The times., 1899-07-24
QUEER EXPRESSIONS.
Trite Phrases Collected by Copy
Reader.

(From the Kansas City Star)
The telegraph editors and copy readers
of newspapers run across a great many
remarkable statements in the copy receiv-
ed from country correspondents and even
from the press associations. Trite express
sions become habit with correspondents,
and it is one of the duties of the copy
reader to eliminate these when he runs
across them. Some of them are actually
weird, as follows:
He was overcome by smoke in the up
per story"
THE man was fatally wounded. He may
die"
THE supposed to be dead Jones stabbed
the alleged murderer twice, inflicting IA
tai We nds, which he cannot survive"
"Jerrel was blown about thirty feet. He
leaves a family"
Smith was shot twice by the alleged
slayer-one ball entering the intestines,
the other penetrating his right lung. The
coroner is investigating. Bloodhounds
have been put on the trail"
Writers often have things occur in the
most remarkable places. The following
instances have actually appeared in news
papers or have been dragged out of copy
by editors before they got into print:
The man was shot twice in the sa-
loom
He fell upon his being shot"
He was shot in the suburbs"
He was injured in the fracas."
"She whipped him upon his return"
He kissed her passionately on her re-
appearance"
He kissed her back"
He walked in upon her invitation"
"she seated herself upon his entering"
'She tainted upon his departure"
He chung to her weeping
.'Thpy gOseipad uUon his downfall
Dead persons often do stranger things
than one would suppose. Witness the fol-
lowing
THE suicide on reviving said"
Before he died the deceased said"
| Triteness. however, is the besetting sin
OF unframed correspondents. The follow
| ing are old friends and will be readily
recognized by newspaper readers:
1T is reported on the highest authority
| BY one who has the ear Of the President
but whose name is suppressed for obvious
| reasons, that" The information that
usually follows a statement OF that kind is
as valuable as its introduction is authori-
| tative.
The correspondent who concludes his
story by saying: 1T is said the story can
be supported by facts" seldom sees the
story in print.
Some of the. most common examples OF
| triteness are:
1T was gala day." or red letter day.
| as the case may be.
THE police are in suspense
He broke down and confessed
| The distracted husband or wife.
"a well-known citizen" On one occa-
sion the correspondent put it: "a we'll
known citizen. who is also a well-to-do
| farmer
There is general alarm here. owing TO
indications OF a recurrence of the disturb
ances"
Everybody is of the opinion to the effect
| that
| HE spoke in part as follows:"
Our little town was thrown into fer
ment of excitement this morning by
THE citizens are free to say that the law
will never take its course.
Deceased was Mason of high degree"
John Jones' the erstwhile senior mem
Der of the cash grocers, Jones Brothers,
has
Your correspondent has learned"
THE expression is used advisedly.''
Mr.. Gibson was highly respected citi-
zen, and known to almost every man, wo-
man, and child in the city
"A general denial was entered
mo one was hurt, though Proprietor
| Barker was slightly injured"
THE captain was rescued in precarious
condition"
Sometimes men write what they do not
mean. For instance. here is a telegram
from New York: John Kropf. who made
a fortune and lost it laying stone side
walks. committed suicide last night" Mr..
Kropf made his fortune in laying side
walks. but probably lost it otherwise.
The possessive case is sometimes written
in strange fashion. The following instance
was detected in a letter from a country
correspondent: 'The man whose wife
died's house.
The prefxing of a mans occupation or
office often produce queer results in print.
4 for instance:
United States Deputy Marshal Smith" Z"
etc. But the most remarkable actual case
of this kind is the following:
Secretary of the German Central Com
mittee OF the Erection OF Hospitals for the
Cure of Persons With Diseased Lungs Els
enhaupt said"
The country correspondent views local
events through powerful binoculars, every