Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-01
Some Newspaper flakes. .

The return of the John Brown annver-
sary recalls one of the most famous
pieces of fake news that ever went the
rounds of the American press. 1t was in
regard to mysterious happening at the
monument to the anti-savery leader
which stands at Osawatomie. Three or
four years ago story appeared in the
dispatches telling how meteor had fall I
len one clear night and had struck the
monument directly in the center and had
not only demolished the structure but
had buried itself in the soil and was the
wonder of the community. 1t was repre-
sented as one of the greatest stones that
had ever fallen, and there was on the
part of the superstitious feeling that IL
had come as a Judgment on the life OF
the man to whom the stone stood, in
some manner rejecting on his life work.
But ii was most interesting to the scien-
fists. who, from the very full description
of the stone. realized that it was of great
value to the students of geology. Sew
eral eastern colleges wrote to the town
for fuller particulars and made bids for
the meteor. One of the largest New York
colleges was not content with that but
sent two of it's professors on hurried
trip across the continent to bring the
stone home al any cost. The people OF
Osawatome We're astonished when
strangers began to appear and ask for
the stone. In a few days the place was
| filed and the little hotel was making
money by the wholesale. As the visitors
went out To the monument they were all
surprised to find it in perfect condition
and not a trace of any celestial visitor
visible. Furthermore. no meteor had
ever been seen there and none had fallen
| in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
| The whole thing was a fake.
Investigation failed for many months
/ to find the source of the story. The pa
pers that started It were satisfied that
| they had received ii from what they con-
sidered good sources, and would not re-
veal what the sources were. flnaily
| there came a confession which. however,
| was never known outside a narrow CIR
| Gle The originator was the engineer on
| IL branch road running through the VI
| entity of Osawatomie. He was a studi-
| GUS young man and took n deep interest
| in astronomy. He watched the heavens
| closely on his night runs. and one eve
ming was Specializing on what might hap
| pen if a large meteor should fan and de-
| inolish some of the buildings or the
| monument which Is the landmark Tor the
| Vicinity From that the step was easy to
| tell a newspaper friend that 1t had oc-
| Cured and the work was done. Many
| of the admirers of the Kansas nero sun
| think his monument IS 4 mass OF runs.
| Hundreds of letters and scores of VS.
itors have come to Osawatomie concern
| ing it-yet it never had the least founda-
| ton except in the imagination of a rail-
| road man.
few months ago there was published
n sensational story of the meeting OF
| TWO prominent editors of southern kan
| sas and Oklahoma They We're repre-
| scented as having met on depot platform
| and proceeding to fight out a long-stand-
| ing grudge. One was a candidate TOR OF
| flee and the other his rival in days gone
| by II was said that they had fought
and shot with the result that one OF
| them was killed and the othef mortaIY
| wounded Letters and kilograms came
| pouring in from the eastern friends TO
| the wife of the man supposed TO nave
been killed and there was great deal
of excitement among the acqualhtahces
of both parties except at the place Whefe
the shooting was said to have been done.
lThere it was known that there had been
no fight and that the men We're hfty
miles apart at the time when IL WAS saiu
| 10 have occurred. The killed man
Icame to the front with a card in the pa
ners and went on the warpath to find out
why his family had been made TO suHer.
HE finally found the man who sent the
first dispatch and filed suit for damages
The other man came on also, and to-
i 0ether they decided to join hands ana
bring the correspondent TO justice lhen
there was a little meeting IN Wichlta
Hand the whole story was tod. IL an &c
lsulted from a practical joke and was IN
tended to teach man a lesson.
i a correspondent at Wichita was in the
| habit of going to the Eagle once 10 get
nofnters on news for the outside papers.
,rhe CITY editor became tired of 1t and de-
termined to teach him not to do IT.. one
Il night when he came in he Was 'oid ih 1ai
there was nothing new. BUT, duueu
Ithe editor you may find something iat-
3ar,, The correspondent often went TO
/ tba cony hook and looked over the items
lthereon. and he could be depended on u
AZ this again When he came in later ne
Edid not disappoint the force de round
IN the hook a lurid story of the kiiilhs
4 aforesaid marked for prominent piace
Il In the mornings paper. lie was over
!. loved, and taking the facts as they Mele
I mt down went on his way reJoleiii6'
a fter he had gone the copy was de-
stroved. The next day the teiegrapnic
i lnolumns of the papers he served nao lhe
weird tale. and 1t did its work IN anger
TO. the two men who were mentioned.
IsThe correspondent begged so hard Ior
,,arcv that he was let off. and the case
~ tha courts was dropped 1t was hard
lesson but it was an effective one
Il Oklahoma has probably furnished NOR
! viii tales of this sort than any part OF
lithe country. In the days OF Joe Muihdt
nm the location chosen as the sceie ol
lltne fanciful reports was usually leAas.
/, lim,t now Oklahoma is the favorile. ~
- he denended on that there VIII come
aha,t en- often from that section OF the
aa,,atrv n story of boy failing III a We'll
abild being ground to pieces IN a NOV
- ,,,acbine or carried off by an eagle,
- - hrnther and sister marrying eacn other
81 raising n large family before discoN-
;,,, Nv accident their relationship. ne
| ,..a,,nas between towns ana the rev
it,ss, ds make it easy 10 get eXaggera.su
, Elements in circulation ana the coile-