Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-07-21
STORY OF A STORY.
Slight Tip That Led to a Jour-
nal Beat.
Example Of the Way That News Is Run
to Earth.
The Deal Involved Transfer Of $500. 600
Worth Of RsiIroad Property.

story is never published. While all the
facts relating to the story itself are Civ
en-. yet the manner in which the story Is
obtained is often of as much interest as
the news itself. if the commercial OIL
business values are taken out 1t is con
cerning one of these experiences that the
following is written:
a year ago the Journal published a
special dispatch from a neighboring town
saying that the first steps were taken by
the trustees to foreclose on the bonds OF
the Wiscasset & Quebec road. 1t was in
tended at the time that nothing should
be said about the matter. 1t was left ia
the Journal to bring out the first infor-
nation, and that story published was
considered of sufficient Importance to lift
bodily and be wired to the Associated
Press, and SO was published IL hours lat
er than it appeared in the Journal.
The first tip the Journal reporter re
ceived was of so little consequence that
other reporters who received the same tip
at the same time did not work the story
up. Hence the Journals beat. During
one of those mornings when it seems that
nothing would start and the paper must
be filed with matters of little Importance
from the standpoint of newspaper men,
a Journal reporter dropped into the office
of a leading attorney in neighboring
town. n law student was plugging Black
stone and had no thought of the outside
world. The pump sucked dry and in a
short time it was found he had nothing
for publication.
where is S. s. asked the Journal re-
porter, referring to the head of the firm
Gone to Wiscasset," replied the stu
dent. burying himself in Blackstone
again. The why's and wherefores the
student did not know. or if he did know
did not tell.
Why the senior member should go to
Wiscasset was a question that puzzled
the reporter. The lawyer was not a man
to go off at a tangent and much less to
take a 5.i5 train in the morning unless
there was something back OF it. Other
reporters had received the same answer
from the law student and as they drop
ped the matter there the Journal man was
almost Inclined to follow suit and hunt
for something else. The more he thought
of the matter the more firmly he became
convinced that the lawyer had some i'm
portant purpose in mind.
Suddenly the idea came into his head
that there might be some connection with
the Wiscasset & Quebec Railroad. But
why this particular attorney should be
interested in the case was a sticker. He
was not the attorney for the road. Nei-
ther had he any interest in it, as far as
known. glance at the railroad COM
missioner's report showed that the bonds
of the company We're held by the Water
vile Trust Go. a study of statement
issued by a financial concern showed that
the attorney was the lawyer for the Wa
terville Trust Co.
Even then the matter was not clearly
shown. "A short interview with an attor
ncy who had done many favors for the
reporter brought out the fdct that ii
must be short time only before some
thing would be done by the Wiscasset Il
Quebec road, and the railroad commits
sioner's report showed that the railroad
had not paid the interest on the bonds
for a number of years. and that the
Trust Co. was trustee for the bonds.
Slowly the story began to unravel. The
next thing was to see the attorney. He
will not he back until tomorrow was the
encouraging answer given the reporter.
An attempt was made to waylay him ar
the trains, but the attorney came in the
night and was so busy all the next day
that he could not be seen.
The daily overhauling OF the hotel reg
listers showed that a prominent official
Of the Wiscasset < Quebec road was in
town that day. the day following that
when the attorney went to WiscaSset. On
the same page was the name of an out
of-town member of the board of trustees
of the Trust Co. 1t was then learned
that the trustees were holding a meeting.
\ moments conversation with the attor-
ney who could not stop to talk longer,
showed that the meeting concern
ed the railroad. An attempt was
made to arrange for an inter-
view That was unsuccessful for the
attorney announced that he should start
that afternoon for summer resort.
In the meantime the law student had
told the representative of another paper
that he might tumble onto good story
if he would find out what took place at
the meeting of the Trust Co. The re-
porter went to the treasurer and in reply
to his question received that oft-repeated
answer that is given after some import
ant business is done, Nothing was
transacted but routine business"
The Journal man. ignorant of the re-
suit of that interview by his business
opponent was on pins and needles fear
ing that an afternoon paper would come
ont ahead of him with the story. But he
was confident that he would not have
the full story. as the attorney who knew
the most about the affair was too busy
to see anyone except his clients.
Learning that the attorney had left his
coat and grip at his office the Journal
reporter went to the attorneys office in
hopes that he might there succeed in
getting an interview. Mr.. B. has gone
TO Northport. He went on the late after
noon train" was the reply made to the
Journals questions.
| With the station half mile distant and
the train due in five minutes there seem
ed but little hope of getting an inter
view and the reporters courage was at
the zero mark. There was not team
| in sight and a half mile run with the
disadvantage of a smokers short wind
! n,omised but little assistance in getting
! the story The attempt was made and
when half way to the station the train