Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
GETS NEWS FIRST
Great Happenings Take Place
in Writer'S Back Yard.
STORIES WITHOUT EFFORT
Luck of English Newspaper Man in
Being on the Spot When
Things Break Loose.
From Pearson's weekly.

From Pearson's Weekly.
| Freelance Journalists often secure
sensational scoops without seeking
them.
Only recently 9. huge traction engine
pulling wagon belonging to firm of
carriers dashed into the house OF a
newspaper man at Redhill, Surrey. the
engine becoming imbedded in the front
of the house. Considerable damage was
done. but fortunately no one was hurt.
Instead OF wasting time lamenting
what had happened. the man with the
| nose for news promptly telegraphed
report of the incident to the papers he
represented, and had the pleasure of
seeing it published the same evening.
My own career as freelance news
paper man is literally studded with in
stances of news on the doorstep" 1
have struck scoops at the most unex-
pected moments and in the most un-
usual places,
An Aeroplane in Garden.
In the early days or flying. for ex-
| ample, the London newspapers would
print practically anything of interest
concerning the conquest of the air.
|
reading ard lamenting the dearth of
news when a peculiar and then unfa-
miliar noise in the sky caused me to
run into the garden and look upward.
! Soaring gracefully some distance
| away was an aeroplane. That 1t would
descend even in the locality was be-
yond my widest dreams. Yet the
Fates decreed that 1t should do So
Something suddenly went wrong with
the machinery. and to my intense de-
| light the aeroplane came down on the
lawn of my back garden.
| It damaged my fence and ruined itself,
| but the aviator was unhurt. / entertained
/ him to tea, secured good interview and
| had nearly ten columns OF the incident
published in the papers next morning.
: Ask any freelance and he will assure you
| that ten columns take bit Of finding
nowadays.
II is almost tradition that burglars
| never turn their attention to the house of
a journalist, because he IL popularity sup
posed to possess nothing worth stealing.
| But these nocturnal operators once made
an exception In my case.
| After enjoying meal and some cigars,
| they stole property worth about f10 and
decamped. They were sufficiently CRATE
ful, however. to leave behind q set OF
very funny verses, which set the whole
country laughing next day when they
were published in the twenty newspapers
to which I sent the story.
Blessed the Cuckoo.
When spotted q primrose In my gar
den long before the usual time. I made
half q sovereign by informing the news
papers, and q like sum rewarded my en-
terprise in telling the world that I had.
out Of season, heard the cuckoo.
But not only on my own doorstep has
news worth money come to me. One
| bright Sunday morning / started for
ii In nm fbo forS NJ n n
Court At Twickenham 1t rained In tor
rents. and, the car being full inside,
| got or and took shelter In q church. The
Vicar. In his sermon, mercilessly dashed
| to put coppers IN the offertory bag. 1t
was powerful TRADE against their
meanness, and the reverend gentleman
said some things which my Journalistic
sation at breakfast tables all over thu
country the next morning.
| I duplicated his remarks on "himsy'
paper. and sent . copy to every London
subject and further particulars" which
vRrioua papers wanted, ! calculate that
Sunday shower OF rain put eco in my
pocket
A fruitless journey to a northern town
In quest of murder story which was
causing some sensation made me feel
very Respondent one Saturday night To
pass away the time till the last train
palace. paying sixpence for admission.
In the Grip Of Fire Eiend.
Before an hour had passed. that place
Of healthy amuser ent ringing with
shouts OF childish glee, was q raging In.
ferno. The apparatus went wrong. and
the building, packed to its utmost ca
pacity. was quickly In the grip OF the de-
vastaftng fire. fend
Before the local reporters knew what
had happened, my Icing telegram, describ-
ing the narrowing tragedy, was flashing
day newspapers.
It was, of course, a duplicate telegram,
the press rate for which Is hundred
words for shilling after pm. This is
for the first newspaper on the list The
same message is sent to all other papers
desired at the rate of hundred words
for twopence
At Blackpoo, I once rescued Pomer-
anian dog from drowning at the risk of
my own life in the presence OF thousands
of holiday makers, ard wired a glowing
account Of my OWN bravery to the Lon
don papers, describing myself as "a visit
| or who modestly refused his name and
address"
Fate, too, has decreed that should be
| skating a few yards from the spot where
| the breaking of the ice resulted in the
drowning Of three people. / have also
been In two bad railway accidents. and
| passenger on launch from which one
of the party committed suicide. Needless
copy" Only the missing of single
post prevented me from being g. passen-
ger on the Inflated Titanic. and
But I think have said enough to con-
vince you that 1t Is not always he who
searches who secures the scoops In news.