The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-01-12
us..aa,er kspsrtans II Amsriea,

Il Rot many Years ago, Ia q western city Of
ahe United shtes, several reporters. repre-
pefdsnu opposition journals, travelled te-
nr4her 10 a posnt IN the State to witness an
Execution, The victim had committed q
heinous offence, and the particulars OF his
srxectItion would be eagerly decouEed ~
every reader. One OF the men represented
nm afternoon paper, and US tho execution
was fixed for noon he had been ordered 10
telegraph a full report, so that his paper
would have long start Of all the others. III
ras. or course, an object with the other re-
reporters 10 prevent this, and they iaia .ne.
heads together. The afternoon man dtd NOV
drink: the telegraph operator was str1c.iy
temperate. and the quill. drivers were Oh Ing
VERGE Of despair, when one OF them got q
happy thought. He went 10 the ponce
magistrate and swore out warrant ainst
fhe operator for bigamy, and had the pleas.
1ire of seeing the man walked Oh to jail and
his office closed. The excitement over the
execution was so great that the operator
could find no friend to 80 his bail until IL
was too late for the afternoon paper 10 re-
ceiye a line, and the object Of the conspira'
tors was accomplished.
Knowing the thirst OF the puoiic after
Islatest news" and that the paper will suffer
mart. reporters often risk their lives While
seeking after information. A story is told
Of how A vessel, in attempting to enter lake
.port. struck on bar ard was at the mercy
nf the waves, The storm was raging Wl'n
great fury, and the crowd congresateo
on the pier had little hope that the snip
wonld hold together above few hours.
She was u new vessel, unknown in port,
and her position was such that her name
copId not he seen. There was no life.boat at
the mort. and no crew could be made to take
an ordinary row.boat and row out 10 the res
cue of the unfortunates. While all were
talking and none doing reporter on an al.
tcrnoon paper was seen pulling light SKIN
out of the river and over the tremulous
waves. "He is lost! Come back! Come
back!' shouted the crowd, but the man
bent to his oars, and despite all predictions
reached the neighborhood of the vessel with
out mishap. Holding the boats head to The
sea, he shouted: =, 80,
"What schooner is that!"
"The Princess" replied the amazed cap
tain, who bad taken to the rigging along
with the crew.
"Wbere from? what's your cargo? and
how large is your crew." were the next IN
uuiries from the reporter, and after being re-
piled to be continued:
"Hold BY for an hour and I'll take you
all off,"
He then set about on the return voyage,
and successfully performed it, entering the
river amid cheers which even reached the
ears of the halt. drowned sailors on the bar.
Dispatching his information to the office, he
was about to row back to the vessel, when
she suddenly broke up, and the crew hoated
ashore on spar.
There Is in Kansas, or was up to three
years ago, society of newspaper men called
1.-THE Rob Ellis Friends" The society
was founded to perpetuate the name and
doipgs of reporter named Ellis, who made
his name famous on the Pacific coast by his
startling adventures, and whose career finally
closed with balloon ascension. 1t seemed
that a gentleman who had made one or two
ascensiops had advertised to 90 up from a
playground on u certain day, and that
q large crowd assembled to witness the
expedition. Ellis was sent to make report
of the affair, and he took it into his neao
to have ride with the professor and write |
I'D bis experience. His company was ac- |
eepted, and rs the hour approached he
took bis 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 bis weight so suddenly, the balloon
ierked away from the men, and Eiils went
skyyard alone. The man knew all about
newspaper business, but he was ignorant as
to aerial navigation. He, however, took
things as cooIly as if nothing unusual had
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: 81 am all right, and intend to see
the thing through. Tell tho ibis paper
to look out for q telegram from me tonight"
It was about O'Clock in the afternoon OF
June day, and the balloon and its freight
finally foated away to the northwest, and at
last were lost to view. No one in that
crowd ever saw Ellis again. In fact,
it was months and months before lie
was heard of. Days passed, and
letters were written and kilograms sent,
but there was no news of the balloon
for week. Then hunter found this mes
sage on the prairie: Am still all right, and
ann having heaps Of fun. have found the
yalve-cord, and can descend whenever
wish; but am going to see the thing down
to q fine point" lie did. Months and
months afterward hunter, passing through
q few miles from the santee agency, on the !
line between Kansas and Dakota, found a |
wreck Of the balloon hanging to a tree, and, /
half covered with leaves, the skeleton Of
Robert Ellis.
While speaking of the West, the fate of a
Colorado reporter named Whitman may be
called up, as it has never been published. !
He was employed on a weekly paper called
the Spectator. With the shootings, slash
ing, murders, and accidents that happened
almost daily, Whitman had plenty OF local
Items. But he grew weary OF the monotony
at last. It was the same thing over every
week: ]" Comanche Bill put a ball through |
Buckskin Joen for such and such reason,
or Joe slashed Bill, or some other ruftian
knitted companion or stranger.
Coming into the office one morning, Whit
man wrote the following headings: "An
Hour with the Grizzly-Wha hat our Reporter
Thinks of the Varmint-A Thrilling Expe-
rience.o
"Wbat do you mean?' asked the editor,
as he perused the lines.
tsJust what this says" replied Whitman.
's Pm of over the range to look for griz-
ely"
He took his rifle and departed, and in less
than two hours his body had furnished
dinner for big bear. 4 hunter had wit
messed bis fate without being able to save
him.--KWT0r.
BRAIN-HAsH.---A scientific exchange says:
g The theory that fish diet is promotive Of I
FRAMEWORK IL supported by the fact that
seafs and offers, which live exclusively on
ish, are among the most intelligent OF ami.
~oI, rufhfL 6kcr bc oy,l hos e.,