The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-06-24
Judge Eagan
and News
How a Young Man Destroyed a
Special Gable News Service
in Simple Manner.


ness," said Judge Eayan, reminds me
of peculiar ca was mixed up in
once upon time. The leading news
papers in the United States are pub
ished in New York City. Along in
the eighties and nineties they were
about the only ones which obtained di-
rect cables from Europe and these were
farmed out to interior dailies at so
much per month.
zone of the New York dailies which
I will refer to as the Hurl, had estab-
lished a bureau for distributing its
foreign cables to newspapers all over
the country and charged round price
for them, marking them copyrighted
"Among the patrons of the Hurl was
leading San Francisco daily which
paid upward of $l5,0O00O a year for
this service, exclusive of tele graph tolls
to the Coast. Other leading dalies all
over the country were paying prices in
proportion for this special foreign cable
service. This Mas before the present
Associated Press became powerful and
established branches abroad for the
gathering of foreign news.
"The Hurl, a morning paper, sent its
first mail edition to press, containing
all foreign cables at 1890 a. m. The
| difference in time between New York
and San Francisco isthre hours. Thus
80 a. M, in New York means $50 p.
m. in San Francisco. This would af-
ford ample time for obtaining copy
of the mail editit n, filing the matter
and getting it into the offis of the San
Francisco daily efole midnight at the
latest
"a young newspaper friend of mine
wrote to number of leading western
dailies agreeing to furnish all of the
Hurts special foreign cables at about
, one fifteenth the price they were pay
ing. And if the cables were not ideu
tical with those printed in the Hurl OF
that date they would not be compelled
, to pay anything.
"Most of the western dailies accept
ed the proposition of the young news
paper man referred to, whose name
;. will say was Heath which it was not
!, He made an arrangement with news
), de a 'er to get copies Of the early mai
: edition as soon as the first copies Wer'
: off the press. Then he would clip thu
: inn mportant fore gn cables at about a
m. New York time, and file them on
special wire for transmission to tn
Coast.
"The San Francisco daily cancelle'
= its contract with the Hurl, after whic
," several other western dailies havin
contracts with the Hurl followed suit
: This caused the manager of the HUI
= to start an investigation which resulte
= in the facts have set forth.
- y "The young man, Heath, was arres,
= = ed, charged with Eranf larceny. pul
: Joining copyrighted news. I was eI
" gagged to defend him.. contended b.
- ~ fore the court that it was impossible
" =. copyright news matter-an occurrene
:. = for emample, of general knowledg
- The minute the Hurl left tie press tt
matter contained in it was general pul
~ ~ lie property for it was only necessal
for any one for example, to read tt
news contained in the Hurl and impa
~ it to some one else. Who could rise .
- and say taat a third party would n
:. have right to impart the informatie
thus obtained to afourth party and
- on ad infinitum: | claimed that I
:, news matter could be copyrighted
- :; far as the general public is concerne
- Now, go step farther: Ifnews cou
=. be copyrighted one paper might clai
- exclusive privileges to print certa
= stories of affairs and the general pu
:. lie would be prescribed to purcbasil
- that particular paper to get that spec
- news. 'Copyrighting novels, books
research, travel, profession or scien