The new North-west., 1883-12-14

EDITOR OF THE TEXAS SIFTINOSs
Illustrated Correspondence Men North Hest.
The ponderous and long-drawn leader Of
former days ~ now broken up and admins
tered In homeopathic doses. The editorial
message liz more pleasing to the taste of
American readers when delivered In this
manner, especially If it be fayored with a
little wit. We have In mind a number Of
persons who furnish the salt Of American
newspaper literature, and Mr.. Alexander
Edwin Sweet, of the Tezas Stftinss, IL one Of
them. Somebody has briefly described him
as a Canadian by birth, an American by
adoption, and paragrapher and funny man
by instinct. His father was a prosperous
merchant of st. Johns, New Brunswick,
where Alexander was born on the 18th of
March, 1871. Eight years later the family
removed to San Antonio, Texas. He attend
cd school for two years at Poughkeepsie,
New York, and in 1850 set sail for Europe,
where he entered the Polytechnic Institute,
at Carlsruhe, Germany. He studied there
for some two years, at the conclusion Of
which time he married handsome German
girl, Of Baden, and returned to America with
his education and his happiness completed.
II was during the war, and he Immediately
mounted horse in the Thirty-third Regi-
ment of Texas Cavalry, operating princi-
pally on the Rio Grande and In the Indian
Nation. He was In the Confederate army for
some two years, and at the close of the war
began the study of law His journalistic
career began In 1879, when he became editor
Of the San Antonio Express, still retaining
his practice Two years later he was made
City Attorney Of San Antonio, through the
appointment of Governor Davis. He achiev.
ed no striking success In newspaper work
before he became connected with the Herald
Of San Antonio, soon made famous by his
funny paragraphs. Not long after he trans
ferred his services to the Galveston Netos,
and his work had an immediate effect on the
popularity of that journal. His paragraphs
were widely copied and truly humorous. To
the writer Mr.. Sweet says: ~ was connected
with the Galveston Meas until May, 1881,
when removed to Austin and formed part
nership with Mr.J. Armory Knox for the
publication Of n weekly newspaper, TO be
called TeLds SiffiRgs, the prosperity Of which
has exceeded our most sanguine expectations.
It's circulation is now upwards of 10000, or
three times as much as any two papers In the
South. The name Is peculiar, and you may
be interested TO know how | happened 10 hit
upon IL. In 1870 was the San Antonio cor
respondent Of the Galveston Netcs The
managing editor of the Neass had a mania for
alliterative head lines. He published the
Houston correspondence under the heading
Of Houston Happenings the Dallas letter
appeared AZ Dallas Doings,' and my San An
tonic letter was dubbed San Antonio Sift-
ings' My jokes were credited in Northern
papers m San Antonio Siftings.' So the new
paper was christened Tezds Siftings, n name
which, like that given the steed of Don
Quixote, is sonorous and full of meaning"
Mr.. Sweet IL member of the Sweet family
which emigratad to New England frem the
mother country In the latter part OF the sew
enteenth century. The Sweets have inherit
ed a skill In surgery which, according 10 ira
dition, was acquired by one of their fore
fathers from an old French volume cast
ashore by the sea after wreck. They have
since been dubbed "the natural bone
settlers"