Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-01
TRAIN WRECK SCOOP GAVE COX
HIS START AS CUB REPORTER
Held Only Wire to Cincinnati by Sending
Three Pages of Book While Gathering
Facts-"City Man Useless.

! Allison did the story all over again.
of course. in that provokingly supe-
rior way in which big town reporters
treat small town reporters. even
though the small-towners have all
the facts. The Cox story, which had
been sent in to the Enquirer in hur-
ried bits. as he learned of a new fact
or a new name. had been rewritten
by the office genius into compact
and lurid story of the wreck. ALI
son remembers the awe with which
Jimmy Cox read that story the next
morning when the papers came n
The facts were his. of COURSE
IF 1 could only learn to write ike
that" he said dejectedly. Il never
want anything more"
When Allison returned to Cincin-
natl Charlie" Hodges called him IN
Seems to be a pretty live wire.
Hodges said, that young Cox up at
Middletown" No doubt Hodges was
usually was. Got a clean scoop fof
us. Held the wire, too. What do you
think of him ,?
That early morning bitterness had
passed away from Allison by tina
time He no longer remembered the
injustice to which he had been sub
jected in sending him away from
, rest-and recreation-at that scandal
lousy early morning hour but re-
called the alertness of the young re-
porter. He told about it:
I've given him chance 70 come
down here" said Hodges. ITS up
to him to make good.
Cox became the railway reporter IN
Cincinnati Railway reporters II
those days usually walked severa
thousand miles week and talkec
mostly to brakemen. Now and theh
this was a long time ago and as
nation we lacked the high and
mighty notions we have nowadays
a railway reporter got pass from
some one and then sold that pass 10
some one. Oddly enough, IL was .ne
railroads that most bitterly com
planned when the pass-issuing prlvi-
lege was taken away from them Al
lison remembers that a friend had a
pass on the Queen and crescent
which was in constant use when
there was racing on at New orleans
The railroad never compliance,
said he. until some one tried to carry
horse on it,
Refused to Graft.
Cox would not graft passes and
sell them. He did what few other
railway reporters had done at that
time, and managed to get into the
private Offices of the presidents and
treasurers and directors of the rail
roads and talk to them. Then they
asked him to come back. He became
a very live newsgatherer, thereby
confirming the judgment OF tOUSeS
and Allison. At this point Theodore
Mitchell, now the chief agent by
which a big filming company takes
the public into its confidence. may be
introduced and sworn.
Jim Faulkner brought me down to
Cincinnati" said he. and gave me
job on the Enquirer. The most vivid
impression / have of my first night
was of walking into Charlie Hodges
office and seeing Jimmy Cox sit on
Hodges desk and swing his legs and
talk confdentially to the editor. That
was a great occasion for me, you
understand"
Then, After Awhile
BY and by Cox became the private
secretary to Paul Sorg, the Middle
town tobacco manufacturer, who later
went to Congress. Sorg died and Cox
went into the newspaper business and
politics at Dayton. 1t is presumed
that he was backed in his first pur-
chase of a newspaper by the Sorg
estate. Dayton was republican
stronghold in those days. but Jim
my" Cox managed to be elected to
Congress by the aid of the vote of
the Soldiers. Home. Get that There
should be an orchestra to stop with
a crash and a peevish man in the
gallery to turn on green light at
this point. He was elected to Con-
gress by the aid of the Soldiers
Home-Cox being a democrat and
the soldiers being almost bigoted in
their republicanism.
Then. after while. he was nomi-
mated for the presidency.