Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16

Evening Star. A
EEej morning paper, as a
.ESAJ rule is not required
355 ] to give give much
80 Sz1E asss-J consideration to time
in gathering the
court news. Its re-
porter may put in his appearance at the city
hall at = o clock 2:3O o'clock even as late
ms . o'clock in the afternoon, and proceeding
leisurely and by Condensing notes, may col
lect the necessary data and be In readiness
to depart promptly at o'clock, the hour the
building is closed. He then has ten hours
before him, in the event he should need
that much leeway, to prepare his copy"
Furthermore, the morning paper reporter
possesses the very appreciate advantage of
having before him, when he is writing out
his notes, the news of the day from the
courts as published in the afternoon papers.
With The Evening Star the situation Is
very different, for time is a most important
consideration. The reader has spread be-
fore him each weekday afternoon all the
news that has materialized right up to the
moment Of going to press. This statement
is TO be taken literally.
Up-to-Date Reporting.
Returning to the inquiry of the lawyer
who. even though he may have been an ac-
five practitioner for nearly half q century.
IS under the Impression that happenings of
public interest at the City Hall after 1890
o'clock of certain day cannot be given to
the public through The Evening Star until
the following afternoon, sufficient enlighten-
ment may be afforded by reference to one
important case. Take, for example the
trial Of Mrs. Lola Ida BONNIE, which was
the climax of the famous Kenmore Hotel
1la Of
mystery the Bonnie case from the start
excited the most intense public interest. The
Evening Star of course, published full re-
ports Of the trial. One afternoon during
the hearing court was adjourned al seven
teen minutes past 3 o'clock. The Evening
Star went to press-that is the form con-
tanning the type for its last page was
locked-less than four minutes later. The
issue of the paper that day contained the
fun report of the trial, as usual, including
the entire testimony of the witness who
had been under examination up to 3:17
o'clock, and the fact was noted that at the
hour mentioned the proceedings had been
discontinued until the following morning.
The difference between 1920 o'clock and
BIT o'clock IS two hours and forty-seven
minutes. However, there was nothing out
OF the ordinary. so far as time is concerned
in the reporting of the BONNIE trial Every
week day OF the year the court house is
covered right up to the hour OF going to
press, and as the several courts adjourn
except on occasions OF special moment, at
o'clock. the readers OF The Evening Star
have az their disposal the same afternoon
the complete court news of the day.
Telephone and Typewriter.
The value OF the telephone as a means Of
transmitting the news to the city editor and
his assistants up to the very last moment
OF the newspaper day cannot be overesti-
mated. A messenger. who uses a bicycle,
IS, after 10 o'clock am. constantly making
trips with copy from the City Hall to The
Star office He starts on his windup ride of
the afternoon seldom later than FIVE min
utes before o'clock. After that the tele-
phone is used exclusively. The Evening
star has an independent telephone ex-
change, one OF the instruments, connected
with The Stars Central by private wire
being located in the office OF the clerk of
the Supreme Court of the District of CO.
lumbia. The papers representative may, in
n moment, engage in conversation with any
individual on duty at The Star building In
sending late news by phone the STORY" is
dictated direct to one OF several expert
typewriters, who are provided with the
head harness ear pieces such as central
office telephone operators use. Paragraph
by paragraph. as dictated, the copy is
handed to a desk editor. by whom 1t is read
and then sent like flash through pneu-
matte tubes to the composing room.
For the BONNIE trial telephone connection
was made with an ante-room just outside
Criminal Court No. /. In this court the
hearing occurred. Two reporters were as
signed to cover the trial. The greater part
of the day one looked after the general In
PRODUCTION and the descriptive part of the
story. while the other devoted his entire
time and energies to recording all of the
testimony, the arguments of counsel and
the remarks OF the court; in other words
made report of the actual proceedings
bicycle messengers made trips with copy
at intervals OF about ten minutes. Begin
ming at 2;i5 o'clock the two men Joined
forces, and, by sort of relay system, re-
ported In full the happenings of the last
stages Of the trial each day. One reporter
would follow the proceedings for about five
minutes, and then go to the telephone and
dictate from his notes. his colleague taking
post In the court room. AS soon as No. 1
finished a. the phone he returned TO the
reporters desk. and. No. . being relieved,
FASTENED 10 the wire. In this manner 1t
was possible 20 give in the afternoon paper
a most complete recital OF a criminal in
quiry that. as stated was of absorbing in
terest.
Covering the City Hall.
Except in connection with proceedings of
Unusual Importance, such as the Bonina
trial. one reporter covers the City Hall
for The Evening Star. The field includes
the Court OF Appeals of the District of Co.
lumbia, Equity Court No. /, Equity Court
No. 2, Circuit Court No 1, Circuit Court
No. .. Criminal Court No. 1. Criminal Court
No. 2, the Probate Court. the Court in
General Term, the Supreme Court of the
District OF Columbia sitting as a United
States district court. the Bankruptcy Court,
the office OF the auditor of the Supreme
Court Of the District OF Columbia, the