The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-11-15
AZ ALABAMA FRAUD

Iu rho April numUof of tHa CenuD
Magazine In the year 1856. was o most
readable article on the voyages Of the
Confederate cruiser Alabama The
author Of ID was one 2. d. Haywood.
who represented that he was one Of
the crew OF that vessel from the be-
ginning TO the end OF her career. The
editor OF the magazine even published
a biographical sketch Of the author.
In he April number OF the magazine,
published one year later the editors
! frankly confessed TO their readers thai
Haywood was al no time one Of the
lDa"w Of The Alabama, and had 50 con
fessed TO them. he also confessed that
he had obtained the facts contained
in his narrative from one OF the crew.
! The statement Of facts relating the in
cldents Of the voyage was substantially
correct.
One Of the most extraordinary fake
stories, by which newspaper was
grossly deceived appeared in the n. Y.
Herald during the sixties. A man
well-dressed calm and intelligent, en-
tered the office of the Herald one
morning at o'clock just before the
paper went TO press, and stated that
Ihe had Just come down from the Cen
trail Park that the wild animals in
1.-THE geological gardens We're loose and
roaming over the country: that he had
seen one tiger disappear in the woods
lfringng the park, and that the keep
ers were unable to recapture them.
The paper containing the news was
distributed by the early trains
Through the towns adjoining the city.
Many persons were In the habit Of
ldrying through the Central Park in
the morning to their places Of bust
ness. On reading the Herald the front
doors Of houses fronting on the park
were fastened Grocery wagons dared
mot to move Gentlemen living near
the park did not venture out OF their
houses. Stables were locked. Guns
and pistols We're loaded The upper
part OF the city was Travelled only by
those who had not read the Herald.
while those who had read 1t, looked
tout of the windows. and expected to
see lions and tigers pounce upon the
horses in the milk wagons. Towards
moon the excitement subsidized, as the
Inhabitants cautiously came out Of
their houses. and made inquiries The
ialsehood was exposed by evening
IOne very fat merchant. living near the
park was under most serious obliga-
ton to keep an appointment in the
lower part OF the city. Aiming himself
with butcher knife he left his house,
but hearing a noise, he began TO run
flor the horse cars. and fell. He called
for assistance and gave tramp $40 to
stand by him. His subsequent inter-
view with the editor of the Herald
was intensely yituperative. Ii APP
peared on investigation that the author
of the story had resolved to get even
with the editor, because the paper had
unconsciously libelled him.
At the same time many serious
stories relating to public affairs are
accepted as historical truths, although
they have no more foundation than
these fake" narratives.
Let us moralize. Froude, the his
torian, commenting on the truth Oi
history writes:
: They tthe factsD come TO us
through the minds of those who re-
corded them, neither machines MOI
, angels, but fallible creatures, with hu
! man passions and prejudices. Tacitu'
and Thucydides were perhaps thu
ablest men who ever gave themselye!
-, up to writing history. Yet even now
), after all these centuries, the truth o
what they relate is called in question
Good reasons can be given TO show
that neither of them can be confdentl.
. Trusted"
So this newly acquired territory o
:, The United States must suffer from
impositions, as the other portion
suffer,