THE CROSS AND CRIMPING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1398, 11 May 1868, Page 3

THE CROSS AND CRIMPING.

Thb Cross attempts to wriggle out of the charge made by us on Friday, of " crimping " one of the reporters for some time engaged on the staff of the Hekald. It publishes a letter from the reporter in question, which, if any one will take the trouble to read it through, so far from vindicating either the Cross or himself, actually admits "arid confirms the charge.

The act on the part of the Cross, of which wo have complained, is not the only dishonourable one of which our cotemporary has been guilty, if

the veracity of Mr. Montrose, whom that journal has seduced from our service, is to be depended upon. We publish below another letter (in the form of a memorandum), froiu that party, addressed to us while the writer was in our employment, and which fortunately wo had preserved. In the rnonth of October, 1860, an important meeting was held by the natives at Eaipara. We went to the expense, which the Cross did not, of having it reported in full, but the communication addressed to the editor of this journal was left by the messenger who brought it to town at the oflice of the Cross by mistake. Thus it was that Mr- Charles Williamson, the present manager, and the then subeditor of the Cross, was able to say to our reporter, as will be seen from the letter published below, " if you have not got a letter from the Eaipara you will get one," our letter at that time remaining still unforwarded to us from the Cross office. Our renders may judge from the transaction disclosed in the following letter whether the Cross is now capable or not of crimping the servants of a rival journal: — New ZsAiiiXj) Hekald Office, Auckland, 20th October, ISSG. About 9'15 p.m. last night Mr. Cameron sent to the Southern Cross office, Chancery-street, with an advertisement fur Katon and Dewolf. I went into tho compositors' room, laid the advertisement on. tho " B'onc," and wits hurrying awiiy again, when just as I got.'to the landing at the stops, some ono. eung out '■ Here, wait a minute," and walked into the editor's room. I have frequently seen this poraon in the office, and should recognise him again, but I do not know his name. In another minute he camoout again, followed by Mr. Williamson. The former returned to the compositors' room, and the latter came to where I was standing, just at the door-step at the top of the etone .-tepß leading up t" tho office. I think the words fir<t used by Mr. Willi nson wore, " Well, how are things going now ?" I replied, " Sliddlingly," or something to the same . Tect. After eoao little further conversation he inquir ci, " Have you got anythitig frorii Kaipara yet ?" wishing to

know if the Hekaxd had received its Kaipara corres-

pondent'a letter. Seeing no harm in replying to tho queetion, I said, " No, I huvo seen nothing yet." " You will read it when if b set up. will you not ?" inquired he. " Yes," replied I. "Has all jour copy gono up f" he asked » grain, to which I answered, " I think not." " Well," he returned, "if you have not got a letter from the Ksiptra you will got one, and you will have to read it. I suppose ?" " I suppose I shall," suid I. Up ti this time I had been unsuspicious of any orject for nil these questions, and had replied to them in an off-hand manner, though I could not help noticing an unusual hesitation nnd constraint about Mr. Williamson's manner. I now said, " Whr.t did that fellow call me back for ?" Mr. "Williamson replied, " That's all,' , and then, after a tew inoro remarke about Kawhia, and thefnet that a number of natives were assembled there, he informed me that pome arrangement had been come iO between the Cross's and Herald's correspondents at Onehunga, by which one of them was to report an inquest held a days since at that place, and furnirh tho report to both papers, and that the report so furnished to the Cross had been incorrent, or that no report had been furnished at a!l, I forget which. Again the conversation turned to the Kaipara, and after some preliminary skirmishing, which I did not then see the drift of, he said, " Well, if you get anything about the Kaipara, and T know you will get something, you miarht come over and give us a few facts, as mucfi ax youean carry away in your head." The propoanl so stunned mo at first that I could not articulate a single word in reply, but stammered out something which it would puzzle me to remember now. He continued, " Or you can bring over a proof and you will be remunerated for your services," or, "we will settle about remuneration afterwards," I am not positive which. By this time I had recovered from my em* prise, and I answered, " No, I can't do »uch a thing, and you ought not to expect me to do it," and hastened down the steps. I saw Mr. W. C. Wilson on returning to the office, he had juet comnin before me, and waß about to leave again. I did not tell him the circumstances then, because I was undecided whether to keep the whole thing a secret or to let him know it. I reflected that possibly it might injure me, and. determined upon thinking it over. I went on with the reading, and Mr. Cameron and I were just engaged in reading tbe first of two proofs of the Kaipara correspondent's letter when the reader boy came over from the Cross office and inquired for a " testimonial," or something. f bad prnviouely told the whole circumstances of the conversation between Mr. Williamson and myself, to Mr. Oameron, upon whom I relied for advice in the matter, and he of course advieed me to communicate the whole thing to Mr. Wilson. When the boy came up to the table, Mr. Cameron and I turned the proofs and hid the copy, so that although the boy remained sometime etanding about the table, and even peeped at the copy which I had concealed under my arms, he saw nothiDg. Mr. Cameron at last said, " You need not wait; I'll send it over when it'e ready," and the boy left. Be came again either op.ee or twice afterwards. It was this that decided me upon communicating the whole thing to Mr. Wilson. It occurred to me that there was a conspiracy to undermine the Hbhald by unfair means, and that, as I bad been for some time connected with that paper, it was my duty to lay the affair before him, if merely to put him on his guard, and to show him wJiat sort of people he had to deal with. This morning i did so, and at his request wrote this account of the affair. I have given it from memory as nearly as possible, and though there may be one or two errors, I am prepared to ewear to ice general truth and correctness. I have done bo out of no wish to injure Mr. Williamson, but merely to do justice to Mr. Wilaon, my employer. Charles Otho Montbosb. The Cross, in concluding its introduction to Mr. Montrose's letter published in its issue of Saturday, says : — We have ouo additional remark to make, and we have done. Jhe Hebald says, "We have taught him his profession; we trained him as a reporter; we increased hie salary from time to time as his proficiency warranted." In opposition to sill this pretent:ous solicitude for hie welfare, we may state that, so far bick as 1863 and 1864, the gentleman alluded to acted as our own correspondent during the wer in the Waikato, and h>: was, to our personal knowledge, at that time a proficient shorthaud writer and paragraphist.

We will not condescend to reply to the false statements which the Cross may choose to make, any more than we would reply to the chaff of a fish-woman in Billingsgate, but will simply quote the following extract from a letter written on the 6th instant to the proprietor of this journal by the person whose proficiency the Cross endorses in the remarks quoted above. Mr. Montrose, in that letter, says :—

I have endeavoured to avoid doing anything that would bear a suspicion of double-dealing or ingratitude. lam readj* t ■ admit at a 1 times that by your kindness, and under your encouragement alone, I have been enabled to attain to whatever poor ability as a reporter I may now possess, and F. can add to this, that I hnve always found you a just and considerato master."