Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-07-05
NEWSPAPER ENGLISH.
Strange Things An Editor Encounter
IN Prepared Copy.

copy received from country correspon-
dents and even from The press associa-
tons. Trite expressions become a habit
with correspondents. and it is one of
the duties of the copy-reader to eliml-
nate these when he runs across them.
A desk man on the Kansas City Star
took the trouble to jot down such of
these as he came across from day to
day. Some of them are actually weird,
as follows:
He was overcome by smoke in the
upper story
THE man was fatally wounded. He
may die"
THE supposed to be dead Jones stab
bed the alleged murdered twice, infiict-
ing fatal wounds, which he cannot sur
vive.''
"Jerrel was blown about thirty feet.
He leaves n family'
Smith was shot twice by the alleged
siayer-one ball entering the intestines.
the other penetrating his right lung.
The coroner is investigating. Blood
hounds have been put on the trail"
Writers often have things occur in the
most remarkable places. The following
instances have actually appeared in
newspa pers or have been dragged ont
or copy by editors before they got into
print:
The man was shot twice in the sa-
LOOM"
He fell upon his being shot"
tIc was SllOl III 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 enter
ing"
She tainted upon his departure"
He chung to her weeping"
They gossiped upon his DOWNFALL"
DEAD persons often do stranger things
man one would suppose. Witness the
following:
The suicide on reviving said"
oetore ne died the deceased said"
Triteness. however. is the besettinc
SIN of unframed correspondents. The
readily recognized by newspaper read
ers:
1T Is reported on the highest author
ny Dy one who has the ear of the pres
, o,,,.,c put whose name is suppressed for
OBVIOUS reasons. That The infor-
nation that usually follows n statement
or mat Kind is as valuable as its intro
duction Is authoritative.
Inc correspondent who concludes his
story by saying. ut Is said the story
the story in print.
Some OF the most common examples
of triteness are:
1t was a gala day." or red-letter
utty, as the case may be.
me police are in suspense"
he broke down and confessed"
Inc distracted husband" or wife
well-known citizen" On one oc-
casion the correspondent put il "A we'll
known citizen, who is also IL well-to-do
farmer"
There is general alarm here, owing
disturbances"
Everybody is Of the opinion to the
He spoke in part ms follows"
our httle town was thrown into n
ierment of excitement this morning
THE citizens are free to say that tho
law will never take it's course"
Deceased was n Mason OF high de-
gree"
John Jones. the erstwhilc senior
member Of the cash grocers, Jones
Brothers. has"
Your correspondent has learned"
The expression is used adviscdly."
MT. Gibson was n highly respected
citlzen, and known to almost every
man. woman and child in the city"
"A general denial was entered
no one was hurt. though Proprietor
Barker was slightly injured"
The captain was rescued In y. nro-
carious condition."
sometimes men write what they do
not mean For instance, here is a. tele
gram from New York: John Kropf,
who made fortune and lost il lavinr
stone sidewalks, committed suicide lnst
night Mr. Kropf made his fortuna in
laying sidewalks. but probably lost II
otherwise 0'' IL
- ne PoSSesslYe case is sometimes writ
ten in strange fashion. The following
Instance was detected in a letter from
country correspondent: The man
whose wife dicd'S house"
The pretXing of mans occunation
or oHlce often produce queer results In
print. Cor instance: 80
United States Deputy Marsha,
smith. etc. But the most romorI,ahIa
ing: '''S ioi'o"
Secretary of the German Can,ro,
committee of the Erection of uospitols
Tor the Cure of Persons With Diseo sed
Lungs Eisenhaupt said"
INC country correspondent views local
events through powerful binocuIors
every nre is coniiagration or n halo,
caust. and every accident has .bn,.,.;
pie details The following is an 90
tual report sent by local corrasnn,,
dent in Missour: "a horror ennornd
1nly to the Johnstown flood is ma, nv
me Missouri Pacific dyke was under
mined. giving way last night. Amonp
the losses were siXty-five hogs vbich
were drowned" witch
THE NEWSPAPER.
IFrA IL