Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-29
BRIGHT NEWSPAPER MEN
Scoops" Which, When Published,
Created Sensations.
How Washington Correspondent
Brought James Gordon Bennett to
Time - Tom Bivins' Interview
with DE-. Bliss.
Especial Washington letter.

topCClai "aShihS ASSltcE.l
"Your story of Maj. Carrol's scoop
was interesting" says Tom Bivins, but
can tell you of another scoop which
caused great sensation on Newspaper
row.
You remember Herbert Preston, who
represented the New York Herald in
Washington for SO many years. 1t
takes a good man to endure all of
James Gordon Benefits moods and
lenses, but Preston was mild man
nered gentleman, and lie maintained
his connection with the Herald longer
than any of his predecessors had done.
II happened, however, that new
managing editor was installed in New
York who unceremoniously removed
Preston and appointed another in his
place. Of course you know that every
newspaper man has enemies in his own
profession, and there were plenty of fell
lows to stick their tongues in their
checks, and crow over Preston's down
fall.
But Preston never said word. He
made connection with little newspa-
per in Baltimore which paid him very
little, but still it kept him in newspaper
work as a Washington correspondent,
and 80 he was seen daily on Newspaper
row. He never lost his grip and never
lost his self-confidence. His enemies
believed that he could never rise again,
and were satisfied to let him alone in
his transformations work.
But everything was changed in a
moment, in twinkling of an eye. l
came downtown one morning about II
o'clock, and when l reached my office
/ found that there were excited crowds
of correspondents all along Newspaper
row. Something had happened. 1t
took me but few moments to ascer-
tain that that little Baltimore newspa-
per had printed the news of the scandal
involving Secretary Belknap; and it
was the only newspaper in the United
States which had the story. The paper
was so obscure that only three copies
were sent to Washington news-stands,
so l telegraphed over to Baltimore and
had two copies sent to me.
II was representing the Globe
Democrat and the way old Joe McCui-
Tough fired hot telegrams into the
Washington office made my hair sizzle.
The old man wanted to know, you
know, why his paper had not received
the news. / hadn't time nor ability to
run down that story at once, so / re-
wrote the facts contained in Preston's
little paper, and telegraphed the story
that night. In the meantime, the
managers of other papers were fir
ing kilograms into Washington, and
burning up their correspondents for
getting scooped on the greatest sensa-
tional news item of the year. The
managing editor of the New York Her
aid roasted his new correspondent, and
finally asked for the name of the cor
respondent of the obscure Baltimore
paper, which had printed the story.
The Herald man replied to his manag
ing editor that he did not know. Then
the managing editor of the Herald tele
graphed the Baltimore paper for the
information, and received a reply stat
ing that the Washington correspond
emit was Herbert Preston.
That telegram must have paralyzed
the managing editor. BY removing
Preston, he had deprived the Herald of
the best news item of generation. But
he had sense. He knew a good thing
when he saw it. He Immediately re-
appointed Preston as his Washington
correspondent, and Preston resumed
his old desk without ostentation. The
fellows who had supposed that Preston
was down forever, were surprised when
he assumed charge of the Heraid
bureau.
"As matter of fact, that was the
only exclusive piece of valuable news
that I ever knew to completely knock