The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-10-14
ENGLISH REPORTERS.
How They Treated q Celebrated Murder
Case In London.

How They Treated q Celebrated Murder
Case In London.
Based upon two years OF personal
observation in London, positively
declare that do not believe there is
a single English reporter who has cor
rect ideas about the gathering OF
local news. A few men like FORBES.
OShea, and O'Donnell have attained
prominence as war correspondents;
bnt the London reporter has no more
conception OF the proper way TO
handle big local story than a print
ers boy in country ofiice in the far
West 4 recall an experience that
may be referred TO without any i'm
propriety.
/ was sitting in the office or the
editor OF the Daily News, about I
o'clock one afternoon, when the ed g.
itOr who receives the police reports
(the title OF city editor is given TO
the financial repOrter) entered and
handed Mr. Robinson small slip OF
paper.
lie read it carefully and handed IT,
To me, asking--"Wha would you do
in New York;" a glance at the par
agraph showed that man named
Thomas Wainwright had been ar
rested la a cab in company with d
woman called Alice Day. as they
were about TO cross London bridge,
bound. according TO the caDman, 10
small tavern in the LOughborOugh
road known as the Hen and Chick
ems" In the cab with them was
found the BODY OF woman in two
parcels, wrapped in "A mercan cloth"
the British for oiled cloth. Vain
wright was a brush manufactures in
Whitechapel road, suspicion as To the
contents OF the parcels had been
awakened in the breast OF a dis
charged clerk who had followed the
carriage and caused the arrest
What would you do in Sew York;"
asked the editor.
Briefly. told him exactly what
would be done: Two good reporters
would be sent to Wbitechapel road,
and the past history OF the supposed
murderer and the ide tity Of the
missing woman would be fixed. An
other reporter would be dispatched
TO the ''Hen ana Chickens" and
Wainwaights acquaintance with the
pc pie in that neighborhood would be
established. The cabman would be
interviewed. The policeman who
made the arrest would be quoted. a
talk w tn the woman under arrest,
naturally. as an accessory after the
fact. would be obtained. The pris-
oner would be minutely described,
and IL he had any explanation TO
make he would be allo we'd To make it.
1 ,old the editor that four or five
good men would be put on that story,
and a two or three column article
would be the result the following day.
He laughed good-natu,e9ly and said:
IL fear that we haven't any such
capable reporters here. IL we were
To send four OF our best men out on
any such an erraud, thev would 20 to
the nearest tavern, drink bitter for
two or three hours, then return and
say they could find nothing. We
shall have to await the coroDer's in-
quest and trial"
There is no occasion TO smile, ex-
actly what he predicted occurred.
The Daily News contained twenty
lines about the crime next day. But
the hard fact remains that every
feature OF the famous Wainwright
murder "a case that convulsed all
England and was da " exploited TO
the extent Of page to page and n
half in each Of the London papers for
the two weeks during the trial, could
have been obtained that first after
noon and printed by an enterp. iSing
journal the following morning. The
only possible exception TO this state
ment is the completely OF the prison
er's brother, after the fact, for which
he was sentenced TO five years hard
labor. Wainwright h mself was
hanged. Weekly Journalist.