Table of Contents
Introduction 17
Scandals
Ten Days in the Mad House Nellie Bly-New York World 23
A Woman Tells: Seduction Led to Murder Irvin S. Cobb-New York World 25
The Germans Were Like Men After an Orgy Richard Harding Davis-New York Tribune 30
Mata Hari Falls Before Firing Squad Henry G. Wales-International News Service 33
8 Men Out: Black Sox Indicted Harvey T. Woodruff-Chicago Tribune 35
Woman Plays Jazz as Victim Dies Maurine Dallas Watkins-Chicago Tribune 38
The Klan Holds a "Klavern" Lindsay Denison-New York World 40
Wanted: A Wet Nurse for the Oil Industry Will Rogers-Tulsa Daily World 44
No Sweetheart Worth Killing Maurine Dallas Watkins-Chicago Tribune 46
Arguments at the Scopes-Monkey Trial H. L. Mencken-Baltimore Sun 47
A Woman Burns Gene Fowler-New York American 49
The Trial of Al Capone Damon Runyon-New York American 56
The Burning of the Books Heywood Broun-New York World-Telegram 59
Dillinger "Gets His" Jack Lait-International News Service 60
Louisiana's Kingfish Lies in State Joseph Cookman-New York Post 62
Mussolini's Tough Guys Westbrook Pegler-Scripps Howard 65
Mr. Welles and Mass Delusion Dorothy Thompson-New York Herald Tribune 67
Union Thugs Westbrook Pegler-Scripps Howard 69
When American Citizens Murder U.S. Soldiers George S. Schuyler-Pittsburgh Courier 71
The Liberation of Dachau Marguerite Higgins-New York Herald Tribune 73
Veteran Kills 12 in Camden Meyer Berger-The New York Times 75
The Southern Gentlemen Murray Kempton-New York Post 83
The Death of Senator McCarthy Harry Golden-Carolina Israelite 86
The Harlem Riot Jimmy Breslin-New York Herald Tribune 87
Alabama Literacy Test Art Buchwald-Washington Post 90
Zodiac Killer Gives Gilbert & Sullivan Clue Paul Avery-San Francisco Chronicle 91
The Pentagon Papers: Freedom versus Security James Reston-The New York Times 94
Attica Prison Riot: Night in the Yard Tom Wicker-The New York Times 95
Murder in Munich Red Smith-The New York Times 97
A Faceless Man's Plea Mike Royko-Chicago Sun-Times 99
The Phony-Tough Meet the Crazy-Brave Stewart Alsop-Washington Post 101
Watergate: For a Lot of People, It Has Changed Everything Mary McGrory-Washington Star 103
You Can Bet on Sinatra Mike Royko-Chicago Daily News 106
Son of Sam: Fear in Queens Jimmy Breslin-New York Daily News 108
Endless Talk About Cambodia William F. Buckley Jr.-Universal Press Syndicate 110
Bernhard Goetz: Notes from the Underground Pete Hamill-Village Voice 112
A Boldfaced Lie Dave Barry-Miami Herald 117
Ignorance Epidemic During AIDS Crisis Molly Ivins-Fort Worth Star-Telegram 118
Real-Life Rodmans Have to Work It Out Mitch Albom-Detroit Free Press 120
The O.J. Effect Carl Hiaasen-Miami Herald 123
Accused Officer's Girlfriend Stands by Her Man Mike McAlary-New York Daily News 124
I Still Believe Michael Kelly-Washington Post 127
In the Land of Oz with Bad Guys Kathleen Parker-USA Today 129
No Party for Essie Mae Colbert King-Washington Post 131
Open Casket Opened Eyes Leonard Pitts, Jr.-Miami Herald 133
Why Truth Matters Nicholas Kristof-The New York Times 135
All the President's Girls Nora Ephron-The New York Times 136
Torture, American Style Andy Rooney-Tribune Media 138
Long a Public Scold, Now Facing Life as a Punch Line Clyde Haberman-The New York Times 140
Who We (Still) Are Peggy Noonan-Wall Street Journal 141
Polanski Backers Lose Sight of Real Victim Steve Lopez-Los Angeles Times 144
Devil of a Scandal Maureen Dowd-The New York Times 148
The Age of Indiscretion Dan Henninger-Wall Street Journal 150
Tragedies
The Murder of President Lincoln Noah Brooks-Sacramento Daily Union 155
The Death of Rodriguez Richard Harding Davis-New York Journal 156
Galveston is Gone Winifred Black-San Francisco Examiner 160
San Francisco Earthquake: The Story of an Eyewitness Jack London-Collier's 163
A Policeman Walks East to Death Frank Ward O'Malley-New York Sun 166
The Death of Henry Spencer Ben Hecht-Chicago Daily News 169
Iowa Village Waits All Night for Glimpse of Funeral Train Lorena A. Hickok-Minneapolis Tribune 175
Bulfighting is Not a Sport-It is a Tragedy Ernest Hemingway-Toronto Star 178
Battling Siki Westbrook Pegler-Chicago Tribune 184
The End of The World Heywood Broun-New York World Telegram 186
Death in the Dust John Steinbeck-San Francisco News 189
Barcelona Bombing Herbert L. Matthews-The New York Times 192
Success Westbrook Pegler-Scripps Howard 194
Reflections on Gandhi Walter Lippmann-New York Herald Tribune 196
The Sorehead Murray Kempton-New York Post 198
La Nacha, Dirty Dope Queen of the Border Ruben Salazar-El Paso Herald-Post 199
Obit on the Dodgers Dick Young-New York Daily News 202
