The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-07-20
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: SOME NEWSPAPER FAKES :


since the lamentable era of truth
fl. newspaper reporting began" said
one OF the Chicago spondents.
"Ihe work doesn't seem like the same
OH thing It's a miserable feeling TO
lrow that you're tied down by facts.
II has positively got so nowadays that
fellows paper absolutely requires
him To write nothing but facts; thus,
all OF the charm that comes from the
ability 10 lie wierd.y and enthusiastic
aily Is removed. and this makes ones
Gays dismal and monotonous. / can
remember the time in Chicago when
the hottest fakir, the most diyerting
Lar with the pencil and pad. was the
s0gght-aftcr man. and that wasn't more
Than a dozen years or SO ago. at that.
II didn't make any difference whether
local story was true or not. SO long as
j: was dshed up in good shape. with
plenty Of apparentlycorrect names and
addresses. lots Of scenes and Incidents
as the city editors put IL. and general
atmosphere of versimilitude, as II
were. am a modest man, but would
fain throw this small nosegay at my
ftlf: won the Champion Fakirs' stakes
Tor three years in succession in Chica-
-, and no less man than Eugene
Field once bestowed the laurels upon
my oushinc brow in the presence OF
me Nhitcchapel club for having re-
pea''cly proved myself the most fan
fa.iir newspaper liar that ever blew
INTO the city Of wind. That was right
after III sprung my famous airship
AXE There was chap exhibiting a
'unny-iopAing model of an airship
Gown on the lake front. and. it being
midsummer and consequently duh.
went after him. and wrote several col
u'An' with pictures. describing his con-
'f4pion, and relating how Id flown
"i'a ham 80 miles across Lake Michigan
70 Hcnton Harbor. Mich The story
N7n' Ni'h a bang, despite the fact that
'ne tN'lous esteemed contemporaries
q ms paper had the cffrontery TO come
0li ihe next day and declare il fake.
ahN ihe airship man organized com
iANN w the strength Of IL. achieved
soMe S30.oe0 from small investors. and
'Afh went into such close sec.usion
'na' he's never been seen since
bn' | started out TO relate how
-, qHmprd on fake Of my own de-
NsiHg u was during another dull
fi9H, when local news was Shy and
uhlh'trtsting. and il looked TO be aboui
,ue fiahi time TO spring large one. So
went down 10 the Leland hotel and
pn' 'Ae rame OF II. III. Gettemout' on
WE MOTEL register and had word or
'"P WIN big Red Kennedy. the chief
'FN' Then ! seized large bunch OF
No'ei paper. bought enough siogies to
M' through and, sat down in the
".''i writng-room and wrote four and
N'il columns about T.. II. Gcttemout's
"""ffiui experiments at the Leland
nS 'lie-saving fire-escape appara-
'N'' ! succeeded in making T.. II. Gette-
.'H pretty remarkable genius by
ulhe J got through describing his
nilon ~ great detail. IL consisted
'"a' -. IN my story il consisted--of
'"apsihle elevator frame. that Is. an
'a'pr frame that could be shot up
XIV 'he arr from truck by the opera
'on y some simple machinery. and
,oNsred into small space into the truck
:" 'aF street when il wasn't in use. In
's' oi IRE in tall building the e.e-
NV lrame would be raised. and then
'Fvator operated by hydraulic
,n'r' would begin It's regular trips to
"e various floors Of the burning build
W hauling the people that preferred
70 DE incinerated TO the ground as
aSi and comfortably as IL there
~"sn any fire within radius Of IL
A''es. ! made lot Of sketches rs sug-
.es''ons for cuts to be used in connec-
'on with the story.
men described NJ great length the
rlments that had been made at the
anu with the apparatus; told how
,,'ral hundred guests OF rhe house,
,"'hg been apprised OF the nature OF
'Nperinents about 10 be made. had
.teF'ully volunteered to descend In
.'f col'apsible truck elevator for the
rurpoSe Of demonstrating the useful.
SSss oil the invout;n~ A~~~~~- A.