The telegram could not be found although the secretary searched
diligently for it. The energetic reporter conceived that that statement
was a subterfuge which in some way betokened a lack of confidence in his
discretion, and, besides, it smacked of mystery for a telegram to
evaporate into thin air in a dead man’s hand. Put on his mettle thus,
he made it his business to know what was in that telegram. Being an old
telegraph man himself, he hied him down to the station and made himself
pleasant and useful to the youngish man in charge.
President Phillips had intended to await the decision of the convention
in Washington, and all telegraphic arrangements for convention bulletins
had been made accordingly. At the last moment Helen’s trembling little
letter had changed his purpose, and he had slipped quietly off to
Hill-Top, notifying only Mr. Mackenzie how to communicate with him
directly.
The moment the President’s death had flashed upon the wires, the
capacity of the little Stag Inlet office became sadly overtaxed. The
perspiring and flustered operator was very grateful for the assistance
of the kindly newspaper man who modestly proffered his help in getting
the deluge of messages speedily copied, enveloped, addressed and
dispatched. Once having his hand on the copy-file it was an easy thing
for the good Samaritan to get the full text of the last message that had
gone to Hill-Top.
He could not decide whether it was so very valuable now that Mr.
Phillips was dead; but he sent it to his paper along with his other
stuff, riding a dozen miles in a midnight search for an open telegraph
key. Much pride he had in his achievement when he added to his news
report a statement to his managing editor that the text of the telegram
was a "beat" for his paper and might be displayed as "exclusive." But
his feelings were very much hurt next day that they should have
published his find under a Chicago dateline and robbed him of his glory.
THE PRESIDENT DIES OF A BROKEN HEART
He Takes the Telegram which Tells of
Defeat and Is Seen No More Alive
Chicago, July 3d—After a conference of the leaders of the Phillips
cohorts this afternoon the following telegram was sent to the President
at Stag Inlet: "We are moving heaven and earth; but the forces of evil
are too many for us. First ballot to-morrow."
The news column was after that fashion. The leading editorial was a
scream under the caption, "The Trusts Have Murdered Him!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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