The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28

litl 7OlldI Jphl IldllSll prev dittu illO tAi among newspapers took the form of edi- torIal abuse of the enemy, but when the modern newspaper came into being, the battle-ground was removed from the editorial page to the news columns and the circulation statement. The deliberate newspaper hoax was born of the bitter fight between newspapers of one class and another in the old days. The in tentional fake as a wholly untrue or grossl9 exa ggerated news item is called in newspaper slang, was born of the Ge- sire Of the reporters to keep up with the demand for news, and at'the same time escape the tiresome leg work neces- sary to find it.
 Richard A. Locke wrote the first great newspaper hoax for the New York Sun It appeared on January 10, 1855. The article purported to be taken from the supplement to the Ediburgh Philosophical Journal IL described a wonderful tele- scope which had been invented by the eminent astronomer, Sir John Herschel' and set forth that Sir John had taken his telescope to the Cape of Good Hope and there leNeled it on the moon lhe inhabitants of the moon were plainly to be seen, being half way between a man and all orang -outang, and having wings like d bat. The article was replete with technical phrases and had the stamp of scientific style.
 Next day the staid Sxpenny Press swallowed the bait, hook and all. one eQitor declared that he also had re- ceived dispatches telling of Sir John s great discoveries in the moon, which would be given to the public as soon as possible The editor of the Albany Ad- vertser declared he read with unspeak- able emotions of pleasure and aston ishment" of the Herschel discoveries Tn
 II a.. a1 V deceived many men of science and was quite generally accepted by the multi tude, until it was exposed by the pes tiferous James Gordon Bennett of the Herald.
 Nine years later Edgar Allen Poe was employed on the staff of the New York Sun, and he was responsible for the second great hoax in that paper. It appeared one morning under startling head lines: "Astounding News by EX- press via Norfolk! The Atii1nne Crossed in Three Daysu Signal Triumph of MT Moncb Masons Flying Machine!H Ihe article told of the adventures of MT. Mason and seven others who set out from
 England in the steering balloon Vic torla," and safely passed over to Vir- ginia in seventy-fve hours. This story was also generally believed by the pub lie. but the others newspapers had be- gun to fear the inventive genius of the
 Sun staff, and they did not bite
 The deliberate setting of trap to eaten another paper stealing news Is legacy from the sedate Sixpenny Press and was used before MT, Bennett corrupted and reformed' the journalism of the states The ship A iaX was due from Europe me Courier printed a postscript announcing the arrival of the ship, and giving sum mary of the news of Europe which she had brought over. A few copies or thls paper were left on doorsteps in the nelgh- borhood of the rival Journal office. Then the regular edition of the Courier was printed without the Ajax news. The Journal found the papers, suspected noth- ing and printed in large display the sup posed transatlantic news received by the Ajax. Of course the Ajax had not come and the news was faked. Many similar incidents are told of tricks worked by newspapers of today to traps pirate sheet
 When Horace Greeley's New York Fri bune was young and good copy was hard to get, It's distinguished editor sought to cater to the literary tastes of his read CTS by publishing serially MT. Dickens novel, "Barnaby Rudge." This was all well enough except that Robert Bonner had been put to great expense to get "Barnaby Rudge" for the New York Led ger. then the leading weekly story paper of the country. The Ledger, like all weekly magazines, was dated three or four days ahead, a copy dated Saturday being on sale the preceding Wednesday. MT. Greeley's paper published the weekly in- stallment of the novel on Thursdays. MT. Bonner loudly objected. MT Greeley's pa per calmly replied that MT. Bonner s charges were absurd, for WAS not the story published in the Tribune of date two days earlier than that of the Led ger? Instead of the Tribune being guilty of theft, the Ledger was plainly the off, fender. Whereupon MT Bonner wrote 8 flake" chapter of "Barnaby Rudge," in which he turned characters upside down and knocked the plot galey-West The Tribune faithfully reprinted 1t Then the Ledger exposed the steal and the Tribune was Caught with the goods"
 IToaxes of latter-d day journalism, as dis- tinguished from the ordinary news fake of commerce, have been gotten up merely for fun. The most prolific source of "whoppers" for twenty years was Joe Mulhatton, a commercial traveller in the middle west, until a few years ago. Mul- hatton gloried in the reputation of beinS the biggest liar In the world, and he would go to any extent to save enat repu- tation. One of his best known hoaXes was the working monkey story.
 He declared that MT. James Guth rie a prominent farmer of ShelhyVille, Ky, had solved the labor problem by put ting monkeys to work breaking hemp. MT. Guthrie had been in Africa where he found family of monkeys in which | the initiative faculty was highly devel- oped. They were strong and hearty and MT. Guthrie brought several of | tn em back to Kentucky. It was nee essary only to show the monkey how to break hemp, and he would immedi- | ately initiate the process and keep UT | the work until forced to stop. There was no loating on the job no talking | or smoking-the monkeys were much superior to men. The country credited | the story and MT Guthrie received many letters from people who wanted | information about how to get some of ! tn novel workers,
 Fakes are not all fabricated by fly ! city reporters. The greatest faker Of l them all, when he is a faker is the | country correspondent The city re porter must exercise some care. lis | tales may be investigated by his own | city editor, and then they are certain | to be looked into by other city editors
 He must lay grounds for his fake, or he will be caught. But the man in a small village who corners the core ! spondence for all the city papers may | lie to his hearts content. So fancifu' " ere the creations of one Minnesota | country correspondent that he was in | duced to go to the city and enter tn l field of fiction. He has been writing