The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-07
WHAT A REPORTER SEES.
One Of the Amusing Things Not Told
In Dreyfus Trial Reports.

Julian Ralph. in Philadelphia Saturday
Evening Post.
1 sometimes think that the fun report
ers get out of their experiences is kept
too much to themselves. Too few of us are
like Charles Dickens, who crowded the
zest and fun of his observations and ad-
ventures into even the most trifiing things
which his pen threw off, We seem to think
that the public will not care to hear Of the
amusing happenings IN our work-day rou-
tine butt believe this is a great mistake Let
me tell of a thing that happened only so
long ago as the trial OF Captain Dreyfus.
Three news associations which were COM
peting with one another were determined
to beat each other in getting the first
news OF the verdict out TO the world at
large. When the final day came the mana
ger of each association remained in the
street TO see that his reporter shot a mes
sage down a tube from the courtroom
to a messenger boy who waited outside to
get 1T and bring ii to the manager All
the rest of the correspondents saw these
managers and messengers lurking in the
street, and noted that the association re-
porters were in their places in the court
room, but all were SO busy that they could
not watch for the result of the intense
contest in the feverish moment of the de-
livery of the verdict. They were obliged
to wait until nightfall. when their own
work was DONE and then ask eacn of the
managers how he came out in the race.
40 our surprise, all three were DESTROYS of
avoiding the subject, and yet, when they
felt obliged to speak. each claimed the vic
tory. Il got to the telegraph first with my
dispatch, said Mr.. C. Mine was the first
lieve 1 was beaten" said Mr.. n. Not a
word more would any one Of them say
The next day the whole truth came out.
To appreciate the full extent Of its droll-
ness the reader must understand how in
tensely earnest the men were, how long and
carefully they had planned TO win and how
much 1t meant TO the one who served his
company's subscribers ahead of all the
world. Mr.. c. was the first TO be "out with
the truth" as he expressed it. He had
hired very bright. quick boy, and had
trained him to be able to act i'm various
ways according to the nature of the YER
dict. The boy had some large envelopes
Of different and pronounced colors one of
which symbolized innocent" another
guilty" another mot proven" The boy
was TO hold up the envelope which stood
for the verdict, which would come to him
in a message down the chute in the court
room window.
1t was good plan. well thought out but
it failed because the boy disappeared. Mr..
G. waited until many men and boys had
passed him, and then he obtained the news
from some one elses boy and rushed to
the telegraph Office, getting there ahead of
every one. He has not yet seen his own
messenger. He has been told that when
the verdict was announced there was
mad rush of men to the chute, and little
boy was knocked down and trampled under
many feet. He believes that boy and his
are identical, but he can never be certain.
Mr.. V. also hired a bright and active lad,
and him he trained for the crucial moment
at the chute. His boy was to hold up his
right hand for innocent" his left hand
to signify guilty" and both hands IL the
verdict was a Scotch one. With one hand
or the other, or both, appraised, the boy was
to speed like mad toward Mr.. V, and Mr.
w., seeing him come from afar, was to turn
and run to the telegraph with the verdict
he could thus read at a glance. Alas, this
shrewd and simple plan also went wrong.
Mr.. V. waited. the verdict was delivered,
the rush OF men and lads ensued-and no
boy with hand held high in air was 10 be
seen. Mr.. V. saw boy after boy pass him,
and his heart sank as ones heart must
do when he sees himself beaten through no
fault or failure of his own. Still, he stood
and waited, and while he strained his eyes
over the hurrying throng which filed the
street he felt pull at his sleeve. He looked
down, and there was his boy, with both
arms hanging by his side. why don't you
have one hand up?' II beg your pardon,
sir; forgot all about it, what is the
verdict" "Coupable," said the boy in his
native language, and away sped Mr.. V,
reaching the telegraph office in time to
push his dispatch in next after that of Mr..