edition for the early train TO London
containing the full story Of the Carii
nai's death The reporter wanted o.
buy paper, but 10 was refused, because
10 was against the rules 10 sell a paper
In Birmingham TIL @ O'Clock ia the
morning. The reporter persuaded the
man In charge Of the mailing. room to
take q message upstairs to the sub editor.
Several copies Of the special edition Of
the paper were on the counter when the
messenger left 20 20 upstairs. When
be returned be found
TIRE REPORTER HAD GONE.
The messenger then went to the tele-
graph office and found the reporter cut
ting the story Of Or. Newman death
from a paper which he had taken from
the counter and filing TO London. The
same morning the London edition came
ont with the Birmingham Iost's story
appropriated as its own and copyrighted
by It's proprietors.
The editors OF the Post sent to the
editoro Of the London edition q notice that
they would prosecute for theft The edi-
tor replied that the reporter s sconduct was
not approved Of, but attempted to ex-
cuse It on the ground that the culprit
was a New York reporter who had only
recently arrived. This was followed by
\ LETTER or APOLOGY
from the reporter, 10 which he said II
suppose from the standpoint Of high
ethics that II is wrong to appropriate
another mans newspaper--an indeli.
cacy 10 which ] must plead guilty, but
| think If you will consider the circum-
stances under which the newspaper was
appropriated you will regard the ofIense
more leniently." But the editors OF the
Post had their blood up. would take no
apology and sent a policeman TO Lon.
don, who served a warrant on the re-
porter, charging him with feloniously
stealing a newspaper and summOning
him TO birmingham for trial.
THE AFFAIR WAS KEPT go QUIET
that no one knew a word about 20 until
the reporter was placed IN the dock
today He had a solicitor from George
Lewis office with him. who plellgl
hard with the opposing lawyers that
the Test should accept the apology and
let the matter drop. This the Past
people refused 90 DO for a long time,
asserting that an example should be
made Of newspaper which gathered
cws IN that way. Justice Hill said Il
was
AN ADMITTED CASE or THEFT,
and that, If the charge were pressed.
he must treat IL as such, whether the
reporter had a fel0nious intention or
not 1t was made clear 10 the editors
Of the Post that, instead of Furnishing
the newspaper which proated from
their enterprise, they would simply be
disgracing a reporter who certainly had
no intention Of committing a crime,
though he had shown a great lack OF
judgment After further consultation
the Pest people decided to waive
criminal prosecution and to rest con.
tent with
TIE AFFECT APOLOGY
made by the editor Of the London
edition and his reporter.
Under English law conviction would
have meant Imprisonment with hard
labor There Is no other penalty for
theft, even though the theft Is only Of a
penny newspaper or q bunch of FIRE
wood. IN one court here yesterday a
man was sentenced to five years for
stealing four shlllings.