The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-26
SCOOPS" UNDER
DIFFICULTIES
New York Times.l


was ever in said one OF the craft, was
many years ago, when there was a big
smash-up on the Erie railroad Few
miles away from Port Jervis- In those
days there was not such a multiplicity OF
wires as there is nowadays, from and 10
well. I was fired out of New York by
my city editor TO catch the first train
that wOulc take me 10 the scene of the
wreck l got there. II was late in the
night. had TO foot couple Of miles be-
yond Point JerViS 10 reach tae locality or
the disaster It was a stormy night, too,
OF sleet and snow. and facts as 70 death
and ruin were difficult to get. Well that
storm was my salvation, as the sequence
viii show.
When got back to Port Jervis I
found TO my dismay that representatives
from all the New York daily newspapers
(except mine had come to the scene on
train from New York hours before
had, and when I walked into the tele-
graph office without a line written there
they were all pegglng away at piles or
copy. They all smiled grimly as they
hailed me. l saw at a glance that was
a 'goner-that would be the victim Of
a combine.
''It was getting long after midnight.
The Associated Press report of the dis
aster had, of course. been wired TO all
the newspapers. But the specials had
not begun yet-and all the boys We're
ahead Of me- and they knew that before
y
would be going to press.
Did ever newspaper man stand IN
der gullloune while the eXecutiOner was
lingering with the keyboard that drops
the AK, | wonder? II he did, 1 know eX-
actly what he must have felt like. The
storm, meanwhile, let me say, was in
creaSing in violence. A thought came 10
me. rushed out doors and remained
away half-hOur- When 1 came back 10
the telegraph office, covered with snow
and benumbed with cold I was u sight
10 see. And there was CONSERVATION
among my fellow newspaper men.
They had begun 10 lay their copy be-
fore the operators, and about two words
or one man had just been tapped off
when what happened? The wires were
dOWn-by the StOrm-the operators were
poWeriess- l was writing away like mad.
Let up there over in the corner" eX-
claimed one Of the newspaper men. "No
use your writing; wires are down. We're
all in the same box"
SO We were-nOt one of those men any
more than myself could get a line into his
office We all came to New York on the
first train, in the morning, with our col
umns Of copy all ready for setting up,
There was where the scoop Of the com
blne' did not come in. wasn't il? I never
had such a narrow escape from being
beaten out Of my boots. But was not
that prOvfdential storm, and wasn't it
lucky l had plenty of money!" said the
newspaper man with a leer.
When l was young and charming
added the veteran, "a doctor was muir
dered one night in a little far away vii
lage IN New Jersey l worked the case
up SO did newspaper representatives of
all the other city dailies. When late in
the evening the green, country coroner :
Jurymen, with the aid Of the New York
reporters. discovered evidence enough to
hold Bridget Durgan, the servant of the
FAMILY: as the guilty party, I hurried to
the railroad depot So did all the other
newspaper men But alas The last train
that stopped at that village on its way
to Jersey City had passed through TWO
hours before-and there was no telegraph
office.
Let's go and see what the village
looks like, and find out where we can get
a nights lodging said one of the group,
and off they scampered up the country
road. L was a stranger to them all and
they paid no attention to me They
knew, anyhow, 1 was in the same fix
as they were.
Soon after they had gone I wandered
about the little railroad station I knew
that an express train for New York that
did not stop at the station would be soon
Whizzing by I already heard it rum
bling in the distance There was a little
red danger lantern under a chair at the
rear end Of the station. I seized il when
the old, half-crippled Waterman was on
the inside Tucking it under my over
coat, / made a dash up the track and
swung it wildly when the express train
4 III
die of the track and ran into the dark
ness further up the road. Yes, the ex-
press came to a StandstiH. and, amid the
excitement, l got aboard as passengers
were rushing out to the car doors to see
what was the matter.
Scoop was the result: oh, yes But
do you know, for two years I never went
across the river to the Jersey shore for
] found that in doing what [ did with
the red lantern / had committed Ver,-
ST he Law A. .
was, l came near being gObbIed up for il
on the train You had better get off
when the train slows up at COmmuni-
paw, whispered the voice Of a man who
had taken a seat right beside me when
l got aboard. and walk the rest of the
way to Jersey City. They'll be LAYING
Tor you in the station II was a Jersey
Central employe who had been officially
at the coroner's inquest and who had
taken advantage Of my red light job to
get on the train himself. as he lived in
New York.
But really" continued the old one.
The most delightful scoop I ever ac-
compllShed and one on which I've always
prlded myself, was that in which the
late August Belmont was the feature.
1t was in 1872; Greeley had been nom
mated for the presidency by the Liberal
Republicans. The general ODiniOn was
growing that, rather than openly indorse
Greeley, no Democratic convention would
be held, so Democrats could do as they
pleased. Belmont was chairman of the
national Democratic committee Until he
issued the official call for the convention
things would be in a quandary. Time
wore on There was no call il was the
talk OF the country.
Il called upon Mr.. Belmont to talk on
the subject. He was in one Of his iraS-
chile moods. He fumed and stOrmed he
hind the counter in his office and
pounded on it with his fist when he laid
special emphasis on some blue fire words
Fully quarter Of an hour passed, while
quietly, calmly piled questions and Bel
mont grew more and more angry at be-
ing questioned at all. Not one did he
answer. Moving toward the door. 7 re-
marked pleasantly:
" Well. Mr.. Belmont then I slIpnosc
from what YOU have said that VIC can
take II for granted that you will not is
sue call for convention
This remark seemed to act on Pol
mont Ike WildfiTe- he flew into a fear
fui rage. With a hop and d jump that
nearly brought him over the counter. he
yelled out in a roar that must nave made
the hair OF every clerk in the office stand
on end;
=" 'D-n it, man, you'd lie il you'd say
so am going 10 issue a call for the
convention
" Thanks, Mr. Belmont I said as 7
safely haif-OPened the door to be on nj
his reach when he discovered how he had
at last unwittingly revealed his Dlan the
public were hankering to know about.
that's the very answer I came here IN
get " ~
ARTIST OF THE PLAINS