Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-07-30

ed OI Ont thc
pOlitan Afternoon DaiIieD.
81 never read Of close finish In a
big running race nowadays that I'm,
not reminded OF a famous punctured
SCOOP In which l figured when l was
working In n New York newspaper Of
flce," said an old time telegrapher who
is now employed In Washington.
1T was back In the days when the
great Domino was the star colt of the
Keene stable and, with one exception.
was acknowledged as the greatest two
year-old of the season.
"The exception was Richard CrOker's
! flier Dobblns. These two youngsters
/ finally met In the Futurity, and, al
/ though the Keene colt won with Dob
bins third, the latter's owner was not
satisfied with the result, and a match
was speedily arranged at the Futurity
distance for $4,000 side.
"Now, the paper l worked on was an
evening sheet, and 1t was the ambition
OF the managing editors life to beat
the opposition evening paper and get
the news Of big event like this on the
street first.
'The other fellows had beaten us on
the Futurity story a few days before,
and the managing editor made no Sc
cret of the fact that he was going to
get even.
Accordingly he laid all Of his plans
day ahead, and, although we did not
know at the time what they were, we
felt sure by the way he strutted around
on the morning Of the race that he had
the winning combination up his sleeve.
along about noontime of that day
the editor, the most nervous man l
ever met, called me into his office and
told me that, as the match race was
the fifth event on the card. he wanted
me to have one of the other operators
take the result of the fourth race, and
he also wanted me to get a wire In
good working order and prepare to get
the result of the fifth race.
1.-THE scheme was to have two presses
set and ali ready to start. One OF
them was to have the big front page
headline read 'Dobbins Wins the Big
Match aud the other just the same,
except that sno70iI7riiis - -rre 7.-7-'oD1ns
/ extra was on press No. | and the DOM
ino extra on press No. 2. Whichever
horse won. the managing editor was to
call out No. l or No. 2, and the press
would be started in quicker time than
it takes to tell Of the arrangement.
r couldn't help but inwardly SMILE
as I watched the managing editor strlo'
ing nervously about, waiting for the
start. lust like man who had tnou'
sonds NJ dollars wagered on the chance
of one Of the racers.
suddenly the key Of my instrument
began to click, and he quickly stoppeo
and looked anxiously at me, but i
proved TO be only the operator al tn'
other end testing. Learning this, he re
sumed his walk up and down the room
presently the key began to clici
oooin. This time the horses were Oh
their way to the post. The next 20
from the other end was that the MORSE
were at nhe post and would be or IN
, minute This information, instead o
steadying the managing editor, only III
creased his jumpiness, for he oruere'
tho men who were standing around I
ceose their talking and also caiie
downstairs half dozen times 10 know
II everything was ready below IN III
press room. o,
"In the midst of this the key agar
HOGAN TO work. and l called out Una
they were of. 49,
"The clicks OF the instrument una
. followed now told me that they wer
moving along, nose and nose at u
ouarter. At the half mile Domino wa
: in the lead by a nose, and as al
nounced this was watching the maj
aging editor. and l could see MS III
framing the words No. 2 whicn Wa
the Domino press.
"Dobbins Just managed to shove II
nose in front at the three-quar'ers al
the hoss moved nearer the speaKii
+,,ha as made this announcemen
Coming into the stretch the TWO gun
colts were head and head, and the ma
aging eaitor, with the mouthplece
the sreaking tube pressed t1ght
against his lips was waiting TOT II
,t result.
~ "Well the result came along IN go'
season. But never so long as IL
srall I forget the expression on III
editors face when the key told me IN
tho satcL ruce was dead heat. III
,tated jus, a second before calling
ont. for l could almost picture IN I
mind what effect 1t would have on Ill
Finally 1 called out in as firm Vol
as l could, Dead heatv
well, Mat editors knees just ga
WAY from under him. If he had 7
grabbed q chair am positive he wor
have fallen to the floor.
"'Dead heatY he gasped, with
!. i'd face. Are you sureY
81 told him that Ii had peeh Iepe"'
10 me and that there could be no n
take He was too dumfounded to me
for two or three seconds, but when
saw all of the men who were about
lump to their places ready to throw
gether a new scare head, while otn
.... hustled around to find the stereotype
whs almost to a man had gone out
er, the building, he came to in jiny
was the same old hustler.
Everybody took hold and wors
harder probably than he ever worl
before or since, and although we dc
beat the opposition paper, as we W
so ertain Of doing, we were on
street only a minute or so behind
We afterward learned that they
made exactly the same arrangeme
TO beat us and had been fooled In