Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-14
A GREAT EDITOR.
Interesting Incidents in the Life Of
Wilbur r. Storey.
l1ls gnAuenee on Western Journals
Ism-His Methods a. Q Publisher
and Edisor-Personal Traiss
THE End.

Hls gnAuenee on western journal.
ism-His Methods ~ Publisher
and Edisor-Personal Traiss
THE End.
Chicago Herald.l :.
The intellectual death of Wilbur F. Storey,
which was formally declared in Judge
Knickerbocker's court the other day, vii.
soon be followed by the physical dissolution
OF that once celebrated journalist When
the mind is gone to the body must soon 60
also. He IL old beyond his years The iron
will which made him great has been broken.
The dauntless courage, the pride. the daring,
the broad resourceful brain. the powers
which made him hated, feared and admired
all have vanished. leaving behind liter
ally piece of human clay if the vital
spark had fed from the old mans heart.
The Wilbur +. Storey whom the people have
known by reputation for generation exists
no longer His shattered body only is left.
waiting upon the judgment.
MIR. Storey's influence on western Journal
ism has been almost incalculable. When lie
appeared in Chicago as a publisher and cd
itor, western newspapers were for the most
part reprints Of publications at the east
With small resources Mr.. Storey embarked
on n system OF expenditure heretofore I'M
known. OF nearly every important feature
Of the blanket journalism Of the day he was
the pioneer He led the way in everything,
and not until the mind which never wearied
Of planning great enterprises and authorizing
enormous expenditures failed him did any
other newspaper rival his own. For many.
years he was an indefatigablc worker. He
almost lived in his Office. The first man at
work in the morning, he WINS frequently the
last to leave at night He was master Of
the business, and he gave To every detail
his personal attention. He organized his staff
for work and not for ornament. He was the
sole head. There were chiefs Of departments
but no one employee could lord it over an
other Every one could appeal to the odd
man" and boy was quite as apt to lie list
ened TO patiently as sn old meml@r of the
staff.
He would not confer the title Of managing
editor upon any employe until his evh failing
health made it absolutely necessary that
there should he an active and responsible
chief. When he started an evening paper in
1876 lie attempted to manage that also as be
bad his morning paper, hut finding the task
too onerous he at length in brief notes in
formed the various heads Of departments
that he had appointed manager for the
evening paper.
After this paper had been running eight or
ten weeks the business Office sent n statement
TO Mr.. Storey showing that the loss conse-
quent upon its publication had been about
81, 900 a week He summoned the managing
editor and showed him the figures, with some
remark expressive of disappointment.
That is not very bod" said the employee
Il supposed, OF course. You expected To sink
e100. 600 before you got it established"
swell, | didn't any such d. thing" re-
piled Mr.. Storey. 1T is good paper and it
ought to pay right away. What will We do
with It'll"
Throttle it, said the manager.
And thu ottle it he did the next dav
During all this period Of hard work, ad-
versity and in some sense failure. Mr.. Storey
was man Of simple tastes He lived Mt q
hotel, kept no servants, dressed plainly, and
in his Office preferred a common pine table
to the most ornamental desk that could 10
furnished He was full OF nervous force,
WINS cxci;able and irritable and apparently
III at ease with the world and with himself
His domestic and business troubles wore on
him and made him sullei and petulent
When the great fire swept away the city
it almost crushed him, md Tor day or two
be was inclined TO give up the struggle. The
disaster had come upon him at n
time when success APPEARED to be
in his grasp and he could not
: n.emplate with hope another combat such
as that from which, he had so recently
emerged. When he was filed with the
gloomiest forebodings as to the future be
was handed telegram from a friend in
Michigan authorizing him to draw for S5O-
eco and the next day his newspaper reap
peared- As soon rs arrangements could he
perfected he had new material and presses at
hand, and the journal which he then pro-
duced became the marvel Of the world So
far as typographical appearance, vigor and
freshness went he never improved upon it.
Success was instantaneous.
During the six or eight Year, Immediately
following the fire Mr.. Storey may be said &c
to have been In the prime Of q successful
career He gave his personal attention to
every detail Of the work and by his example
inspired his associates with o zeal not often
witnessed. He surrounded himself with a
large and high-priced staff and exncted from
Il tho strictest adherence to certain fixed
principles. Having been happily married he
ceased to visit the Office nights, but during
the day he was always at his post. No
error Of makeup, no failure to obtain
news, no imperfectly handled subject ever
escaped his notice 1t used to be a ira
dition in the Office that the old man read
nothing but the mistakes. His rules for
making up the paper were so exact that Il
was almost impossible in the haste Of putting
90 large paper together not TO make so,no
trifling violations of the general scheme, but
he always called attention to them and con-
demned them. Nothing was right with him
unless it was exactly right For long time
he was so particular about classification that
he would not give his consent to the printing
of a dispatch unless it could be put where it
belonged. Thus, Il casualty came in too
late &c 60 with the casualties, but early
enough to be squeezed in on another page
not yet sent TO the stereotyper, it was to DO
left out He would not have the symmetry
Of the paper marred even if certain intelli-
gence was kept from the reader Later ON
under the advice of employees he changed
this rule to some extent
It was q common remark with him that
any thing that was worth printing was worth
telegraphing. do not spend money for
things that are Of no account" he would say,
@but when news is on foot and it costs money
to get 1t, pour the money out" He wanted
a special telegram about everything of i'm
portance, and some Of his employees. appreci-
ating how severe would be his criticism if no
special appeared on certain subjects, fell
into the habit when not sure Of prompt SER
vice in any one quarter, Of ordering from q
dozen points In such cases it frequently
happened that three or four long and costly
dispatches would be received on the same
subject, only one OF which would be printed.
He never grumbled at that wastefulness
when told that it appeared TO be
necessary in order TO make sure that the
paper would not be left" The employe
who would not take the trouble to order a
special on anything that CHANGED to come UP
be despised. While thus lavish in big things
Mr.. Storey was economical in small things
He would turn down tAs gas that hs saw
burning neeilssiy, and any other wasteful-
aess caused him great indignation.
One night he strolled into the telegraph
room, where 1t 30 happened but one man, a
newcomer, was at that moment at work
The employe did not know Mr.. Storey, but
he said nothing The "old man" sat on the
arm ~ a cDdl., ana, SclzlnX q IOt OF copy
paper, began making letter SIS on it, one to
sheet As he would write T. big S he would
throw the sheet on the floor End take another
One. The empioye spoke at last:
b Say, that ;aIer costs money. Don't be
throwing 1t around in that way"
Mr. Storey rose and walked out witbou
saying anything. The employe afterwarI
b.cainc managing editor.
Excuses arrc poor things TO go him with.
Il mad" mistake about that said an edi.
tor 10 him once. Il don't hire you to mako
mistahe-, was the quick response. BE "a
little careful how you make excuses to the
old man n standing motto in the Office.
He would have more patience with man
who todd him lie had done wrung through
mistaken Judgment than he would for any
other prAext II Was almost impossible to
MAKE amy other explanation which Mr..
Storey would not instantly and nlercilessly
asssil with greater yeheInence than he had
The original ofense.
4 copy reeder whose work bad been slow
and unsatisfactory, was brought to book for
something. and the chief under whose i'm
mediate supervision he WIS explained that he
had an awful sight Of work and couldn't
gel through with it.
That's no excuse at ALL observed Ar.
Storey. If you ars short of help hire more.
y" has right 10 have more work in this
oni'r Than he can do properly. Don't ever
nsk. such an excuse again