Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 263, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1918 — PUBLIC IS MADE VICTIM OF GIGANTIC NEWSPAPER HOAX [ARTICLE]

PUBLIC IS MADE VICTIM OF GIGANTIC NEWSPAPER HOAX

The most gigantic newspaper hoax in the history of the world was perpetrated Thursday through the overanxiety of the United Press to score a beat over its competitors. There are three important news distributing bureaus in the United States—the Associated Press, the United Press and the International or Hearst service. * The announcement by the United Press that the German envoys had signed the terms of armistice 'and that hostilities had 1 ceased at 2 o’clock Thursday afternoon prompted newspapers receiving the United Press report to issue extra editions heralding the false news.- iSome newspapers which receive both the United' Press and Associated Press service were led astray and issued extras because they failed to await the confirmation of the rumor, by the Associated Press. As a result, millions of ’people were duped. In every large city the wildest sort of demonstrations took place in the streets, churches were filled with devout individuals offering up their thanks to. Almighty God, and business was generally suspended. The disappointment of these untold millions is more easily imagined than described and when official denial of the story was made by the state de- ; partment they were loath to believe and insisted that the real truth was being suppressed. At least once previously the United Press has been guilty of'a similar offense against the reading public. On that occasion it spread as authentic the report of the death of Pope Pius X several hours before he really expired.