Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-02
A BEAT THAT FAILED
HOW THE PLANS OF AN ENTERPRIs-
ING EDITOR WERE UPSET.
The Climax 60 the Great Dobbins-
Domino Match Race a. II Develop
ed I'm the Once of One OF the Metre
politan Afternoon Dailie..

| N""A 10 the Great Dohbfns-
Domino Match Race a. II Develop-
ed I'm the Once of One of the Metre
poiitsn Afternoon Dailies.
IL never read OF n close finish I'm N
big running race NOWADAYS that I'm
not reminded OF famous punctured
scoop In which figured when I was
working in New York newspaper Of
nee, said an old time telegrapher who
is now employed I'm Washington.
1T was back I'm the days when the
great Domino was the star colt of the
heene stable and. with one exception.
was acknowledged as the greatest two
Sear-old or the season.
The exception was Richard Croker's
Her Dobbins. These two youngsters
nnaliy met I'm the Futurity, and, al
though the keene colt won, with Doh
bins third, the latters owner was NOT
satisfied with the result and a match
was speedily arranged at the Futurity
distance for $4,000 a side
| Now, the paper / worked on was an
evening sheet, and II was the ambition
or 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 few days before,
and the managing editor made no Sc
cret OF the fact that he was going to
| get even.
Accordingly he laid oil 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 /
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.
"The scheme was to have two presses
set and all ready to start. One OF
them was to have the big front page
headline read 'Dobbins Wins the Big
Match and the other Just the same
except that Domino's name appeared
In the place Of Dobbins'. The Dobbins
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. or No. 2 and the press
would he started I'm quicker time than
1t takes TO tell OF the arrangement.
81 couldn't help but inwardly smile
I wotchad tho mo n, An cI,,c- o1tto~ .k-txl
ing nervously about, waiting for the
start. just like n man who had thou
sands of dollars wagered on the chance
Of one of the racers.
suddenly the key of my instrument
began TO click. and he quickly stopped
and looked anxiously Mt me, but 1t
proved to be only the operator at the
other end testing. Learning this, he re-
sumed his walk up and down the room.
Presently the key began TO click
again. This time the horses were on
their way to the post. The next 1 got
from the other end was that the horses
were at the post and would be Off I'm n
minute. This Information, instead of
steadying the managing editor, only in
creased his jumplness, for he ordered
the men who were standing around to
cease their talking and also called
downstairs half n dozen times to know
II everything was ready below I'm tho
press room,
Sin the midst OF this the key again
began to work. and 1 called out that
they were off.
THE clicks of the instrument that
followed now told me that they were
moving along. nose and nose, at the
quarter. At the half mile Domino vas
in the lead 10y nose, and as an
pounced this 1 was watching the man
aging editor. and / could see his lips
framing the words No. q which was
the Domino press.
"Dobbins just managed to shove his
nose In front at the three-Quarters and
the boss moved nearer the speaking
tube as ] made this announcement
Coming into the stretch the two game
colts were head and head. and the man
aging editor, with the mouthpiece of
the speaking tube pressed tightly |
against his lips. was waiting for the
result.
well. the result came along In good |
season. But never so long as / live |
shall I forget the expression on that |
editors face when the key told me that |
the match race was n dead heat. hes
itated just second before calling II |
out. for i could almost picture In my |
mind what effect IL you'd haya on him,
Finally ! called out in hs tlrm q voice
as could, Dead heath i4usg ~, |
well. that editors knees Just gave
way from under him. II he had not
grabbed chair am positive he would
have fallen to the floor. .a ao |
"'Dead heatT' he gasped. with a Iiv-
I'd face. Are you s,reY
II told him that II had been repeated
to me and that there could be no mis-
take. He was too dumfounded to move
for two or three seconds, but when he
saw all OF the men who were about to
jump to their places ready to throw to-
gether Q new Scare head, while others
hustled around To find the stereotypers,
who almost to o man had gone out OF
the building, he came to In jiffy and
was the same old hustler.
Everybody took hold and worked
harder probably than he ever worked
before or since, and although we didn't
beat the opposition paper. as we were
so certain OF doing, we were on the
street only a minute or So behind 1t.
We afterward learned that they had
made exactly the same arrangements
TO beat us and had been fooled In pre-
eisely the same Washington