In January, 1920, the News noticed (or pretended it had just noticed) and
reported that the governor hadn't been seen in the state for a few days.
Whereupon it flew into a frenzy of fake solicitude about his well-being.
The point of the exercise became clearer with the Start next day of a series of
Page I stories detailing the News' heroic, spare-no-expense efforts to find the
missing chief executive so Rhode Island could be assured of his safety. That
meant, of course, making dutifully reported calls to His Excellency's favorite
spas, health resorts and retreats in Mt. Clemens, Mich., Hot Springs, Ark.,
White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., French Lick Springs, Ind. and Havana. Telephone
checks were made at the governor's assorted residences in Providence and Newport
as well as Fall River, Mass., New York, Miami & Palm Beach. The responses of
the butlers, maids, caretakers and other servants to the inquiries were duly
reported.
After several days of this sport, Gov. Beekman broke up the game by reappearing.
The News outdid itself with a patently phony sigh of relief, accentuated by its
story that the return trip took place in Beekman's palatial railroad car. He had
been to New York for treatment of an ear ailment, mastoiditis followed by rest
in White Sulphur Springs and Washington.
OF THIS BOOKLET, there have been
printed in Wayside types 526 copies, of which 345 are issued as Side-Ways # 9.7
for the American Amateur Press Association & 155 for the Amalgamated
Printers' Association and 26 on large paper, lettered A-Z.