South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-29
GATHERING
THE NEWS
By Fred c. Kelly
BY FRED c. KELLY.

w ASHlNGION, July 29.-On
Washington street corner the other
District of Columbia, met Oliver Peck
Newman, president of the board Of
commissioners that looks after the
District of Columbia, and they fell TO
discussing an incident of the night
when they first got acquainted.
That night was just about ten years
ago and Praeger was night editor of
newspaper down in San Antonio,
Tex. Into his offir" drifted a spare
young man seeking "a job. Praeger
told him TO look at 5r the taking and
rewriting of news that was telephoned
in from correspondents in neighbor-
ing towns. NeWnan-for the spare
young man was indeed he--did as he
was directed. The first three or four
hours were rather uneventful but
along about l o'clock there was a
phone call from the town of New
Braunfels, ordinarily a quiet, law
abiding place, but on this night the
scene of a heinOus crime committed
by negro. Newman learned the
facts from a woman on the other end
of the line. She went on to tell him
how a mob was forming TO take the
prisoner from the sheriff and string
him to a convenient tree.
Four or five times she called up
with later developments, and all the
time Newman kept wondering why
their correspondent at that town
should be a woman. He asked Prae-
ger about this, and Praeger said the
correspondent was a man. So the
next time the woman called with
fresh mess of facts, Newman inquired
why she was handling the story in
stead of her husband. She replied
that her husband was busy and had
asked her to do it.
a half hour later, after the paper
was ready TO go TO press, Newman
said 10 Praeger:
You may think me needlessly full
of curiosity, but I'm going to call up
that woman again and ask her what
her husband was doing. she said he
was busy l believe l would sleep
better If L could satisfy my curiosity
as TO what he was busy AT"
He called her again and apologize
ANY asked his question. She hesitat-
ed and replied that her husband had
been much occupied throughout the
evening heading the mob that lynched
the negro.
Newman was always just that way
never content if there was a single
fact not brought to the surface. He
went ahead and did we'll in journal
: ism. one of mis- enterprises, that of
running a daily paper along new lines
was told about in his anonymous
story, The Fortunes Of the SUM-" in
the Saturday Evening Post. During
the presidential campaign of two years
ago, Newman was stationed at Sea-
girt by one OF the big news assOcia-
tions, to tell what all was happening
TO Woodrow Wilson. Ii happened
that Wilson had read Newman's story
Nff Loo Of frnfa \.
was pleased 10 meet the author. He
and Newman held many long CONVEX
satiOnS on various subjects, but usual
ly about city government, which was
a subject on which Newman had a
/ lot Of original ideas. These made a
deeper impression on Wilson than
Newman ever realized at the time.
a few smonths later, after Wilson
| had become president he named
/ Newman for much sought after va
cancy on the board of commissioners
\ of the District of Columbia. Newman
/ promptly made good, too, but just now
| he has a fight on his hands TO hold
/ his job. as the charge has been
: brought against him that he had not
! been a resident of the District of Co
/ iumbia for three years prior TO his
/ appointment
! NJ. w. Connolly. managing editor OF
the News-Scimitsr, at Memphis. Tenn.
once waited twelve days 10 play a
/ little joke he had in mind.
quarter OF century ago Connolly
! came up out OF Texas and took job
! in Memphis. For a week or so he did
routine work about the court house.
\ He knew nothing of the city and had
not yet learned the points OF the com
pass. he had not the remotest idea