Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-08-13
MAI. 'CARROLL'S SCOOP.
Great Feat Performed by War
Correspondent.
He Sent News Of the Battle at Pitts
burgh Landing Three Days In
Advance of the Official
Reports.
Especial Washington Letter.l

Regular readers of newspapers are
familiar with the fact that modern en-
terprise is nowhere better exhibited
than by daily newspapers in their eff
forts to gather all Of the news Of the
world. Each newspaper tries to get
more news and better news, and in bet
ter form, than any of it's rivals. When
an important item of news is secured
by one newspaper only, none of the
others having received it, that success
full enterprise is called a scoop" on all
OF the other newspapers.
There are two great press associa-
tons in this country. and their agents
are gathering news in every village,
as well as in ali 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 ut FL
boron, N. j., slowly dying from the eff
feet of the bullet of the assassin Cult
eau about 200 special correspondents
were there on the seaccast. 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 anXiously 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
vive and that his death was but ques-
ton of days or hours. Bivins was "A
stenographer and telegraph operator as
well as a newsgathcrer. 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
the fact that President Garfield had
breathed his last, shortly after ten
o'clock that night.
Naturally, the newspapers represent
ed by Bivins were elated with his
achievement, and his reputation as n
faithful and successful newsgathere:'
was soon known throughout the entire
country.
The war correspondents have always
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 were diligent
and faithful; and particular interest
was taken by the people in the dis
patches marked Especial" 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 Off