The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-15
CENSOR At KEY NEST
Is the Most Powerful Man in
North America.
NOTHING GETS PAST HIM
That Would Prove Informa-
ton to the Enemy.

From staff correspondent Of the Asso-
ciated Press.
Key West, Fla, May 1.-THE cable Of
fee in Key West, since the world became
interested in war talk, has been the most
Interesting spot on the island. The most
interesting, the most important man by
all odds here is the censor One naturally
comes to associate the two together The
cable Office is a small brick building,
which stands only few yards from the
government docks. In fact, it is only
a few yards from any point on the is
land to the water, and when the tide is
at the highest point the sea sets back
through most Of the streets. When the
newspaper dispatch boats come in from
the gulf they always land as near the
cable office as possible, and when CORES
pondents land at the same time the race
for the cable Office is more interesting
than any steeplechase ever run. Some of
them after a long cruise, go staggering on
their sealegs like drunken men, others are
weak from seasivkness, and still others
are limping from bruises received from
being pitched about in the rough sea. But
sickness and bruises are forgotten when
land is reached and every effort put forth
TO be the first to file copy.
If il be late at night i've seconds gained
In the race from the dock to the cable
office may mean an eclusive story for one
of the great dailies in the north. Cable
transmission is necessarily slower than
sending by overland wires, and the cor
. at mi a
night is pretty sure that no other paper
will be able to get anything for its morn
ing edition from Key West that night.
But after the copy has been filed the
correspondents trouble is not at an end.
Every word Of it must be read and passed
upon by the censor. No matter how much
time, hardship, or expense it has required
to get the story, if, in the judgment Of
the censor, it ought not to be printed, It
can not be sent. If it gives any informa-
ton as to the movements of the fleet or
the army, it can not go.
There are something like $50 newspaper
correspondents in Key West, and while
most of them appreciate the wisdom Of
the government censorship of news MAJ
ter, some of them have grown impa tient
In their eagerness to tell the interesting
stories that are to be told and have MED
all manner of ingenious schemes for ge--
ting matter past the censor Usually, how
ever. al plans have been detected by the
censor and thte apparently innocent or
stupid dispatch has been returned to the
writer with no" written in red Ink
across it.
The most trying period Of the cores
pondents was on the day the feet started
on its cruise eastward Every correspond
ent in Key West knew that the great
battleships were steaming away from
Havana in quest of the big Spanish game. !
Every newspaper man was eager to send |
the story, but not a line, not d word, /
would the censor permit to pass.
From a hundred papers came the query: /
HAS the fleet started?"
Even the answer yes to this inquiry |
was not permitted to go. Some of the |
correspondents had arranged a cipher code |
with their home offices, but the code was
useless. Everything that had the appear |
ance of a cipher-everything that was net
absolutely plain and explainable-was
stopped. One correspondent worked out !
a plan which he thought would give the |
desired Information to his paper, but ne
failed. Early in the morning he flied q
dispatch, the first reading as follows:
The newspaper fleet sailed this morn
ing toward Porto Rico"
An hour later he went to file a personal
message to his editor reading: Correction
Omit second word in last dispatch"
When he handed the last dispatch the cen
sor met MIN at the receiving desk ard
with a kindly smile handed back the
trst dispatch with these words written
across il: "All fleets look alike 10 me-"
The censor has had some very amusing
experiences with others than the news
paper men. Repeatedly he has been Sc
verely rebuked for holding up private
messages which he believed to be cipher
for newspapers. The propri-
etor Of a gambling room telegraphed
north the other day for a new roulette
wheel. He gave full description Of the
board he wanted and requested an imme-
date answer
After waiting twenty-four hours with
out receiving any reply he went 10 the
cable Office to see if his message had been
sent. He found that the censor had held
II up believing it to he a cipher message
10 newspaper. The censor apologized
and let the message go through. The
answer came back within a few hours.
and the proprietor had a bright new rou-
lette table within week
The censor. however. IS greatly liked
by the newspaper men and spends most
OF his time intalkinS. with them on the
porch Of the Key West hotel He Is an
officer Of the regular army and simply
discharges faithfully and well the duties
assigned from Washington. Such Of the
as have attempted TO send
nothing but verified and undisguised facts