The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-08-29
A NEWSPAPER SCOOP
HOW IT WAS OBTAINED WITHOUT
ANY DEPARTMENT LEAK.

NV DIF ~ ' |" ~ Linn
Sources Of Information of Which
the Alert nnd quick WItted Corre.
spoDdeDt IL Always Hendy 10 Take
Legitimate Advantage.
Every once I'm awhile one reads IN
the newspapers Of the determination
officials 10 discover the source Of the
leak OF piece Of news which IL was
not desired should be given out AT that
particular time" remarked m old
Washington correspondent, "and with
out giving the solution 10 the secret
escapes Of public information, as they
vary, / viii tell you Of one Instance
which serves 10 show how news ap-
pears I'm print In what Is considered by
all concerned 10 be very mysterious
manner Like all mysteries, when IN
ravclcd II Is wondered that IL was not
thought Of before. My story Is en-
tircly n part of the secret sources Of
information which all correspondents
have more or less Mt their disposal
and which often comes from the out
side ana not from the inside Of the
departments.
"SOme time agO-thc precise time Is
not essential TO the story-a very Inn
portaut public matter was up for de-
termination by the president. All of
the larger metropolitan dailies were
particularly Interested, as It did not
have 10 do especially with Washing
ton and the entire correspondents
world at the capital was on the qul
vlyc to 'got IT, including myself All
channels which were usually tapped
by the initiated were found TO bc as
barren as Il desert stream In midsum-
mer Tclcgrams from the home offices
poured into our various bureaus here
cOuchcd I'm imperative language that
the news must be obtained, evidently
I'm the belief that all correspondents
have 10 do is TO 20 out, ask officials
for the desired information and re
celvc II, coupled with good cigar and
"A bottle of wine. As n matter of fact,
when officials wish TO keep secret n
piece of information, all possible loop
holes of escape are securely padlockcd,
ana II Is the exception that II gets out.
81 had about given up hope of seCur-
ing beat I'm this particular instance,
though | was, of course, ms vigilant as
ever. The time for the maturing of the
project was close at hand and any day
It might 10y official announcement be
come public property. one night ms |
was sitting idly I'm the lobby OF an up
town hotel, half doing I'm my chair,
waiting for the appearance of a senator
with whom had an appointment on an
lncOnsCqucntial matter, | overheard one
of two gentlemen who were sitting be-
hind me drop the words the president
The high backs of our chairs nearly
touched. and 10y instinct my drowsy
senses became clear aud woke up
"'Thc president remarked one of the
gentlemen, said that IL was his intcn.
ton 10 adopt that course irrespective
of the consequences either To himself or
the party
"'But YOU pointed ont to him what II
meant 10 us-that hc was clearly In err
rory replied the other gentleman.
'Elahoratcly,' responded the first
speaker, but the president said that he
was convinced that accrung results
would prove that we, and not he, were
I'm error
"'Thcn we may as we'll go back 60
New York tomorrow was the answer,
and both gentlemen arose and walked
toward the cafe, apparently In very
Respondent frame Of mind.
II was an involuntary listener 20 this
scrap of conversation, In which. II will
bc observed, not n single word was
dropped rs To the subject matter there
Of | at once jumped To the conclusion
that the government, through the prcsi-
dents action, intended 90 take the af-
tirmatlvc of the proposition, the news
side of which the correspondents had
so long and earnestly cudcavorcd TO
ascertain. with q straight tip as 20 the
course OF the government the CORE
Spondcnt could do the rest, while with
the wrong tip he could not only make
his paper ridiculous. but would In all
probability lose his position; hence the
care I'm making scare head, page wide
story.
"ln the rurthcrancc OF my conclusion
my paper had the beat OF the season
the following morning as | stated the
facts as though they came from official
sources. as. indeed. such considered
them. To my mind. as a correspondent,
it was as clear rs IL the president HIM
self had given me the information. Two
days after member Of the cabinet
gave cut officially what had wir'd
over and with Il the announcement that
the leak had occpsioncd much annoy
ancc and It's soufSe would be invcstl-
gated thoroughly II is here given cor.
rcctly for the first time."-W0shington
Star.
what the Hair Tells.