The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-08-15
HOW A STENOGRAPHER
SECURED A SCOOP
By Robert T. Rose.
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TT IS not my purpose to name th
stenographer who performed tha
; act, but to stenographer is due the
credit, if credit it may be termed, OF
obtaining scoop" Of the platform at
the national convention of the popu'
list party, which convened in St. Louis
lin 1896. How I became possessed Of
the facts makes no particular dlt1er'
!ence. so far as this story is concerned,
}but that it is true is within my knowl'
edge.
; This particular shorthand writer,
who, for convenience, we will call MI
Forest, was in the employ Of one OF
the two great press associations then
in existence. He was called to St. Louis
by wire, and on his arrival at the head
:ouarters Of that news association was
taken aside by the man in charge, who
said to him:
Forest, I have called you here, not
so much to work on the convention
itself as for another reason. l know
YOU desire to make reputation fol-
! yourself in the newspaper world, and
that you have good deal Of hustle and
nerve about you. I want scoop OF
that platform, and that is your as
signment. Use your own judgment in
the matter of gettingit, but tgetit.'
, To the uninitiated, it may be well to
explain that scoop" or beat OF
an exclusive" consists OF securing .
piece Of news in advance Of competi-
tors, and many reporters on metropol-
itan papers owe their continued en-
,ployment to the fact that at some time
or other, during their career. They
have been successful in securing for
those papers an important scoop" II
may also be well to explain that when
itcome to landing that precious thing,
the rule that "all IS fair in love and
war" is extended to embrace 'and IN
obtaining exclusive news"
So that was not particularly cheer
;ful assignment The shorthand man
realized that there were about 100
trained newspaper men in St. Louis,
whose business it was to get the news,
all bent on the errand Of procuring e1.
,clusiTe news, and that the greatest
news to obtain in. advance at national
political convention was the platform.
He also knew that even though he
should be lucky enough to hide himself
in the room in which the resolutions
COMMITTEE met, the chances were one
hundred to one against his securing a
position in which he could write short
hand, and while the rather vulgar term
"knocker" was not then a part OF the
slang vocabulary, he foresaw that in
the event he should endeavor to get n
the room by strategy, the newspaper
reporters, knowing him, would imne-
diately apprise the MEMBER OF the
committee of his business and foil hin
plans. But he had been given the as
signment. and this is the manner in
which he went about the filing Of it:
The chairman OF the resolutions
committee was ex-Gov. Weaver. OF
Iowa, who four years before was the
presidential nominee Of that party, and
,the secretary was Robert Schilhng, OF
Milwaukee. The latter the shorthand
man had met some years before, but
mot when ne was identified with any
newspaper or press association. Ihe
committee was to meet at four o'clock
the next afternoon at the Linden ho-
tel, while the Offices Of the press as
sociation were in rooms in the teoc
above.
Forest outlined his plan and fol-
lowed it to the letter. An hour before
ithe committee was to meet, he took
his typewriting machine to the room
! of the committee, placed it on q table,
and spread his paper and earoons
around the table, lit "a cigar and waited
for the members to arrive. When they
did begin to arrive, he looked at them
;con6escendingly, and in reply to their
Questions told them be had been ce-
tailed to do the shorthand work and
tvpewriting for the committee. AS
soon as Chairman Weaver made his ap-
pearance, Forest called him aside, and
the following oo1Tersation took. place:
: "Your name is Gen. Weaver?" asked
Forest.
. "Yes."
you are the chairman of the creden-
tiaIs committee, beieve?'
NO. the resolutions committee" an
swered Weaver.
Yes, yes. knew it was some COM
nittee,' rejoined Forest. Wei, was
sent here to do the shorthand work and
typewriting for the committee.
WHO asked you?"
why, the secretary, Mr. Schiller"
"Oh, yes; you mean Schiling. All
right. Take seat. We will need you
after awhile"
Before long NJ. Schilling appeared.
Upon his arrival he asked Forest who
had sent for him, to which question the
answer Gen. Weaver" was suffcientto
allay any further questioning on that
point. But Schiling's memory was
good, and soon he asked the question:
Didn't you formerly live in Milwau-
kee?"
ayes"
Isn't your name Forest?"
ayes