The sun., 1894-02-04
REPORTING THE BIG FIGHT.
TYPES or NEWSPAPER NEW THAT
GATHERED At JACKsONTILLE-

| Not the least interesting class gathered in
JacE son Vile week before the Corbett- Mitchell
| tight was the newspaper men. about 100 cor
| respondents from the North. East. South. and
West representing either specially or through
| the United Press and news syndicates nearly
| every newspaper In tho world which receives
! q daily telegraphlc service. They we're on
| duty from an early hour in the morning until
| as late an hour at night as It was possible to
nle a despatch in the telegraph oflce with the
slightest hope OF Its reaching its destination in
| time to be useful for that mornings paper.
| The assignment was made more than usually
| arduous because OF the numerous points and
persons to bo covered" Both training quar-
ters had to be watched. the clubs devious
ways must be known. Gov. Mitchelrs inten-
lions had to bo attentively regarded. tho
militia movements were OF vital Importance
there WAS news at the pool rooms OF interest
to bettors all over tho county the long unde-
cided fate OF the SO. UOO purse cheek could not
be neglected for an hour. so Referee John
Kelly was an object OF great interest. and the
gossip and news on the hotel vera ndas required
continuous reporting. Added to these diifi-
culties was the short accommodation fur
nished by the telegraph office. Jacksonville
is liberally supplied with telegraphio facilities
for all ordinary purposes, but the office was in
frequent danger Of being swamped oy the del
! uge OF press matter which poured In upon 1t
nightly, running up as high as 300 1000 words
some DAYS. Then there was the confusion
about time. When 1t was midnight there it
was l In the morning In New York and 10 In
the evening In San Francisco.
As q rule the correspondents were experi-
enced. leveI-headed men. with no interest In
the fight other thnn as news event. who went
about this assignment rs unconcernedly and
methodically as an accountant works over his
ledger. But their method OF work was FREE
quently disturbed by the astonishing antics OF
another class OF correspondents. chiefly from
the West. who proved that the comic para
graphers joke about news fakirs has large
foundation Of truth.
Those amazing mon. and New York sent
few representatives, Of the kind. in most cases.
some timo in the past. had had their connec-
tion with decent newspapers sundered by the
weight Of their imaginatiors. or else had never
been benefited by such connection.
An episode OF one night alarm" " will ex-
plain this: A perfectly reliable correspondent
OF urned from Mitchelrs training quarters on
Monday evening. and after obliginG by telling
all the news OF his visit to number OF his fell
low workers. who gave him other news in re-
turn incder tally mentioned that two days be-
fore Mitchell had felt q little soreness in one
ankle. lie added. in answer TO anxious ques-
tions that the soreness had all disappeared.
Two or three hours later telegrams began pour
ing In on numerous correspondents from their
home Offices warning the correspondents that
news OF Mtchells disabled ankle was
abroad In tho land. and cautioning them to
carefully cover the Joint. The next morning
othor CORES pondents received dispatches N.
forming them that their papers had been beat
on the news that Mitchells ankle was broken.
The explanation OF this was that two or three
correspondents. either syndicate or unattached
men. who had heard the story Just as it is told
above. had sent out to scores OF papers de-
spatches known as queries. which read a bout
like this
Mi,ehslrs ankle so badly hurt unable to nights 800
exclusive. JoNES
These would be understood by tho editors
who received them to be an offer OF q 5OO-worJ
exclusive story By Jones' who might or might
not be known to the editor, concerning a So
rious injury to Mtchells ankle. II tho editor
had no special correspondent at Jacksonville
he would be likely to order the story: and
even II he had a special. might order 1t. ami
then flre despatch at his special to keep him
awake all night.
This sort OF alarm would not be likely to dis
turb tho correspondents Of the larger daiies.
for they were men in whom their editors had
perfect confidence, and who were not trou cd
much. or not at oil. by home office
"hunchs." But another class OF correspond
ents would at times create "A panic IN the en-
Very late on the night before the ght tho
headauartcrs over the Western Union office |
for q few hours sleep before the next days
hard work began. when q wild.eye young |
man rushed in out OF breath. with dishevelled |
hair and general appearance OF being about |
to burst with the scoop oil the century.
HUMP yourselves, boys" he exc laimed as
he began to write. The Governor has offlci- |
Ifthat straight /" chorused a score of voices. |
Dead straight"
That assurance from great many OF tho |
COrFeSpOnueDtS would have settled the mnttRF |
but in this instance II induced u friendly tut |
resulted in disclosing that the wild. eyed young |
man had Just heard OF an unsigned personal |
oce the St James @ os snee S oeloek e 'fs IN
the afternoon. whore every other correspond |
Int hSd sssn sen and copied Y and included IL in
tion had given the anonymous sender's opin-
ion that Gov. Mitchell would issue no further |
The most interesting figures among the cor
respondents were tho old time sporting re- |
had drawn them there was more W seriously i in"
teresting than the firing on the American flag
knew the records OF every tighter from Heenan
to Corbett. their, points all about their great
their manners OF training. and their STYLES OF
fighting. Their reports were rich in illusions
cences. And how they could work 4 five thou
sand word despatch is considered a fair days
good days work. II a modern man was ex-
pected TO send more than that he would feel
nlmBelI entitled TO an assistant two. But |
these old boys would. unassisted. write and
send ten or twelve Thousand words u day and
then complain that editors nowadays did not
appreciate the news value OF big light One
OF them was asked how much he had sent the
night OF the ght.
covered the fight itself" he confessed.
with only 1900 words; 1000 introduction
1000 by rounds 1000 review. 1000 opinion
1t an sEpert' and 1000 Judgment OF "a pru-
fessionAL'"
OF course he was his own expert" and pro-
tessionaL" They are merry and kindly old
boys and the ringside will lose one Of its
quaint attractions when their race is run.
There was another kind OF CORES pOndent
there who was perpetual puzzle and 10Y to
many OF the New York men. Ot this type we're
tho strange beings from the West who spoke
entirely in slang. Most reporters. from the
nature Of their duties, pick up enough OF the
various slangs tough. thieves. police race
course, prlzs-rlnR, and Ramblsrs-to under
stand what is being said wherever their as
stRnments shall ratl them. They are con-
tent usually, with the possession OF this
knowledge for, its, usefulness In their
business, hut tho West among its other