There is No News from Auschwitz A. M. Rosenthal-The New York Times 205
Archie's Kind of Music Jimmy Cannon-New York Post 207
Final Returns, Final Night Murray Kempton-New York Post 209
Kennedy Assassinated Merriman Smith-UPI 212
Malcolm X: The Fruit of Islam Murray Kempton-New York Post 213
The Stone's at the Bottom of the Hill Jack Newfield-Village Voice 215
P.F.C. Gibson Comes Home John Fetterman-Louisville Times 218
The Cubs and Conservatism George Will-Washington Post 222
We Should all be Dead Today Rich Heiland-Xenia Daily Gazette 223
Dies the Victim, Dies the City Jimmy Breslin-New York Daily News 225
Civility and Madness Vermont Royster-Wall Street Journal 227
Thanks to All of You Mike Royko-Chicago Sun-Times 229
John Lennon: It's the Promise That's Gone Ellen Goodman-Boston Globe 230
Beyond Politics Jimmy Breslin-New York Daily News 232
A Child Wrestles with His Dog's Death Pete Dexter-Philadelphia Daily News 235
Ireland's Rage: Sands' Mourners Will Not Be Pacified Richard Ben Cramer-Philadelphia Inquirer 237
A Night to Be Jolly Jimmy Breslin-New York Daily News 240
Homeboys and Heroes Frank del Olmo-Los Angeles Times 242
Echoes of Grief "in the Line of Duty" Mike Barnicle-Boston Globe 244
Amid Destruction, City's Heroes Robbed of Chance to Save Lives Michael Daly-New York Daily News 246
Amid the Ruins, a Separate Peace Steve Lopez-Los Angeles Times 249
Going So Fast ... Gone Too Soon Mitch Albom-Detroit Free Press 250
After the Sky Fell Brady Dennis-St. Petersburg Times 258
Former Tropicana Owner Still Has Faith After Mob; Corporate Muggings John L. Smith-Las Vegas Sun Review 258
A Lesson Before Dying Bret Stephens-Wall Street Journal 260
Triumphs
Twelve Seconds That Changed the World H. P. Moore-Norfolk Virginian-Pilo 265
The Dempsey-Willard Fight Grantland Rice-New York Tribune 267
The Subway Rebel Frederick B. Edwards-New York Herald Tribune 271
Homo Neanderthalensis H. L. Mencken-Baltimore Sun 274
Lindbergh Lands in Paris Edwin L. James-New York Tribune 277
Ruth for President Westbrook Pegler-Chicago Tribune 279
The Cinderella Man Damon Runyon-New York American 282
Joe Louis Uncovers Dynamite Richard Wright-New Masses 287
London Still Stood This Morning Helen Kirkpatrick-Chicago Daily News 290
Liberating the City of Light Ernie Pyle-Scripps Howard 291
The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki William Laurence-The New York Times 293
Hope This is the Last One, Baby Homer Bigart-New York Herald Tribune 299
A Month after the Atom Bomb: Hiroshima Still Can't Believe it Homer Bigart-New York Herald Tribune 302
Go for Broke Hodding Carter Jr.-Delta Democrat Times 303
The Rise of the United States Walter Lippmann-New York Herald Tribune 305
Don Larson's Perfect Game Shirley Povich-Washington Post 307
Martin Luther King: Where Does He Go from Here? Ted Poston-New York Post 311
Jim Brown Beats the Redskins Shirley Povich-Washington Post 315
I Have a Dream Eugene Patterson-Atlanta Journal Constitution 317
I'm the Greatest Red Smith-New York Herald Tribune 318
Edward R. Murrow: In Memoriam James Reston-The New York Times 320
Boys Will be Heroes William F. Buckley-Universal Press Syndicate 322
You're Joe Namath Jimmy Cannon-New York Post 323
Moon Launching Brings Mood of Reflection Lacey Fosburgh-The New York Times 325
Jackie's Debut Mike Royko-Chicago Sun-Times 327
Super Hero Wells Twombly-San Francisco Examiner 329
A Salute to Gilliam Jim Murray-Los Angeles Times 331
It Could Happen Only in Hollywood Jim Murray-Los Angeles Times 334
His Dreams Belong to the Next Generation Diane Griego Erwin-Orange County Register 336
From Selma to Berlin Dorothy Gilliam-Washington Post 337
Conviction of Their Courage Mary McGrory-Washington Post 339
When Jordan Cried Behind Closed Doors Bob Greene-Chicago Tribune 340
Amid the Graves, Gratitude Lives on Mike Barnicle-Boston Globe 342
Hero Builds a Life After Pal's Death Mike McAlary-New York Daily News 344
All She Has, $150,000, is Going to a University Rick Bragg-The New York Times 346
My Favorite Teacher Thomas L. Friedman-The New York Times 349
Fighting for Life, 50 Floors Up Jim Dwyer-The New York Times 351
Welcome Back, Duke Peggy Noonan-Wall Street Journal 353
Pope John Paul II: Bigger Than the Nobel David Brooks-The New York Times 356
A Gambler Sees Beyond the Jackpot Dan Barry-The New York Times 358
Post-Cancer Life: Precious, Priceless Regina Brett-Cleveland Plain Dealer 360
The Last Lecture Jeffrey Zaslow-Wall Street Journal 361
Being Albee Michael Riedel-New York Post 363
Nobody's Perfect, but They were Good Peggy Noonan-Wall Street Journal 365
About the Columnists 369
Acknowledgments 393
Permissions 395
About the Editors 400
