Entry from January 04, 2006
Ghoul Pool (Obituaries)
The "Ghoul Pool" was a practice of newspaper obituary writers to guess which citizen of the pre-written obits would go first. The "Ghoul Pool" is no longer conducted (one would hope).
6 November 1938, Washington Post, "This New York" by Lucius Beebe, pg. TS1:
Only a few years ago an institution known as "the ghoul pool" flourished in any number of the city rooms of New York papers. The names of a hundred leading citizens who, because of age or infirmities were known to be skirmishing with the Grim Reaper and whose obituaries, therefore, were prepared up to date, or even standing in type, were drawn from a wastebasket usually a ribbon reading "Miss Charon" and distributed to members of the staff who had subscribed to the pool. The winner, of course, was the reporter holding the name of the first "loss to State and Nation" to appear on the obit page.
6 November 1938, Washington Post, "This New York" by Lucius Beebe, pg. TS1:
Only a few years ago an institution known as "the ghoul pool" flourished in any number of the city rooms of New York papers. The names of a hundred leading citizens who, because of age or infirmities were known to be skirmishing with the Grim Reaper and whose obituaries, therefore, were prepared up to date, or even standing in type, were drawn from a wastebasket usually a ribbon reading "Miss Charon" and distributed to members of the staff who had subscribed to the pool. The winner, of course, was the reporter holding the name of the first "loss to State and Nation" to appear on the obit page.
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