The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-02
Che Gtttelliqetrter.
WHEELING. DECEMBER =, 1891.
West Virginia. Newspaper swindlcrs.
At two or three points in West vir.


At two or thrco points in West Vir-
GINA arc located rs many newspaper
confidence men, who make good liv-
ing by obtaining money under false pre-.
lenses. Their victims arc tho publish
ers OF the leading metropolitan papers,
whom they serve with alleged news
from West Virginia at so much per
column, and it is often 'news" OF n
libelous character. Tho ISTELIIGEScER
has no personal knowledge OF the iden-
tity OF these correspondents. Their
fraudulent dispatches, which arc sent
broadcast over the country, and are
paid for in good iaith by the city pa-
pcrs, are usually dated at Parkersburg,
Huntington or Clarksburg, and purport
to give sensational details OF things that
were perhaps very ordinary occur
renccs, or never occurred at all. They
are dshed up in such attractive man
nor and are 30 plausible, as to find n
ready sale in the newspaper offices OF
the country, and journals OF high stand
ing are deceived into paying good
prices ior them. Some OF them are tho
boldest sort OF "fakcs," often the same
story being dressed in new garb OF
vcrbage, sold second time to the
same paper, weeks alter the first pub
LEGATION, and printed as news.
More frequently, the most sensational
"news" is based upon some item which
has appeared in county paper pub
lishcd in the interior, an item which
ordinarily would attract little attention.
, For instance, a ten line account OF n
street fight between two drunken
toughs iE an interior town, is trans.
formed by these industrious fakirs into
half-column sensational account OF n
bloody riot, growing out OF Il teud be-
tween prominent families" and by
the time it gets into the Cincinnati,
Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, Phila.
delphia and other foreign" papers, it
is so interesting rs tc call for q display
head, and the readers attention is
rivetcd on the announcement OF
"Another Bloody Vendetta in the
Mountains of West Virginia-A Reign
OF Terror in - County-A Battle in
the Streets OF -" &C., &c.
Probably the boldest iakir of the CO.
terie is the individual who dates his
dispatches Mt Parkcrsburg. No longer
ago than Monday OF this week our at
tention was called to lengthy Special
from that city in Cincinnati paper,
which had been clipped bodily from a
Pittsburgh paper OF the week before.
1t appeared in the latter journal as q
special from Morgantown, and purport-
ed to give az account OF sensational de-
velopments in an oil suit in the courts
there. There was little or no founda-
ton for the statements in the dispatch.
Several days afterward the enterprisinc
Parkcrsburg fakir clappcd Parkcrs-
burg date on it and sold it secondhand
as it was) as fresh news to the Cincin-
natl paper. Bold as this performance
was, it is but one OF many. 1t is a
common thing to read in the New York
and other eastern papers special dis
patches from one OF the three points
named above containing news printed
in the Wheeling dalies several days
previous. The date is simply changed
and the occurrence is made to happen
to-day" or yesterday" by the CORE
spondcnt.
Our contemporaries OF the towns that
these sensational and over-industrious
correspondents disgrace with their
presence owe it to themselves and their
communities to expose them. They are
/, not only n reproach to the newspaper
profession in West Virginia, but have
done much to retard the progress OF the
state by giving her people an undo.
served reputation for lawlessness. The
persons alluded to herein should be
forced to contine themselves to lcgiti-
mate newspaper correspondence or
quit it altogether. In justice to the
newspaper men OF the towns named, we
are glad to state that the iakirs referred
to ARE, we believe, not recognized by
them professionally.