Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-08-21

others having received 1t, that success.
full enterprise is called scoop" on all
OF the other newspapers. 49,
There are two great press associa-
lions in this country, and their agents
are gathering news in every village,
as well as in all of the great cities. Full
reports of the conventions of the great
political parties are sent to all Of the
newspapers in the country by the press
associations. And yet, in addition to
those full reports, the leading news
papers print special reports from their
own special correspondents. This costs
each one of the papers considerable
money in addition to their reports from
the press associations and yet modern
enterprise is such that these special re-
ports from special correspondents are
necessary, and the expense must be in
CURED. While congress is in session
there are nearly 300 special correspond
ents employed in Washington; and each
one of them is constantly trying to
scoop" his rivals in the newsgathering
field.
When President Garfield was Mt Ell.
boron, N. j., slowly dying from the eff
feet OF the bullet of the assassin Quit
eau about 200 special correspondents
We're there on the seacoast, daily and
hourly making inquiry concerning the
condition of the distinguished sufferer
and sending kilograms to their news
papers, because all eyes were turned
towards Elberon and our entire peo-
pie were anNiously reading every item
of news from that point. Tom Bivins,
a splendid newspaper man, was almost
sleepless for nearly week because he
learned from the surgeon in charge, DR..
Bliss, that the president could not sur
yiye and that his death was but ques-
ton of days or hours. Bivins was n
stenographer and telegraph operator as
well as a newsgatherer. and he often
sent kilograms by the hour for the
regular telegraph operators at that
place. Thus it happened that when
Bivins rushed into the telegraph office
one night and grasped the key of the
instrument he was allowed to send his
messages to his newspapers conveying
to the world the first information Of
the fact that President Garfield had
breathed his last, shortly after ten
O'Clock that night.
Naturally, the newspaper represent
ed by Bivins We're elated with his
achievement, and his reputation as q
faithful and successful newsgntherer
was soon known throughout the entire
country
/ Iynf te. Lo, L.,
endured hardships and many of them
have been actually under fire, together
with the soldiers, in order that they
might furnish late and reliable infor-
nation for their papers. During the
war between China and Japan, during
the Franco-prussian war, and during
the war of the rebellion in this country
the newspaper workers We're diligent
and faithful; and particular interest
was taken by the people in the dis
patches marked special" Previous to
our civil war the greatest special work
ever done was by the correspondent of
the London Times, who sent to his paper
and had published an account of the
battle of Waterloo and the downfall of
Napoleon, on the very day that the on
cial reports were received in London
from Lord Wellington. In those days,
when there were no facilities for the
rapid transmission of news, that was
a remarkable feat in journalism. For
half a century the London Times
claimed credit for that work, and no
other newspaper approXimated the
achievement.
But during the civil war in this coun-
try the London Times famous report
was eXcelled by the New York Her,
aid, when that paper printed the first
account of the battle of Pittsburg Land
ing, the battle which almost caused the
star of Grant to set forever. That re-
| port was put on the wires and trans.
mitted by Maj. William C. Carroll, for
many years recently a clerk in the pen
sion office in this city. Maj. CAROLS
story of the great battle was printed
4S hours in advance of all other reports
and tha5 achievement stands to-day
without parallel rs the greatest scoop
i'll the history of war correspondence
The Carroll report was printed in the
Herald, transmitted to Washington, and
sent 10 congress by PRESIDENT Lincoln
in an official message three days before
the war department received official re.
ports concerning the decisive and san
culinary engagement.
Maj. Carroll had been at Island No.
10 on the Mississippi river, where the
federal forces under Maj. Gen. John
Pope had been slowly but successfully
driving the enemy from his strong
hold. GRAFT had fought the successful
battle at Fort Donelson, and gained his
first national reputation by sending his
famous message demanding "uncondi-
tional surrender" as a result of which
the newspapers used his initials in
laudation, calling him Unconditional
Surrender Grant" Col. John A. Logan
had been wounded in that anpouerpapf