The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-24
A NEWS THIEF PUNISHED.
How a Navy Department Telegraph
Operator Discovered n "Leak" in
His Wire.
From the washington Post.

The mystery oil a caDlegrah upon WINCH
was based the most colossal of the many
newspaper fakes incident to the war
with Spain, can at last be solved. 1t
should be explained at the outset that the
word fake" is used in this connection
with some qualification, inasmuch as sew
eral of the leading journals in various
parts of the country were genuinely de-
ceixed by what appeared to be a leglti-
mate piece of news. Neverthe4e ss, 1t can
now be shown that those same dgmlled
newspapers developed an alleged eight
word cablegram into, in the aggregate,
almost countless columns of pure lnVen-
ton.
For many days after word was received.
that Dewey had destroyed the Spanish
Philippine fleet, the further announcement
that he had captured Manila was eagerly
anticipated Everybody, not knowing the
exact condition, supposed, of course, that
after taking Cavite, he would proceed at
once to take possession of Manila. When,
therefore, the newspapers referred TO APP
peared one morning with fiarng headlines
to inform the world that Manila had fall
en- nobody doubted that the information
was correct, and there was much Juolla-
ton everywhere, except in the oflces OF
newspapers that had not received the
news As the news was alleged to have
emanated from official sources at WASH
ington, it is reasonable to suppose that
the correspondents at the capital Of the
journals which had apparently been beat
en- were made decidedly uncomfortable by
sharp kilograms of inquiry from their re-
spective managing editors, for be it under
stood that in newspaperdom there are
three cardinal sins: TO be beaten in get
ting the news; to Be detected in taking"
and 10 write libel.
Some of the newspapers which an
nounced the fall of Manila at that time
published what purported to be a YER
batim copy of an official cablegram giving
the information. That cablegram dated
London, and containing but eight words,
including address and signature, was as
follows:
Day, Washngton-Hong Kong reports
Manila has fallen. Hay.
On the morning that this momentous
intelligence was published all the CORE
spondents who had received sharp repri-
mands from their managing editors rushed
TO the state department to find out why
such important news should have been
given to some newspapers and not to all.
Secretary Day appeared TO be astonished
at the impetuosity of the beaten news
paper men, and when he declared that he
correspondents laughed ironically and said
to themselves and to each other that the
Secretary of State had diplomatic reasons
for wishing to suppress the news, as well
| as a desire to conceal the fact that there
was leak in his department. So the
more impetuous among them who had
been beaten rushed to the telegraph Of
fees and loaded the wires with dispatches
confirming the report of the fall of Ma
dot nf 4
to have been furnished by officials high
in authority. This added some hundreds
to the newspapers which had made the
original announcement of Manila's fail.
Other correspondents hurried to the White
House, thinking that, perhaps, ere cable
gram might have been received by the
President, instead of by the Secretary Of
State, but Mr.. Mckinley solemnly declar
ed that he knew nothing about it. Ca
Diagrams of inquiry were then flashed to
Ambassador Hay in London, who replied
that he had not sent any such message.
Then followed a period of peculiar condi-
tons. Half the newspapers of the country
were declaring that Manila had fallen and
that the administration was endeavorns
TO cover up what might have been dipio-
matte blunder, and the other half-the
supposedly beaten half-was shouting
'Fakei Faken Now it happens that
many newspaper iLSil nave dtQulISu
knowledge of biography and that many
telegraphers have become newspaper men.
One night an important order was sent by
telegraph in English, but 1t was counter
manded and withdrawn within few min
utes, and, as far as the naval authorities
knew the dispatch was as dead as if il
had never been written. Nevertheless, 1t
appeared in full the next morning in a
New York newspaper. which, however
1 lit
been> Cancelled.
This leak caused great deal of trouble.
The telegraph company over whose lines
the dispatch had passed was taken to task
by the government but its officers proved
| that none of its employees had been treaeh-
erous. The incident, however, set the gov
eminent officials to thinking, and nobody
thought harder than the night operator at
the navy department. AS he figured it, he
might himself have been suspected of the
betrayal of confidence, with consequent
loss of character and position. Made keen
and alert by the patent evidence of leak
somewhere, the operator in the navy de-
partment kept his eye on the corridor as
closely as he kept his ear upon his should
er. Occasionally during an evening he
would stroll through the corridor and chat
with the correspondents. He finally con-
WINGED himself that the representative of
a great new 10TH newspaper WIS a lOItIl-
err telegrapher. Now comes the solution
of the mystery.
The operator ruminated probably about
this way: There's a newspaper fellow
out there, 1 think, who can telegraph. If
he gets on to any of the dispatches that
90 through my hands, he's likely to get
lot of glory and Doodle, and I'm liable to
get discharge and disgrace Really, I'm
not sure that he's the man who got that
withdrawn order but I think I'm entitled
TO find out" 1t was at this period that
everybody was waiting for news from
Dewey. following the announcement that
he had destroyed the Spanish fleet. The
hour was midnight and the marble CORR
doris were as silent as the mausoleums Of
PompeH
The navy department operator noticed
mat several correspondents, or rather the
assistants Of correspondents, were still loi-
tering in the corridor and among them was
the one whom he suspected of too intimate
a KNOWLEDGE of Morse. Opening one of the
loops with his key. and using the armature
of his relay as a transmitter the night OPP
orator began calling rs. D." IS. D." and
signing wv" which to any one under