The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-01-16

made for a special train in case their in.
terview with the Governor confirmed the
alarming report.
1t was then 3 o'clock. Sunday is
usually very quiet in New York news
paper Office. Many of the reporters and
the city editor are away, and the respon-
sibility of getting out the next days
paper rests upon a substitute editor and
a small staff of reporters. As rule, even
these have very little to occupy them and
it is very rarely that anything startling
occurs to shake them up. The acting
city editor felt uneasy at the complica-
tions that were threatened and sent an
other reporter to explain the situation to
the publisher, while he held two more in
readiness for any emergency that might
arise. The latter busted themselves
while waiting in hunting up maps and
time tables, and laid out a plan for ac-
tion in case its was decided to send
special train.
In the meantime, the two reporters
who had been sent to Gov. Albeit had
found him at his house in Jersey CITY,
and had secured all the information Of
which he was possessed. This consisted
of numerous kilograms from a retired
Lieutenant of the United States Army, in
which he asserted that gang Of Italian
laborers had taken possession of Barnegat
Park and threatened fire, rapine and mur-
der. The men, women and children who
belonged in the park had taken refuge
in the hotel, which had then been
besieged by the Italians. Requests
for aid had been sent to the sheriff of the
county, but he had been unable to raise
a big enough posse to attempt the rescue
of the besieged. The Lieutenant wound up
each telegram with an urgent request for
military aid, lest he, his companions,
their wives and children should all perish.
The reporters saw at once that the situa-
ton at Barnegat Park was extremely in
teresting even il the Lieutenant had ex-
aggerated, and they accordingly hurried
to the depot of the Pennsylvania railroad
and asked what it would cost to get q
special to Barnegat Park and return The
officials in charge were all subordinates
and were 10th to send out special train.
The reporters had to exert all their per-
suasive powers to induce them to answer
their question. 1t was finally learned
that it would cost $500 to get large en-
gine and one passenger car, with a crew
consisting Of an engineer, fireman, con-
ductor and one brakeman. The reporters
reached their Office at o'clock and ex-
planned the situation to the city editor.
The publisher was then in telephone
communication with the Office and the
city editor informed him of the situation.
"1t is your place to get the news" was
the publishers laconic reply.
Five reporters were accordingly hurried
over to Jersey City with instructions to
get the news at all hazards. One carried
a telegraph instrument, so that he might
tap wire anywhere and communicate his
story to New York, in case it was found
impossible to get it through in any other
way. They reached the Pennsylvania
depot at 4:30 o'clock and their troubles
began Immediately. The officials were
unwilling to send out special train
without being paid in advance, an obsta-
Gle that had not been anticipated, and
probably would not occur again, railroad
and telegraph officials usually being will
ing to give credit to reporter on the
assumption that he is acting within the
authority conferred upon him by the
newspaper he represents. On this occa-
sion the reporters had TO use persuasion
and strong language for some time before
the scruples Of the railroad men were re-
Then IL was discovered that
there was no engine in the yard with
steam up, and that a car would have to
be secured from the sheds some distance
away. By the time steam had been nc.
quired In the engine. the car had been
hitched on and the crew had been put in
IL was after o o'clock, and the
prospects Of returning in time to get the
story in the next days paper were grow
ing less every moment
II was found, too, that the train could
not 60 to Barnegat Park at all, but would
have TO go to Toms River station, some
distance away. As the sheriff, who was
guppsasA n k1au AL thu 6Nta- Lived a.