The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-11-13
FALSE PEACE REPORTS.
COUNTRY THROWN 70 De
LlRIUM OVER PUBLISHED
RUMORS.
Report Stated That Armisticc Was
Signed ii \. NJ, HostiGtics Ccasct
. p. NJ.

New York, Nov. False report
that Germany had accepted the term
Of the arnlistice and that hghtin;
had ended threw the country into {;
deliriun today and turned out 10 b;
the greatest hoax Of recent years.
official assurances that the repor
was false failed to check the aimos
riotous demonstrations which swer
over many American cities anG mi
lions of Americans will not know no"
,hev were fooled until they read rh,
morning papers.
dispatch from France to tn
United Press and picked up and cir-
culated also through the country h>
another news agency declared the ar.
nistice signed at II O'Clock tn:
morning and fighting ended at
O'Clock this afternoon.
Official dispatches from France t.
the State department at Washiac.-c:
that the German colal.l!ss:c:.>; rs .:...''
not even tc meec Ma,s;.;i!! .oci: :.'.ti
O'Clock this afternoon ;,;l:; dis
patches received tonight from tn
American army on the Sedan FROM
show that at $50 p. M, the troop:
were still advancing.
After cabling 20 France and re-
ceiving an official reply, Secretary
Lansing from the State department
in Washington issued this statement:
The report that the armistice with
Germany had been signed is not true
When it reached the department OF
State this morning an inquiry was q.
once dispatched to Paris. At 2.0z
o'clock this afternoon telegram II
reply to that Of the department wa.
received from Paris. 1t stated tha;
the armistice had not yet been sign
ed and that the German representa-.
tives would not meet Marshal Foch
until 5 O'Clock, Paris time, or 12 nool
Washington time.
None of these ulfounded reports
of course, was received OF distribut-
ed by the Associated Press, which. O.:
the contrary, was able by 'investlga-
ton conducted through official chan
nels to establish that the story We.
a hoax.
The false report, however, was no
easily overtaken by the truth as
spread through the country it gath
cred momentum until demonstration
approaching hysteria ruled in man.
cities Business was suspended
schools were closed, bells were rung
whistles shrieked, prayers were offer
ed in churches, parading citizen:
jammed the streets and the scenes
| usually attendant on New Years eve
| and election night were intensified.
The New York Stock Exchange, a.
well as the curb market, were close
at 2.30 p. M, after a hurried meet
| ing of the governors. a marNc
| which ct first appeared to be unre
sponsive suddenly developed activel!
| which shot up some Of the so-calc'
peace stocks from to II points. EH
changes in other cities were sinli!&ri.
affected
Here follows a copy of the cable
gram received by the United Press a
it's New York office:
United Press, New York.
"Paris-Armistice Allies signed L
morning; hostilities ceased 2 after
noon. Sedan taken morning h:
Americans.
(Signed) Howard, Sinms."
(Howard is Roy w. Howard. presi
dent of the United Press and Sinm:
1 is William Philip Simms. Paris CORE
spondent Of the United Press.
To grasp the situation it should bt
borne in mind that Paris being t.
east of the United Sttaes is abou
six hours ahead Of New York time
Although it had been announced tha
the arnistice was signed at II o'clocF
and that fighting had ceased at
O'Clock. it was a fact that the Ger
man commissioners were not to bt
received by Marshal Foch until
| O'Clock, three hours after the hou'
reported as the end Of the fighting.
The State departments cable Of in
quiry to France was not dispatched
| until after the report had been called
! to the departments attention anc
when a reply came, saying the arms
( tice had not been signed and the
| fighting had not ceased, i.,ore time
had elapsed.
At 3.35 o'clock in Paris it was Of
| fcially announced that tour German
officers bearing a white flag prob
ably would arrive at Marshal Foch's
! headquarters some time tonight. The
announcement was one hour anG
thirty-five minutes after the hour re-
ported as the end of the fighting
and Associated Press" dispatches
fled with the American army on the
Sedan front ct $50 o'clock tonight
showed that an hour and half after
the German commissioners had beer
expected the troops still were fight
ing their way forward. This dispatch
said clearly that the American army
was consolidating its positions and
preparing for a further advance.
When it was $50 o'clock tonight
in London, the foreign office pro
nounced unfounded the rumor that
the armistice had been signed and al
that hour no word had been received
in the British capital that the Ger
MIN delegation had crossed the
French lines. It should be borne IN
mind, that it was then four hours anc
half after the hour reported as sci