New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-05
WAR NEWS THAT WASN'T NEWS.
STORIES WITCH WOULD BE INTERESTING IF
ONLY THEY WE'RE TRUE

ONLY THEY WE'RE TRUE
Now-papers whi,h tumble over themselves in
their eagernoss 20 bs tho first 10 give tho details
o. tn. victory ut Manila 70 tho President and the
public had a busy time yesterday. Tho writer's
OF interesting fiction surpassed all previous EFFORTS
and turned out the largest quantity OF news mat
was not news inflicted credulous citizens since
the war began. one could get papers last evening
any % which denied most o, the others news and
occasionally rs own Heretofore Madrid has had
Tho honor OF sending out most OF tho false dis
matches but Yesterday New York took hand In
the game with the able assistance OF Hong Kong
and Gibraltar
Ths chief subject OF interest naturally. was Com
modore Deweys report According 10 dispatch
from Hong Kong. the McCulloch reached Mrs
Bay having left Manila before the BATHS began
, few lines away there an announcement that
she was AZ Hong Kong. but the latter statement
was In tho head lines, and therefore hardly en-
titled to much consideration. Another dispatch
from Hong Kong announced that the McCulloch's
arrival could not be verified. A high Senate az
ncla,. elsewhere said TO be Vice President Hobart.
was said TO have received telegram from the Pres
ident saying that the cipher dispatch brought BY
the McCuloch showed conclusively that the Amer
lean forces were In complete control OF Manila
This Dispatch II was added. was very long. and
would take some time TO translate. and later It was
said that the authorities were making list OF the
killed and wounded. After sufficient time to make
a.
ment made that 1t was believed that the Pres
ident would soon make public the Commodores re-
port. Later SIN came word that Commodore
Dewey's triumph cost many lives. and that there
would be greater delay in publishing tho report be-
cause the Department was still at work on tho list
OF names. Up to the time OF closing. the Navy
Department had received word OF any report
from Commodore Dewey
The sailing OF the vessels at Key West gave an
of he OppOrtunlty speculative minds one reDort
said that In Washington II believed that troops
had been secretly embarked. and that a landing
In Cuba would be made AZ once: another that the
Board OF Strategy working the theory that
the Cape Verd Squadron had gone to intercept the
Oregon and the Marietta. and that a great naval
battle would take place east OF Porto Rico, and
another that tho Navy Department had decided to
lombard Porto Rico. and probably Matanzas. In
view of the fact that some important movement
is doubtless in preparation. It would be odd II
some OF these specuations should be correct.
Madrid sent news TO Gibraltar to the effect that
Senior Moret and General Martinez Campos had
been assassinated. and that Premier Sagasta has
been forced to take refuge at the British Embassy
There no truth In the dispatches. and the
later reports OF Sagasta's and Moret's speeches
would have shown its falsity. even II kilograms
from Madrid received the following day, had
made no mention Of any such occurrences.
a story intended to show how easily vessel
might enter New-York Harbor by night was pub
Ilshed yesterday morning. II told how a fishing
smack escaped discovery on Sunday night how
she passed over the mines and eluded the search
lights at the HOOK and how the story was common
talk at Fulton Market. Inquiry at Fulton Market
made It apparent that no one knew anything about
this "nsh story"
From tho number Of Spanish spies who are so-
lively engaged in blowing up powder works caus-
Ing boiler explosions. poisoning troops and collect
Ing information, according to papers II might
be magined that Spain has barely enough inhabi-
tants left to man new gunboat Spies. II would
appear are hard at work cutting the mne wires
in the harbor and have done much damage 10 the
defences. Engineer officers on duty here said that
thors truth IN the story.