Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-08-20
UNITED PRESS BEAT
OLD COMPANY BADLY
Associated Press Badly scoOped in Get
ting Story of POpe's Death-woOd's
Story Was Authentic,
lBy ]. w. T. MasOn.l

(By ]. w. T, Mason')
New York, Aug. 20.-Credit for the
world beat scored by the United Press
of the death of Pope Plus y. belongs
to Henry Wood manager of the United
Press bureau at Rome. His kilograms
announcing that the pope was dead
were received in New York more than
eight hours ahead of any other mes
sage,
Wood arranged to get the news of
the pope's death as soon as the ply
sieians informed church officials at the
Vatican. He succeeded and sent two
code messages to different New York
addresses Immediately These were
only newspaper kilograms leaving Italy
before the censorship was established,
No other correspondent was able to get
line through until eight hours after
Wood IS kilograms were received here.
The fact that us soon as Wood IS tcle.
grams were filed the Italian govern
ment refused to allow other telegrqns
ta leave is ample proof that tine pope
was dead when Wood S kilograms we're
filed. Wood g two messages were filed
at the same time. One arrived here at
1926 p. m. yesterday, and the other at
1855 p. m.
Wood is the only American staff cor
respondent in Rome, and it was simply
a case of American methods winning
out over European methods.
A press association supplying news
to most of the American morning news
papers and some of the afternoon news
papers attempted to explain its defeat
to its clients by declaring "the pope's
death could not have occurred officially
until its correspondent had heard of
it.n
1t also declared that after the Quir.
inal hears of the popc's death it always
delays all kilograms, regardless Of con.
tents. Wood, however. took advantage
of the brief interval between the time
of the pope's death and the hour the
quirinal heard of it and sent his mes.
sages.
The Associated Press today issued
the following statement to its members
from the New York office:
Pope Plus died at LEO oclock Rome
time Thursday morning. as announced
in Associated Press dispatches. There
is six hours difference between New
York and Rome time, so the hour of
death, New York time, was 1920 p. m.
Wednesday.
AT 1920 p. m. Wednesday New
York time, or S;29 p. M, Rome time
four hours and 81 minutes before thc
pontiff actually passed away, thc
! nlted Press distributed to the country
the formal announcement that tbc
pope was dead. As will be seen. this
was false"
The Associated Press based its nh.
surd statement that the United Press
announcement was false merely ON tbe
contingent that the official proclama.
tion was not issued until l:2O o'clock
this morning. The Associated Prceg
also failed to state when it rccoicd
the news that the pope had been 'of.
iiNiulIy pronounced dead
While the Associated Press was
sending out its defense for its defeat
the United Press was receiving con,
gratulations from its hundreds of
clients throughout the country wbo
scored exclusive beats in their resncc.
tive fields. '''''
Ihe New York Sun today received
the following dispatch, filed at s n m
Rome time, YESTERDAY, from its Rome
correspondents
lhe pope was alive at 5 O'Clock
put was in a cOmatose condition. Car.
dinal Della Volpe, the cardinal cham
Derlaln, who assumes charge of tbo
Nauean Holy See, now absent, is 70.
turning at midnight. Announcement Of
the pope's death will be DELAYED nntil
his arrival. " w U"'i'
lhe Rome censor held up the above
message because the pope was oe+nnI
" dead when the message was filed
a message filed at p. m., Rome
time, to the Sun, read:
official announcement that A.,
pope was dying was made at o clock
6es'des the physicians, his sisters and
cardinal Merry Del Val were attcnding
nm News of his des;n will be witI
held until the official announcement
is made" 'Viici''
;. inese messages throw a significant
hght on the situation in Rome la 81 81
pleht' Woods messages were codcJ j
uno were sent through while the mcs,
sages Of other correspondents wero I,Js boIi
~ un'll the return of Cardinal Della