The Washington herald., 1916-06-20
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER


though he is American, his nanfe is hardly
known in this country He is expected to ar
| rive here in the course Of week or So Also,
in the course OF week so, Mr.. James Cor
don Bennett is expected to arrive in New York.
The fact that both of them coming to
America is purely a coincidence. Probably
neither OF them has any idea OF the movements
of the other. but thereby hangs tale
Mr.. Vincent was at one time in the United
States navy and left it, | don't know why. At
any rate he shortly after began to exploit HIM
self abroad, and in Cairo made the acquaintance
of Mr.. Bennett when that gentleman was stop.
ping there one time on one OF his numerous
yachting cruises to the far East Mr.. Vincent
expressed desire and intention to live in Mo-
rocco and Mr. Bennett appointed him corre-
spondent OF the Herald in that country
Soon after his advent there, he had op
portunty to get most remarkable beat for the
Herald. In Morocco there lived at that TIME
an Engshman OF the of William Brum,
who had inherited some sort OF position under
the English government that yielded him a fair
sort of income, and which involved duties
that were purely nominal He lived in Africa
because it cheap place to live and his
rather meager income allowed him to put
more style there than in any other place he
knew Of
ne hdQ become possessed OF some property
in which famous old ruins that tourists Wis
tied, but that's all the good they He
couldn't capitalize them get any income from
them, but he gloried in being their boss and
giving out permits to visit them.
Then winter down came Mr.. Asquith,
prime minister OF England, and wanted to visit
the ruins. Mr.. Bruins permission asked
when they both at a dinner party Mr.,
Brum had dined altogether too we'll and felt his
Importance tremendously.
NO. SIR" said he you can't have it. You
may be the boss in England but I'm the boss
down here and you can't have everything you
ask for. y Iou not in England now and I'll
show you how ii feels to be snubbcd You and
your Liberal party have snubbed me so | can't
live in England. Now take some OF your own
medicine. You can't 60 to those ruins. If you
do, I'll have the soldiers put you in jail.
Needless to say, this broke up the dinner
party and there awful rumpus. Mr.. Vim
cent was OF Mr.. Bruins guests at the dinner
and heard it all. He Immediately cabled an ac-
count OF it to the Paris edition OF the Herald
and that paper played it for all t was worth and
had whale OF beat. or course it was copied
and read everywhere and the English govern
ment did something that closely resembed jump
ing up in the air.
Mr.. Brum told by cable to deny the story
absolutely or he would lose his job and his only
income. When these instructions he had
sobered up and probably the most remorse-
tul man in north Africa.
He couldn't get the denial on the wire quick
enough and repudisted the whole thing He had
to do it starve, and he did not fancy going
hungry or, more particularly thirsty.
That put the Herald in Dutch and Mr. James
Gordon Bennett then proceeded to draw cards
and take hand in the game
He cabled Mr. Vincent to send a full and ex-
act report of everything that took place at that
dinner and everything that was said 50 that the
Herald could either reiterate the first story or
apologize for it and brand Mr.. Vincent as liar
1t then Nincents turn TO sweat blood
He couldn't go back Brum, who was his host
and who had been very kind to him If he told
the truth about 1t, Brum would lose job, so he
decided to sacrifice himself. Instead OF cabling
q full and exact account of what took place at
that dinner he cabled his resignation from the
paper. 1t was his deahblow a newspaper cor
respondent. He was Immediately branded as
taker and nothing he wrote in the future would
be given any credence
Naturally The Herald disclaimed him and re-
pudiated the story and Brum was saved Every
one who read about it thought Brum had been
the victim OF a constituencies reporter. Vincent
went on his way and got mixed up in politics in
the near East. He given an important COM
mand in the Bulgarian navy and the next any
one heard of him he foreign minister of
| Bulgaria, thank you
He was thoroughly mixed up in all the fight
ing in the Balkan wars and so completely shot
to pieces in the legs that | hear he is perma-
nent cripple now, but he gained a lot of glory
and some medals, and in one battle had three
horses shot under him.
As it was only his legs that were injured it
did not occur to him to stop fighting so he
studied aviation and became an expert Aying
man. He led one or two OF the raids made by
the Austrian fers. The last heard from him
he had got into Spain and was about to leave
for this country.
| 1t is only fair to him to say that he is abso-
lutely neutral in his allegiance He shows no
partiallty at all as to which side he fights for
| All he wants is to be kept fighting. l suspect
| that If his ancestry traced it would lead