The Washington times., 1914-08-20
N|TEDPRESS BEAT
RIVALS BY 8 HOURS
Henry Wood, From Rome,
Flashed News Of Pope's
Death as Soon as He Died,

NEW YORK, Aug. 2o.-Henry Wood,
United Press staff correspondent In
Rome, put to the credit of American
| newspaper methods one Of the greatest
beats in the history Of journalism
yesterday by getting the news of
Pope Plus death out Of Italy more
than eight hours before any other
correspondent
This feature Of journalistic enter
prise Tanks with other recent United
Press beats such as Ed L. Keen
of the Franco-German
war declaration, six hours before the
news reached other correspondents;
lis second beat of one and one-half
hours on the Anglo-German war dec
laration, and William G. Shepherds 8
clear scoop Of the landing Of Ame-i-
can marines on Mexican soil.
Queens Death Recalled
The death Of Queen Victoria was
another historic United Press beat COM
parable to yesterdays At that time
as well as now, a press ASSOCIATION
which supplies most Of the American
morning papers and some afternoon pa
pers with news, attempted to explain its
defeat to its clients by declaring that
the death couldn't have occurred Of
ficiaIly until it's own correspondents
heard of it.
As a matter Of fact in the case OF
most foreign potentates. and particular
" at the Vatican, there Is always a
long interval between the actual medi-
cal pronouncement of death and the pub
lie issuance Of the news. When a
Pope dies certain ceremonies must take
place and until they are ended every
effort is made to withhold the news Of
the Holy Fathers demise.
@ The most important action to keep the
news secret is taken by the Italian
government, which, as a courtesy to
the Vatican, establishes a rigid tele-
graphic censorship as soon as II is no
This censorship for the time being. Is
the strictest in the world and operates
to delay all kilograms regardless Of
their contents.
BY this means code messages are held
UP as well as plain language kilograms
while the Vatican officials are given
time officially to pronounce the Pope
dead. and to notify the various govern
ments and papal legates throughout the
world.
Always An Interval.
There is always a brief interval. how
ever, between the time that the Pope
dies and the news gets to the italian
government. During the interval the
teleghaphic wires are open Henry
Wood was able to take advantage Of
this fact and to secure another epochal
beat for the United Press and Amer
lean journalism.
Wood is an American. He is the
only American STAFF correspondent in
Rome. He served in the Cleveland and
New York bureaus of the United Press
before being sent abroad three years
ago. An Italian. with a close relation
ship to the Vatican. representing ali
American news agency, IS Woods chief
competitor. Wood used American
methods and got his news through first.
II was a plain case of American meth
DDS contrasting with old world methods
Old World methods take for granted
events cannot happen until somebody
makes an official announcement that
they have happened. American meth
DDS are TO make public the news when
IL happens and as soon as IL is verified
independent of official permission to
When Leo XIII died there was a
long interval between the actual
death and the ofhcial announcement
of the news. The Vatican held back
announcement of the news of the
death of Pope Plus TX for twenty
hours
Wood arranged to get the death of
Plus y so soon as the doctors in
formed the Vatican officials, and be-
fore the Italian government closed
the telegraph wires. He succeeded.
He sent two code messages announc-
ing the death to different New York
addresses and they were the only
kilograms that got out Of
Italy before the government stopped
all dispatches.
Wood won in the race by a matter Of
seconds only, for neither he nor any
other private individual could get
line out Of Rome by telegraph after
his first two code messages had been
sent. The Pope was dead and the
came right at Woods
heels drawing the curtain. according