Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, June 25, 1899. The Great Wall of China Hoax.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Sunday, June 25, 1899. The Great Wall of China Hoax.

Four reporters in Denver concocted a tale about American businesses that had a contract to demolish the Great Wall of China to construct a road. The reporters were Al Stevens, Jack Tournay, John Lewis, and Hal Wilshire, of the Post, the Republican, the Times, and the Rocky Mountain News. The plot was hatched due to a chance meeting while hoping to catch a legitimate news story.

The fable has proven to have been legs, and has occasionally been revived as a supposedly true story.

Last prior edition:

Wednesday, June 21, 1899. Treaty No. 8.

Labels: 1890s, 1899, Canada, First Nations, Native Americans, Western Canada

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Lex Anteinternet?

This blog has been around since 2009. In the very first post, we asked the question: "What the heck is this blog about?"

Our answer to the question was: "The intent of this blog is to try to explore and learn a few things about the practice of law prior to the current era. That is, prior to the internet, prior to easy roads, and the like. How did it work, how regional was it, how did lawyers perceive their roles, and how were they perceived?"

We also noted: "Part of the reason for this, quite frankly, has something to do with minor research for a very slow moving book."

All of this is still true, but the focus of the blog has changed somewhat. It now focuses on the era from 1890 to 1920 in general, rather than on the law and lawyers specifically, although that may be far from obvious. It's also become the location where we comment on anything we feel moved to comment on.

We hope you'll feel moved to comment as well. While we moderate every comment, so as to weed out Spam, we greatly appreciate the comments where they are offered, and hope to see more.

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