The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-06-06
THE STORY OF THE HERALD
WONDERFUL CAREER OF THE LATE
JAMES GORDON BENNETT.
Unparalleled Drudgery and It's Fsut,s
How He Announced His Marriage
Mr.. Bennett's Personal Appearance
His Last VIII. &C., sc.

The death of James Gordon Bennett Is the
Journalistic sensation of the hour In New
gives an elaborate and exceedingly interest,"
Ing account of tho origin and growth OF the
extraordinary newspaper which was the crea-
tlon of Mr. Benefits peculiar genius. We
quote:
THE STORY OF THE NEW YORK HERALD.
The first number appeared on the 6tn Oh
May, 1885, 'sprice one cent, and for sale every
wbere,n It was started without capital. Two
agreed TO print 1t and share the profits or
losses. The firm name was James Gordon
Bennett & Co. Another printer, of his own
name, refused to accept half Interest In The
project, preferring to work at salary, and 90
continNed for thlrty-four years to serve the
Journal which he saw grow from nothing Into
magnificent property. The publication ONCE
and editorial room was deep cellar at No. 20
Wall street, where Bennett transacted all the
business Of the little concern, received adver-
tisements, sold copies Of the paper, and wrote
all the articles, reports and paragraphs Dehlnd
deal board. The late William Gowans, book
seller, wrote the following description OF q
visit to the Office soon alter the paper was
establishes: 8. The proprietor. editor aud
vender was seated at his desk, tuaily engaged
writing, and appeared 10 pay little or no allrn-
tion TO me as entered. On making known
my object in coming In, he requested me
to put my money down on the counter and
help myself TO paper; all this time ne contln-
ulng his writing onerations. the office was
single oblong underground room; Its furniture
consisted of q counter, which served also as
desk constructed from two flour barrels, per-
haps empty, standing apart from each other
about tour feet, with a single plank covering
both;a chair, placed In the centre, upon which,
sat the editor, busy at his vocation, ,+with an
inkstand by his right hand; on the end near.
est the door were placed the papers tor sale"
It was q small four-page sheet, sold for one
cent. There was very little news, for Bennett
had no money to spend IN colectlnS news,
but 1t was bright, sharp, insolent, personal
concise, and novel. Readers stoUd aghast at
tho boldnpss of this unknOwR Scotchman, VINO
violated all the proprleties which newspapers
had been accustomed to respect, and attacked
private character with such reckless freedom
and such wicked good humor. The paper I'M
mediately became disreputaele ana soon oe,
came popular. II offended alt parties and al
creeds. Itwas denounced from the Calnoic
pulpits for blasphemy. It shocked the sense
of decency of all respectable Protestants. And
of course people bought 1t out ofcuriosity, and
blushed to be seen reading 1t. Bennett had no
assistant In writing 1t. He rose at i've In the
morning, and worked In his room until eignt.
Then he sat in his cellar until alter NOON, sell
Ing pspers, writing advertisements ior Gus
toners whose education had been neglected,
and preparing copy Tor the printers. At one
he went out into the streets 10 pick up news
and gossip. From four to six he was again at
his counter, and the evening was spent
gathering materials for reports IN tne next
days paper. He could not have gone through
these sixteen or seventeen hours OF druugery
had not his vigorous constitution oeen
strengthened by the abstemious and regular
habits by which his lie was always marked
At The end of FIVE weeks the paper was gain
Ing headway, but still he did not meet ex-
peBses. He now thought of telling the pnollc
every day what had been done IN the STOCK
market The day before. The money article,
now such an important feature OF every Lead
ing newspaper, was then unknown. Tne nrst
ever published In the United States appeared
In the Herald, June Is, 1885. At the end OF
the third month the receipts equalled the e1-
perditures, and Mr.. Bennett hired MS nfst re-
porter, The next month the pruning once
was burned, and Anderson ana snatn' pmr p,sr
c,,uraped, abandoned the enterprise. bue
the Herald was .'raked ont OF the ashes" ann n
re-estaolished, on August 81, at NO; ZOz
Broadway with Bennett as sole proprietor,
and the printer of bis ewn name almost MS
sole compostor. Thence the Office was re-
moved, October IL, to No. l4s Nassau street,, "a
remarkably pious, theological and religious
observation-disclosures says the Herald of that date,
with the Bible Society, Tract Society, Dr.
Spring's Church, and Arthur Tappan's Anti
Slavery Society TOR surroundings, AT thls
time Bennett advertised, editorially, ror
business partner. and explained orleny no"
the Herald had been established ana lls Con-
ditlon and prospects. The statement Is a rev.
elation of Character as well as a history OF the
paner. Heretofore" he says, VI have done
EVERYTHING myself-I have written my own
ediro4hlsoI have written my own police re-
portsHI have written my own Wall street re-
ports-I have written my own squlos, crach'
ers and je,lr d'esprit. I have been my own
clerk and accountant. posted my own DOCKS,
made ont nv own bills. and generally attend
ed TO the business In the office. Now, as the
bushes. :. oe the Herald Is rapidly increasing,
should Ike to get some competent business
person t. become connected VIII me 40 o patt
owner and proprietor, one who woulo aeVote
the whole OF his time, as l 90 mine, 10 tne
business of The office. VIII venture W say,
without any boast, that tor the last SIX montns
I have written more matter Tor the press, ana
COLLECTED. more facts Of every kind, Than any
three editors in this city. But, IN aooltlon 10
this labor, the business concerns Oh sucn an
establishment as the Herald Is hltio
more than one man can d.. "oulu, tneao
fore. like to have business partner III Wnom
I cond place entire confidence" lhoW IKE
man VINO never had confidence 10 any one
hnt himself y s'and II he could bring INTO Cne
Concern capital sufficient to make certain Inn,
nrovrments. eplargements, &C., we coula
make lhe Herald In less than q year surpass
every paper In the city and yield clear an
nnal income of from $4,000 10 $40, ,0Oo" In
seven wears he had, unaided, made the ln-
come Of the paper $l00, 1000. and tor many
years past It has been ten or hfeea umes tne
highest expectations of 1885. In the same ar
ticie he makes The curious statement t1at tne
Courier and Enquirer, (which heaven KNOWS . SS,s
can boast of little capital and enterprise, 1 mao
been started In 1929 with a debt OF sou, ,U0o,
and was then (ls45) ''annually clearing sSI,-
600 over and above Its expenses" ln con
ciuding his unsuccessful bio Tor partner,
RsnneIt added: "There never was IN New
YORK such field of enterprise presented as
thrfss Is at this moment-and now is The mo-
ment 10 step In and plough, SOW, pant ano
reap the virgin soil. The Invention OF sleani
mower does not surpass The invention oi the
penny press" ,, 1o,,, hod q
STRUGGLING but not doubtful existence. lis
total cosL for an edition of two thousand,
which it attained in' September, 1885, was nlty
dollars q day. It contained only local ne"s'
the chief topic of interest being told ID detali,
the mjnor news condensed bnt never omltteo.
The grpatlfire of December l6, 1885, gave Inc
srrneelIpe journalist an opportunity 10 olSpiay
his nrcnliai talents In This direction, and lot
many weeks alter the fire the Herald was
allpd with accounts of the appearance OF tne
ruins, the incidents of the coDfagrailon, tne
strugples of merchants 10 retrieve enelr
losses, and the rebuilding oil the burned ols-
trict.. or the edition of December II, mlspra-
bly illustrated, fifty thousand copies were
printed. This method Of relating in detail ana