Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-13

There Is a form Of newspaper head.
Ing known as the display head which
breaks away from the newspapers
style OF headlines aud Ia used only
Tor matter OF very startling or I'M.
portant character. In these headlines
the writer, with few restrictions as
10 the papers customary style, Ell.
beavers to set forth the news as
strikingly as, possible. A few news.
papers use display heads every day
IN every edition on every page and
III almost every column SO indiscrim.
inately that when they have news
really worth display head they are
powerless to indicate Its Importance.
Inc force of the newspaper headline
mas often been exemplified. A head
line brought the word mugwump into
common use nthis country. not, how.
ever ut first as word of political
significance. Referring to some act
OF the former autocrat of Ashbury
Park. headline writer wrote Mug.
wump Bradley" did so and SO. Then
arose n newspaper discussion as to
the meaning of the word, and It was
threshed out of the chaff of Indian
| lore.
Later, when Theodore Roosevelt, as
representative of his district at the
State Capital. was active In an oleo.
margarine investigation in New York
city, reporter mentioned him as
the stalwart young mugwump of re-
FORM" Still later the word turned up
In the well understood political signi
ficance that obtained for several
years.
A headline gave to Thomas A. Ed.
tho 6nctopof e
MEMO Park" When Hayes was Pres
ident of the United States and Wheel
er was Vice.President the latter had
little to do with affairs of State and
was often reported as being on a fish
Ing trip in Northern New York. A
headline spoke of him MS 1.-THE Lone
Fisherman of Malone" and the desig.
nation of the Lone Fisherman chung
to him with considerable persistence
When Jerry Simpson, of Kansas
was figure In Washington as n mem.
Der of Congress headline writer
called him 'thc Sockless Socrates OF
Medicine Lodge" and the appellation.
wholly or In part, stuck
If 1t were worth while lot of In.
stances could be recalled of the read
mess of headline writerss while work.
Ing under the stress of the moment.
One night there came by wire the an,
nouncement of the death Of an ossi.
fled man who had toured the world
with circuses. The busy copy editor
headed 1t "He Died Hard"
A headline to be remembered for
Its striking combination of pathos
and matter of fact was printed over
a paragraph telling of the burial at
sea of little Russian child of immi-
grant parents from an incoming
steamship. The ships log told in nau.
tical terms the place where the body
was cast into the water and the head
line read: Latitude and Longitude
of a Little Fellows Grave"
A big story about newspaper that
dispensed with the services of head
line writer's: 1t was a small daily in
New England, and when the copy
came In from the telegrapher it was
given out to the compositors and they
made the heads, usually setting them
up in the composing stick and follow.
ing along with the text One night
the wire briefly told of the death in
Buffalo of Willard Fillmore.
The compositor set UP a head for
1t and in the morning the paper an
nounced the death of the thirteenth
President of the United States under
the fnllface lower case caption:
"Man Dead"