The Washington herald., 1913-07-08
GETTING THE NE VS.
By FRED c. KELLY

Imagine yourself a stranger, all alone
newspaper. And even IL you got the job.
consider the task of starting out in that
town. alone and penniless, and undertake
ing to search out the news Of the day.
Billy van Benschoten is the man who
found himself in grave need of a job in
London. To add to his little annoy
ances. he was extremely homesick for
these United States. But his proximate
need was to get the price of mere food.
Later on he hoped to save up enough to
pay his way across the ocean blue to his
own, his native land. Van Benschoten
Is now the Washington correspondent for
the Detroit Free Press, but at the time
he needed a job In London he was a lad
Just out OF college, whose newspaper ex-
perience had been confined mostly to
cub work in the vacation season He
and two other young men had worked
their way across the water on a cattle
boat and had visited England and the
Continent, taking in various sights and
eating whenever they could make the
necessary arrangements.
At the end Of three months they found
themselves in London with just a few
dollars among them and all extremely
anxious to take passage on a boat head
ed homeward. They tried to hire out on
cattle boat and return the way they
had come. even though the chores that
went with that form Of ocean travel held
little fascination for them. But they
found nothing doing In the way Of cat
tie boat engagements. Then somebody
thought OF a friend in Paris who might
be willing to lend money in return for
good will. They put all their money into
a common fund and in that way raised
the price Of a telephone message to the
friend In Paris. He was willing to lend
them all the money he had and he wired
IL to them, but there was enough to pay
for the passage of only two persons to
the 'Nited States. Some one had TO stay
behind They cast lots. and 1t fell to
Billy van Benschoten TO tarry in Lon
don, there to work out his salvation
The others took the first boat home, for
there was no time to lose Another day
or two in London and their passage
money would be gone.
Billy van Benschoten went to the dock
10 see them OF. He was not in a par
ticularly jubilant mood when the last
farewell was waved. and he set out to
ascertain what the free-lunch routes held
in store for him. Even at that. he was
fairly optimistic about finding work. He
would 60 to a newspaper office. tell the
editor of the chance to hire bright
young American journalist. and the thing
would be done.
But here was the difficulty. He could
not see the city editor of any paper.
Moreover. he did not succeed in getting
inside a newspaper office. In this coun-
try a man applying for a job on a pa
per may not be able 10 confer with the
editor but usually he can at least reach
the editorial floor and get an office boy
to take in his card. In London every
paper that van Benschosen tried for
occupied building all to itself, and
there was a liveried guard at the front
door to keep out all who seemed TO lack
plausible reason for entering. Van Ben
schoten finally determined that his best
chance was with the London Daily News,
because lit was more like an American
paper than any of the others, and he
devoted his entire attention to trying to
break in there. After repeated calls, he
gradually made friends with the big
Waterman at the front door. who looked
like an officer of the Kings Guard. He
persuaded the guard to give him wink
when the city editor passed out the door
on his way to lunch In that way van
Benschoten overcame obstacle No. !.
HurriedIy he made his wants known
to the city editor while tagging after
him. He explained that he was a bright
young Journalist. who would be rare