The Northern Guardian. — 1898-06-15 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

ANALYSED.  BOGUS WAR RUMOURS ARE ,NOT ALWAYS PURE IMAGININGS. What would war be without its war rumours? One might. as well expect hostilities t• be canducted without ships, armies, without guns, powder, as withou- mendacity, canards, baseless reports, and graphic .inveriticna. Every war has its regiment of war liars, and,someiilTlOB the chief mandmicus figure has been he cerninanding general himself. Nap)leon did not disdain to invent a battle now and then, just to put the staya-- home population into that species of courage %Lich Shakespeare tells us winning superinduees. not to mention that great chieftain'sl numerous lying dispatches in which the eeerny's loss was quadrupled a nil Lis own disasters divided by ten. Ilut apart from the traditional' aspect of the inventors of war rumours, it is curious to comprehend the genesis of these reports. Of course all war news is iegulated by the oustoma.ry laws which govern supply and demand. But no less is the process of its origin regulated "oy laws. To begin with, war rumours may be pure invention " hiked' from beginning to end by some journalist whose ferte.ity exceeds his scrupulousness'--.is forexample there was in the United States a commercial traveller, Mulhatton by name, who toot delight in despatching to reputa.ble newtpapers the most extraordinary and circtunstantial descriptions of battles, murders, and trentendeus happenings, not one of which. however, ever went throulb the formality of taking place. The present writer once met a purnalist who Miring the, yellow foyer scare in Florida in 1889-89 leund himself ecnironted with a dearth Of news, and in cold blood, with a smile on his face, sat down at his desk and killed off the mayor of the city and 300 proninent citizens at one fell s-wocp. This was 'yellow' icoirnalism with a yelageance, and it is to be feared list this sort of thing has rather grown than diminished of late in Tiansatlantic journalistic circles. But all false despat2hes from the seat of war are not of this description. i.e., pure fabrications. On going over the files of more sensational London papers it is found that up to date no less than 89 items of war news have been put in circulat,ion, only to be subsequently contradicted, But of this proportion perhaps not ten, perhaps not five per cent, have been pure ftbrications. The other day the "Pall Mall Gazette." made this comment anent the bombardment of Santiago. ("It is noticeable that these early rumours of engagements emanate from Hayti, or some ot'mr West Indian island. In explanation ef this tact, it has been pointed out that„the natives of Hayti are or nervous people. The sound of a, gun fired as a signal assumes immediately in their imagination the dimensions of a great battle.—Ed. D.M.) Perhaps it will glow to be one of the, recognised riOI is of an editor if the war lasts any length of time to examine oublicly each telegram receive'', stating the reasons for belief or doubt in its autheaicity.and ineuiring into the causes of its orign. Thus, we might gct somethitg like the following HAVANA IN FLAMES ! DARING VANKEE INCENI)IARV SETS FIRE TO ' CUBA'S CAPITAL ! With refererme to the above report, we miy hazard the stsegestion that it aIiSC3 fi om a confuFlee of fire with fire-flies. June is the fire-lly month in Cubs, and our correspondent, although entirely trestworthy, i.e Sombeitit timid, and Oro shortD. 11.1 It is a proverb that rumour, no matter hew slight, "nee started, 4rows.wilir amazing rapidity. Even long eucumstantial accounts Of land and naval engaigemerits which lave cccurred were doubtless ivicned in almost good and perfect faith. They can probably be traced to some individual who believed himself to be. and maybe actually was, eyewitness of st me event upon which his brain trat a cerbran cr nstructiou. He told it to a second party. who arivieed ajthird, and so on netil it got to dm ears of Op journalist a detailed narrative, only awaiting transorintion. Three days before the battle of Waterloo is renort of a great action reached Englend.evea going the lengths or reedering the exact numbers of killed. vcomided, ::rid missing, apd yet thissccount was traced to a Belran who had beee eve-witness to a skirmish a forelight previously; and the six men in Kensal Green eultiplied as readily as they did in Falstaff's narrative of his own prowess —From the London " Daily Mail.Most certainly Expo-la and Analysts should be lyilieved when they ray that