Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-22
A SECRET OF STATE.
Interesting Inside History on the
Gathering of News in Washington.

During the Spanish war" said a CORE
spondent of an eastern seaboard city paper,
1.-The competition between the correspond
ents of this city was very keen. and means
to secure news were resorted to which
would not be pursued at other times
at had been my good luck to obtain
MANY exclusive stories from the War, State
and Navy building, and, as is often the
case, l shared some of them with a fellow
correspondent of a paper published in
large western city.
lone night, after 1 had gone home, my
friend telephoned me that he had it on I'M
questionable authority that the Navy De-
partment had received a telegram announc-
ing that the city of Manila had fallen. AS
Manila was still in the hands of the Span
ish the naval battle between Admiral
Dewey and the Spanish fleet having been
fought but a day or two previously. TINS
was a piece of news of the highest I'M
portance, and scoop of gigantic proper
tons BY imparting to me this exclusive
information, my friend had given me a
beat over every paper published ai IN th 1e
scores. L telephoned to my assistant to
make the most out of the dispatch and
went to bed.
1.-The next day my paper gave due promi-
nence to such startling information. you
may be sure and the wires between all of
the afternoon papers in the pig eastern
cities and their correspondents here were
kept red hot for confirmation or denial or
the story. When 1 reached the Navy De-
partment there was perfect mob of re-
porters there. The authenticity Of the dis
dispatch had been received.
1.-The denial placed my friend and l and
our respective papers in an unpleasant and
unequivocal position. We met. and he told
me how he had become possessed OF the in
formation. 1t appears that his assistant
was also telegraph operator, and his as
signment embraced the Navy Department.
The day before, as he had passed the door
of the room in which the Geographic In
struments were situated, he had overheard
this dispatch:
".Day. Washington. London office re-
ports that Manila has fallen Hay"
''At that time our present Secretary of
State was ambassador at London. and
Judge Day Secretary Of State. 1t will be
remembered that the cable had been cut in
Manila bay, and all telegraph communlca-
ton was in the hands of the Spanish. All
dis patches, consequently, came via London.
II explained the situation to Secretary
Long, but he was positive in his assertion
that, despite the standing of the CORE
spondent in question, and the improbability
of his inventing the dispatch, it had not
been received. He sent for the list of all
the dispatches that had been received for
several days, and the dispatch in question
was not on it. By this time l confess to
feeling trif1e uneasy. l requested that
the operator who was on duty a: the time
the dispatch was alleged to have been re-
reported to be at home and would not ap-
pear at the department until o'clock. At
my request the Secretary sent for him at
once in his own private carriage. Upon his
arrival at the department he denied posi-
lively that the dispatch had been received
BIZ him. This made our position worse.
LAS my friend and his assistant and 1
walked toward our offices through the
grounds of the White House the corre-
spondent swore by all the deities known to
journalists that he had heard the dispatch
licked off precisely he had communicated
it. We believed him. of course, though thus
far the evidence had been against the ac-
curacy of his tale.
when reached my office I had a chat
with the managing editor over the long
distance telephone. He said that the after
noon papers were publishing extras denying
the story, and that had been undoubtedly
thrown down. He was sorry. So was I.
Nevertheless, as I recounted the circum-
stances to him, I said that my action was
justified, and that or any other represen-
tative of a large paper here would have
done the same thing. and would do so under
similar recurring circumstances.
ut was q month before the real truth
leaked out and the mystery cleared away.
Such dispatch did actually pass over the
wires in the Office in question, but it origi-
mated in the Office and did not GO outside Of
1t.
ut seems that one Of my rival corre-
spondents. whose paper Is published in the