The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1922-01-19
CANNOT EXPLAIN the
HOAX
Mystery of the Fake Armistice
Message Still Unsolved
Origin In Doubt.


mistice, November IL, 1918. An
there can b. no question, either, tina
the greatest hoax in history wa
brought about four days before tn
armies stopping fighting through tn
publicatiea of = premature repor
that the allies and the central 20
wsrr had concluded IN armistics Th'
people OF ~ United States from
coast 70 coase "a he aftsrnoon aAt
far into the night Of Ncvsmb1r z
1918. were In Z stAse Of dslirieus JOY
and indulged In The widest Of eeiebra,
lions at tho news tAat ths var VA
over. II IL = day whose nasnbory Il
still vivid. But the following morn
ing It was disclosed that the war Wi
still going on, that the news Of the
armistice was untrue.
The story that lay behind this
monumental JOKE upon The American
people has bssn limited At, Il has bssn
told In part, bat The full story vas
not known until recently, whom il was
related BY Arthur Hornhlow, Jr, IN
the Century Magasine. It l. = story
Of amazing coineidon1os; 4 tnyolvod
an admiral Of tAo United States navy
the president Of tho United Press, .
local French nswspaper N Brogt, the
French and tie AnnoFican conuors,
and the American embassy in Paris.
At any one Of Z number Of points Of
contact, II the chance incidents which
were responsible for the hoax had
failed 10 connect, the false report
would have bssn held up In France
and the American peOplo spared the
premature celebration Of the armistice
But such was not to BE-.
It ali began whsn Roy w. Howard,
thon head OF the United Press, arrived
in Brest from Paris at 8 o'clock the
morning of November Z, 1918, on his
way 10 the United States. The Ger
man army was known to be making
its last stand. and rumors Of the in
evitahle armistice were already cur
rent in French cities; the rumor was
particularly persistent in BreSt that
70 kill time before his steamer left
about the city with Arthur Hornblow
ir.. Who at The time was an intelli.
Hahce officer assigned to duty 1t
Brsst. Howard conserved noticn
tat ~ would like 10 call on Admiral
Harry b. Wilson, commander Of The
AmsFiean navy II French watsrS. On
tAs way the pair stopped In at the Of
ftcs At La Dspeche, . Brsst nswspa-
-. WHARF II was discloaed hv the
aavufsation between Howard and Z
HalArrnnh OPERATOR employed by the
nUw1rnpar that the Unitsd Press was
0korinr . special Paris rest wire
vIfksfs Depeche. The ealy other tole
~-onAic iinsa. aai3. frnn thooa Of tn
fSS-i~am ar,nv. hekvoon Pnri1 and
49, 800 ~ n~,hin Nnaa oe1nn Is
-. - tharefor1. IHcnuoo q 4 rroat
- $3.50 a. hsainaNa. alov ~ eonront-
~ Init frnoa thronaA thi0
np.nn~omant 40 1870 nnicknY 81
- g. navernt kDufa {han = could
kS-a IA .hronrh nnv ekhar channol.
49,. s,.s,.t-K.. ~. -. Tfn,4.I
n.A.s. .' -. ."---sI H~sn-S. .sr.crs
s-5 ~. .I~e3,.1 h,.sH-S.-.~~h a
n.-.. -. .-.S",,s1I - ~ TrencN
~. ...I,,... ~hi.H a. r~r1hnv II
sL.t .c.,rtr~ Th.se N.n.frh~- v,rr
49, 1900 ..en hisnE tSic~rsph
Sos-.s ~ ,,,sS~1 "a ~ sahls off}ce
~. r-.s.~.,.si.r :. - iIritoT atntss
Tr.. a n. Rrs.t .rhls No.. Z az
r.tch a. nr.n.rsJ hors nrisSa facie
p-sd"ns" ,.t 4 tsA ~. s'~en,,e1 H
p.si. "a -. $3.50. = p-~.t th.,..
80 a. H,' -. ~ $780, ,h.rssiw.. ys;th
I ,M Az ~
'usn u''p..'"
when howaru an, snc horroiow
rived A. Admirei wilson oiiiee, tne
admiral Was OUT An appointment
Vas msde ior : O'Clock; was tnen
O'Clock. ~ seward cou'd nave seen
the Admirhl tuen sne moaA woulu NV.
or have succeeoeo mat IS the Iirtt
coincidenee. ~ AoWat o., went pack
to ace Admirai wuson. Wnen ns cn-
tered ne was SHOWN Z mspetsn tnat
had Just come tnrougn from the en-
nassy ~ fsris signed ny Iommouore
Jackson, VINO was Al At.Acne tners'
II read, Armisuce signed TINS morn
ing ut II All hostiiiities ceased At
P: m. To-Day. Inc admiral assuNo,
Howard that the message was autnen-
a fwf - -