The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-08-22

feel a sympathy for the wailing widow
of an accidentally killed or found
drowned but the same thing over
and over makes monotonv in any
thing. Their business is to secure
news, away to the Office with it. and
there Is really no time to grieye with
the public over its woes and sorrows.
While a good item can be written
from secondhand matter better one
can be written from personal expert
ence. 1t Is not every one who would
care to don the dress of a submarine
diver and take walk on the lake bot
tom, with fifty feet of water between
him and the surface; but several re-
pOrters have made the experiment,
and have written thrilling descriptions
of what they saw and how they felt
down there in the silence and gloom.
The following incident has never ap-
peared in print, but is strictly tue,
and is used here to show that report
ers become permeatGd with the idea
that an item is an item wherever YOU
find it, no matter what the circum-
stances. The reporter Of a well known
Southern daily was one of large
number Of passengers on a river
steamer Without all instant's warn
ing the boilers exploded, blowing
everybody 'sby-high,' and killing or
wounding half the passengers. The
reporter and five others were lucky
enough to alight in the water near
fragment of the wreck large enough to
float them, and they had no sooner
crawled upon it than the newspaper
man drew out his book and pencil and
demanded names and residences, iot-
ting them down with the exclamation
that the blOw-up was worth a clean
hundred dollars to him 10 furnish two
columns on What | know about
Steamboat Explosions The wreck
noated within a hundred feet of the
shore, and he swan to the bank, and
started for a telegraph station three
miles away, leaving his late compan-
ions to float on until picked up two
miles below.
There is in Kansas, or was up to
three Years ago, a society Of newspa-
per men called The Rob Ellis
Friends The society was founded
to perpetuate the name and doings of
a reporter named Ellis, who made his
name famous on the Pacific coast by
his startling adventures, and whose
career finally closed with a balloon
ascension. 1t seems that a gentleman
who had made one or two ascensi0ns
had advertised to 90 up from a fair
ground on q certain day, and that a
large crowd Assem- bled to witness the
expedition. Ellis was sent to make u
report of the affair, and he took it
iuto his head to have ride with the
professor and write up his experience.
His company was accepted, and as
the hour approached he took his seat
in the car. The balloon was inflated,
but just as it was ready to rise the
professor had some excuse to leap
out. Eased of his weight 50 sud
denly, the balloon jerked away from
the men, and Ellis went sky ward
alone. The man knew all about news
paper business, but he was ignorant
as to aerial navigation. He however
took things as cool as If nothing I'M
natI happened There was no
wind below, and while the balloon
hung over the grounds, half mile
above the heads of the excited crowd,
the following message came floating
down: i am all right, and intend to
see the thing through. Tell the -
(his paper) to look out for a telegram
from me tonight 1t was about FIVE
O'Clock i'll the afternoon of a June
day, and the balloon and its freight
finally tiOated away to the northwest
and at last were lost to view. No one
in that crowd ever saw poor Ellis
again. In fact, it was months and
months before he was heard of DAYS
passed, and letters were written and
kilograms sent, but there was no news
of the balloon for a week. Then a
hunter found this message on the
prairie, Am still all right, and am
having heaps OF fun. l have found
the valve cord, and can descend when
ever | wish; but | am going to see
the thing down to a fine point He
did. Months and months afterwards
a hunter passing through a forest
few miles from the Santee Agency.
on the line between Kansas and Da-
kota, found the wreck of the balloon
hanging to tree, and, half covered
with leaves, the skeleton of Robert
Ellis.
W h'AS 9PCthtIS Oi CuS w est Jue
fate Of a Colorado reporter, named
Whitman, may be called up, as it has
never been published He was en-
ployed on weekly paper called the
. Spectator. With the shootihga, slash
ings, murders and accidents which
happened almost daily, Whitman had
plenty Of local items. But he grew
weary OF the monotony at last. 1t
was the same thing over every week
.Comanche Bill put a ball through
Buekskin joe for such or such a rea-
son. or Joe slashed Bill, or some other 8
rufIian knitted companion or a stran- .
ger. Coming into the office one morn .