New-York tribune., 1872-06-03
"A GREAT JOURNALIST DEAD.
nnn,,nusa from First rage.

wrote he a. II were a boy-a chld-eold hesrtess,
sereless and God knows what not" He gave w '.o
venture and returned to New-Hork lie enue"'V 90,
oct employmeut on The Su, but failed. IL was iol
tunate thing for him that Van Buren hau 61on
rothne and that Ihe Sun rejected him, Tor no looiS
now TO trust no 10 politicians ana 'ne i' VI '-
resolve The Herald. ,, ,ooS
The first number appeared on the ON ol ,a"S, ~ 80 80
"nroe one cent and for sale everywhere ~ was
,-.oa ,r,tor, oonitsI Two young printers named
Anderson and smith agreed 70 print u ana shre uo
proats or losses. Tho firm name was James 1oIuon
Bennett 4 Co Another printer OF ms own name IT,
f,sed 10 accept half interest in the Proeet preierns
=, vork AZ salary, and continued for "a years 10
serve the journal which he saw grow from nothing into
magnificent property. The publication Office and edi-
toria room was deep cellar at No. 20 Walst, where
Bennett transacted all the business Of the little concern
received advertisements sold copies OF the paper anu
wrote all the articles, reports and paragraphs benihd
deal board. The late William Gov ins, bookseller,
wrote the following description Of visit to the
stfice soon after the paper was established; The
PROPRIETOR editor, and yeDder was seated at
his deck. busily engaged writing, and appeared
20 pay little no attention to me as eh'erep. va
making known my object ia coming in he requested me
30 put my money down the counter ana heIp myseh
10 PAPER; all this time he continuing his Writlng oper
ations The Office was a single oblong underground
room lie furniture consisted OF counter, which served
also as desk constructed from two four-barrels per
haps empty standing apart from each other about out
feet with single plank covering both chair plaeeu
In the center upon which sat the editor busy at his Vo-
cation with nkstand by his right hand; on The eho
nearest the door were placed the papers for sale IL
was small four-page sheet sold for one cent 1here
was very little news for Bennett had no money 10 spehu
in collecting but it was bright sharp lnSo4eh',
personal concise and novel; Readers stood aghast at
the boldness of this unknown scotchman, who Voiateu
all the propreies which newspapers had been accus-
toned respect and attacked private character with
such reckless freedom and such wicked good humor The
paper Immediately became dsrcputa0ie ana soon De-
came popular Il offended all parties and all ereeds 1t
was denounced from the Catholic pulpts for basphemy
II shocked the of decency OF all respectable Prot
etauts And Of course people bought out Of curiosity
and blushed TO he reading It, Bennett had no as
sisjant in writing it, he rose at i've In the morning
and worked in his room until eight. Then he sat in his
cellar until after noon, selling papers writing advertise
mcnts for customers whose education had been neg
lectcd and preparing copy for the printers At one he
went out into the streets pickup news and gossip
oHr to six he again at his counter, and the
evening spent gathering materials for reports IN
The next days paper. He could not have gone through
these sixteen seventeen hours OF dTudCery had not ms
vigorous constitution been strengthened by the absteln
ous and regular habits by which his life always
marked At end OF five weeks the paper was gaining
headway, but stl he did not meet expenses. He now
thought Of telling the public every day what had
been done in the stock market the day before. The
money article, now such an important feature OF
every leading newspaper twas then unknown The first
ever published in the United States appeared in The
Herald June 49, 1885, At the end Of the third month the
receipts tequacd the expenditures and Mr.. Bennett
hired reporter. The next month the printing Office
was burned and Anderson and Smith discouraged, ab2n
Goned the enterprise But The Herald "raked out
the ashes" and reCstabshed August 81 at No. 2O2
1sr0saway, with Bennett sole proprietor and the
printer of his own name almost bis sole compositOr
Thence the Office removed, Oct 12 to No 1f Nassau
st.. "a remarkably pious, theological, and religious
ohl ood Of dat WI
Bible Society, Tract Society Dr. Springs Church, and
Arthur Tappau sAnt-Savery Society for surroundings
AT tins time Bennett advertised, edtorlallY, for bus
partner and explained briefly how The Herald had
Ieen established and its condition and prospects, The
statement a revelation Of character well a his
tory the paper. Heretofore" he says have done
everything myself. have written my own editorials,
for employ at IS a week Peter Simple (alluding TO
DIR. Townsend, editor Of Tie StT, who had
just before assaulted him for his personal al
lusons to his coIeagucs) I have written my
oyu police rcp0rts-I have written my Wallst.
xepoTas-I have written my squibs, crackers,
and jour d'esprit I have been my clerk and
eountant, posted my books, made out my bills.
aud generally attended TO the business in the office.
Now the business OF Tie Herald rapidly increasing
should like 10 get sOmo competent business person to
become connected with me as part owner and pr0pri
etor one who would devote the whOlel of his time
mine the business OF the Office will venture to
without any boast that for tire last months
a
r9re facts Of every kind than any three editors in this
city, But, addition to this labor, the business con
Germs df such establishment as The Herald is little
more shan can do. would, therefore, like to
have business partner in whom ! cOuld place entire
confidence Cow like a man who never had confidence
IN any but hmselfO and il he could bring into the
concern capital sufficient TO make ceTtainimprovements,
enargement Be- could make The Herald 10 less than
q year surpass every paper in the city and yield
clear annual income Of from $4,000 to $4,000" In seven
years he had unaided made the income OF the paper
100000 and for many years past II has been ten fifteen
times the highest expectations Of 1885, In the art
he makes the statement that The Courier aud
Enquirer, (which Heaven knows boast of little
capital and enterprise" had been started 1929 with
debt OF $4,000 and then OSJ5) annually clearing
s30O and above its expenses" In concluding his
unsuccessful bid for partner Bennett added; "There
never was in NewYOrk such field of enterprise pre-
tened as there is at this momen-and now Is the mo-
nent 20 step in and pOw plant aud reap the virgin
sO The invention Of power does surpass the
invention OF the penny press" 1t is not little re-
markable that the cheap penny newspaper Of this
country, and the first cheap literary journal OF England
both remarkable financial successes Of the cheap
literature Of the language simultaneously founded
by scotchmen, Bennett and the Brothers Chambers.
After its reGstablshmen The Herald had struggling
bu not doubtful existence. Its total cost for snedton
of 1900. which it attained In September, 1885, was
nifty dollars day IL contained only local news, the
chief topic Of interest being told in detail the minor
condensed but never omitted. The Great fire Of
Dec. l6 1885, gave the struggling journalist an oppor
tuny display his peculiar talents in this direction
aud for many weeks after the fire The Herald was filed
with accounts Of the appearance Of the ruins the Incl
dents Of the conhagaton the struggles of 70
retrieve their losses and the rebuilding OF the burned
district OF the edition Of Dec a. miserably illustrated
10000 copies printed SO absorbing and profitable
WOT that 70 And