Omaha daily bee., 1918-11-08
STORES CLOSE .
upon HEARING
PEACE REPORT
Fake Armistice Story Causes
Great Excitement; CeIe.
brations Are Held in
Many Towns.

we received the report from the
president OF the United Press who is
in Paris"
| That is the explanation given by
an editorial employe of The Daily
News for the outrage perpetrated
upon the people of Omaha yesterday
when the News published; as a fact,
the unconfrmed report that an
armistice was signed at II o'clock
yesterday morning between the al
hes and Germany.
The reply was given over the
telephone when an Omaha man
asked the Daily News where the re-
pqrt had come from.
Without waiting confirmation
from Washington and ignoring all
other sources of news, The Daily
News published an idle rumor
which the president of the United
Press heard in Paris, according to
their own statement.
AS a result of this haphazard
taEe-a-big- chance style of newspaper
junkerism. which The Daily News
employs to bolster up and pad its
circulation thousands of Omahans
were put to an inconvenience-be-
cause it is an inconvenience and an
outrage to celebrate peace victory,
which everyone hopes for, but which
is Pigment of the'imagination born
in the brain of some apparently if
RESPONSIBLE person.
The Daily News would blame IL
on the president of the United Press.
BUT LATER IN THE AFTER
NOON WHEN THE REPORT
HAD NOT BEEN CONFIRMED
FROM WASHINGTON OR THE
OTHER ALLIED CAPITALS
THE NEWS STUCK TO THE
FALSE REPORT AND CON-
TINUED IN LATER EDITIONS
AND OVER THE TELEPHONE
TO TELL OMAHA PEOPLE
THAT AN ARMISTICE HAD
BEEN SIGNED!
Lincoln Celebrates.
In Lincoln a celebration lasting
all afternoon was held, beginning as
soon as the rumor reached that city.
Tn HaveIock the men of the Bur-
lington shops quit work and march
ed in body to Lincoln, where they
paraded the streets with flags and
horns. A large delegation, headed
by Judge Norvai OF Seward, arriv-
ed about o'clock and visited repub-
iican headquarters in Lincoln. Gel
ebrations, including bonhres and
other demonstrations, were put on
in Seward.
Omaha Wild Over Report.
Omaha went wild" for a time
Thursday over the peace report.
To add the appearance of anthem
ITCHY to. the fake report the News
published that the armistice was to
take effect at 2 o'clock.
Allowing for the difference in time
the allies were still unaware that any
armistice had been declared more
than an hour after it was supposed
to have gone into effect!
AT 3:42 O'Clock London knew
nothing of an armistice. At ESQ
o'clock Paris knew nothing of an
armistice. At 2:l5 o'clock it was Of
ficially announced by the State de-
partment at Washington that an
armistice. HAD NOT BEEN DE-
CLARED.
81 Grab at Fake.
But many of >the people OF
Omaha, optimistic and hoping for
the unconditional surrender of Ger
many, as would be the case in the
event an armistice was signed, seized
upon the latest News fake as an OPP
portunity for celebration.
Whistles were sounded and men
and women danced in the streets re-
gardless OF the rain.
A snake dance was staged at the
Chamber of Commerce.
Employees at the packing houses
and stockyards held an impromptu
Notification outdoors in the down.
porr.
The Y. M. c. A. arranged prayer
meeting for 2 o'clock.
Long distance telephone calls
hrnke all records.
Business ceased at the Grain ex-
change and members after giving a
round of cheers gathered about the
wheat pit and sang "America" with
Sam Carlisle leading.
March Up Street.
EMPLOYEES of the Union Pacific
marched up Farnam street carrying
the flags of the allies and inviting
those on the street to join in.
Speeches were made at the court
house. The city hall otnces closed.
The United War Work campaign
managers announced that their big
meeting scheduled for last night at
the Chamber of Commerce would
be held at the court house instead
because of the peace news" j..
The News got busy and started
making arrangements for a meeting
on court house square, with speak
ing by Mayor Smith and others.
Joy was rampant all over town.
1t was the best piece of news re-
ceived in long time-only it wasn't
true.
Made Bad Guess.
1t was merely a case of junker
newspaper work; of jumping. at a
far-fetched conclusion, evidently
with the hope that it might prove
true-of taking a chance.
There was nothing but the most
vague rumor as basis for the re-
port which the News printed. Ru-
mors of this sort are always about
,,har come event is impendinq. IN