The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-08-19
Train Wreck Story Started Cox.

New York, July 29.-Jlmmy ALI
son thinks he may have been a little
bit sore that night. He may even
have been a tri1e harsh to Jimmy
Cox. He does not remember this
phase Of the evening with accuracy.
He trusts not, becouse Jimmy Cox
might, perhaps, be the president OF
the United States some time 1t would
be embarrassing if the president said
some time:
"Remember that night you bawled
me out at Middletown."
This is the story of the time that
Jimmy Cox Clipped first the egg. 1t
is the tale of his official Matching. Up
to that time he had been the cor
respondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer
at Middletown, Ohio-that is, that
had been one of his activities. A coun-
try correspondent was not paid
enough in those days to permit him to
devote his entire time to correspond
ing He had attracted the same sort
of attention in the Enquirer office
that other country correspondents
did. When he got scooped the tele-
graph editor wanted to know why.
Then came the work of the Second
Forty-fve
"Forty-fve" was a known num-
bered passenger train. People set
their tin clocks by it. The Dayton
Cash Register company's employees
arranged an excursion, and the rail-
road mana cement decreed that the
special train should be known for the
day under the title of the second
Forty-fve.' Somehow the train dis
patcher forgot, or the telegraph opera
tor forgot, or some one else forgot.
At any rate, after the only known
"Forty-fve'' passed MiddletoWn on
this fateful night the engineer OF a
freight train pulled off a siding and
rumbled down the main track, quite
unaware that a second section Of the
passenger train was approaching. A
dozen people or more were killed.
81 was the night police reporter for
The Enquirer at Cincinnati,' said
Jimmy Allison, who for years has
been the New York man for the Gin
cinnati Times-Star. "All this hap
pened after midnight. Cox had been
getting around Middletown at night,
as was his habit, and picked up the
news. He flashed it to The Enquirer,
and Charlie Hodges, who was then
the city editor, got me On the wire
,and told me to hurry up to Middle
town and take CHARGE
Allison was not unnaturally out
ragged by this order. 1t came just as
he was getting ready to call it a day
and go home. He rode through the
| brisk morning air to Middletown-on
a freight-inhaling Indignation and
| cinders. All the way he reflected bit
terly on the policy of a paper that
would entrust so important a post as
that of Middletown-Where nothing
elst had happened since the memory
of man-to a green reporter, and
thereby cut into the recreations OF
| regular newspaper man just Whe1
that regulars playtime had arrived
He may have been crisp to Cox Wher
he got there. But he hopes not.
Cox had done all that could be
done. He had gathered the facts
wired them to the Enquirer in time
for the city edition, sent in all the
names and street addresses of the IN
jured, and then made inquiries abou
the wire. But one wire was open t(
Cincinnati, he discovered, and at tina
moment the reporter for the othel
Cincinnati morning paper began t(
snoop around. Young Mr.. Cox. thf
Boy Correspondents knew that NJ
must save the scoop for his own jour
nal.
$50 he put two or three pages OF
book on the wire," said Mr.. Allison
He'd heard about that trick, yol
know. Another Enquirer reporter
during a strike in the coal fields, sen
most of the Lamentations of job OF
one occasion, thereby preventing the
current Job from getting any news
through in spite if his anguished pro
tests. Anyhow, Cox did it. He helc
| the wire.''
Allison did the story all over again
of course, in that provokingly supe
rior way in which big town reporters
treat small town reporters, ever
though the small towners have all tn
facts. The Cox story, which had peer
sent to the Enquirer in hurried bits
| - 1a..,o5 If , now fa ct or a new