Evening star., 1913-10-06
BRITISH PRESS
FOOLED BY FAKES
Hoaxes That Have Been Per-
petrated on English News
papers by Tricksters.
From Pearson's weekly.

From Pearson's Weekly.
One OF the most elaborate hoaxes that
has been played upon the newspapers oi
recent years was perpetrated short time
ago when a fatal a0cident' to an air.
man, Mr.. C. B. Fairbairns, was reported
broadcast.
Drawn blinds. bereaved parents, letters
kilograms, a gallant attempt to save nfe
pluck. endurance, disaster. resurrection.
death. reappearance and. finally, disap-
pearance. were only few of the salient
features In this remarkable story.
No Ascent, No Death, No Aviator.
Originally, as circulated by the great
agencies which supply the newspapers
with their information, it was to the ef-
feet that when an aviator fiew water
plane from Brooklands to Shoeburyness
and was 1000 feet up in the air the ma
chine dipped and fell into the sea- In a
boat, proceeded this sensational report.
200 or 800 yards distant, was friend who
raised the top of the coming tower OF
the machine, but he could not get Mr.
Fairbairns out, and the machine sank
with him.
Into the great newspaper offices con-
fused reports, assertions and denials be-
gan to pour, and then, finally. everybody
had to admit that the whole thing was
hoax There had been no ascent, no
death, no aviator, no disappearance. and
the cruel work was engineered by some
practical Joker, or. more probably, by
penny-a-liner-which means man who
supplies news he picks up to the papers
and the news agencies at remuneration
Of so much line
The members Of the latter fraternity
are now, happily, becoming extinct. Hap
PLY because they have been responsible
-. 81. ogv LOT rsf ctr }oo
having no foundation in fact, which have
caused unspeakable pain and annoyance
to the people most intimately concerned;
stories which have tended to destroy the
faith Of the public In the integrity OF the
press, and which have sometimes mulct-
ed the newspapers In big sums for DAM
ages. .t.s
A Sack Of Human Remains.
Some years ago the country was thrown
into a state of great excitement by the
discovery of a sack containing human
remains which was found under one of
the Thames bridges in London.
The case presented all the elements Of
q mysterious crime, and a heap of detec-
tfves and amateur investigators were
busy night and day trying to probe the
puzzle.
been procured from an adjacent hospital
by a group of penny-a- liners, placed In
the sack. and deposited in position
where one of their number could observe
it's discovery and send signal to his con-
federates. who circulated the details OF
this sensational story" which had been
written beforehand. to all the papers.
Who does not remember the circum-
stantial account which was published
some years ago in nearly every news
paper to the effect that Richmond Hill, in
Surrey. ono OF the most beautiful places
In England, was slipping away?
There were published leading articles,
and thousands upon thousands visited the
place one Sunday 10 behold a scene OF
devastation and express their regret ar
what was described broadcast as ma.
tionai calamity. only to find that they
had been hoaxed. The work was that of
a penny-a-liner.
sKing Edward Held Up"
To this day the metropolitan police have
not forgiven the perpetrator OF the hoax
which concerned the late king. His
majesty was motoring through Brentford
ana for the fraction Of a second, SO to
speak. his car was stopped by q coal cart
which emerged from the gas works.
A penny-a-liner who was iounging about
saw the incident, rushed or to London
with the news, and the evening papers
were soon issuing great posters to the ef-
feet that the king had been held up in
Brentford.
Frantic messages from Scotland Yard
poured into the local police station. and
when the explanation was gwen. IN many
sheets Of olilciai reports and many wires
and personal statements. it might have
gone hard with the ingenious ''limsy
merchant had the inspector In charge
laid hold Of him.
In the strict sense of the term the press
agent cannot be called a penny-a-liner,
but he is as great an adept at hoaxinE
the newspapers. So when you read
stories Of sensational jewel r0bber1es from