Published: Civil and Military Gazette, 24 July 1888.

Attribution: In Scrapbook 4 (28/4, p. 75)

Text: Civil and Military Gazette.

Notes: A native newspaper, the Hyderabad Record, printed a story claiming that an agent of the Pioneer was in Hyderabad to collect a bribe of 40,000 rupees from the Nizam for the paper's support of the Nizam's cause in something called the Deccan Mining Scandals. To this charge the Pioneer made no reply, since, according to the report (‘Charges’ Against the Pioneer’) in the CMG of 24 July 1888, the Pioneer ‘has cultivated a habit of hearing its critics and disregarding them’.

‘A Horrible Scandal’ has been reprinted in Harbord, iv, 2081–4.

There was, as the poet says, “a shine in the tents of Ham.” All the Pi's friends and enemies and acquaintances assembled with copies of the T—s of I—a [Times of India] of the 13th July in their hands and wagged their heads dolorously; “Oh, Pi!” they groaned. “Profligate old Pi! And has it come to this?” “Come to what?” said the Pi, shortly, for it was busy. “Shock, shock! fie, fie!” cried the crowd; and they intoned the following in jerks:– “English newspapers being subsidized to take sides in the keen controversy which has been created in the Deccan Mining Scandals… Most grave allegations made against such papers as the Pioneer and the Bombay Gazette.”

“Yes” said the Pi, abstractedly. “They said five thousand dibs was its price. No wonder it took steps. Five thousand! Just about the price of a new machine! But go on.” “Gross slanders reproduced in a number of journals…. naturally looked for a prompt and indignant denial … Pioneer has seen fit to sit silent under the imputation…. We still urge upon our contemporaries that they should give the lie direct to their traducers.”