The National tribune., 1884-09-11
apYrNa AT THE TOP.

"I shall die, too, at the top said Dean Swift
in mournful prophecy as he gazed at some trees
whose rotting branches stood up above mass
of green leaves
The announcement that conservator has
been appointed fer the estate of Wilbur r.
Storey, of the Chicago Times, tells how man
who has filed an immense space in American
journalism has been for many years dying at
the top"
w. F. Storey went to Chicago from Detroit
several years before the war. He had been
editor of paper at Jackson, Mich, and after
ward of tho Detroit Free Press He became
owner of the Chicago Times the Democratic
organ of the Northwest, and speedily made it
a power in the land. 1t was not very pleas
ant power, for Storey was bitterly aggressive
and sensational, if not absolutely unscrupulous
BE cared for nothing except attracting atten-
tion to his paper and making it SELL Private
character, reputation and domestic happiness
were nothing so long as he made paper that
people would go out of their way to hunt up
and buy. 1t was an era of journalism when
that sort of thing succeeded better than it does
in these more decent and honorable days For
tunately, we have no papers to-day at all ap-
1860 to 1875. Such paper would hardly live
or be permitted to live.
During the war the Times was so extreme in
its Copperheadism that the authorities ordered
its suppression, but the order was revoked 81
hours later.
Little as one may like the methods by which
Storey built up his paper it must be admitted
that he showed wonderful courage, industry,
perseverance and journalistic ability. His life
was continually threatened by those whom he
exposed or slandered, personal assaults on him
were frequent, and libel suits with heavy dam
ages of common occurrence.
Thus, for more than a score of years this
grim, sardonic old mana journalistic Ish-
maelite, whose hand was against every mans,
fought his bitter fight against whole CON-
munity and won. His paper was read all over
the West-though it was carefully excluded
from most homes-and became magnificent
property, the value of which, even now, is esti-
mated by the courts at $75O,0OO.
Up until 1871 the position of the Times as the
organ of the Democracy Of Illinois was recog-
nized by keeping Storey at the head of the
Democratic State Committee. In that year he
was deposed and C. II. Mccormick, the great
reaper-man, elected in his place. Storey imme-
diately withdrew from the party and made
the Times an Independent paper, which it has
remained ever since.
Storey IS union with his second wife was some
what irregular, but she seemed to be the one of
all the world that the savage, stern, cynical
old man loyed-even cared sincerely for, and
her death few years ago drove him almost
wild. he filed whole pages of the Times with
virulent abuse of the family physician who at
tended her through her last illness The ply
sician was at last stung into retorting that
things connected with Mrs. storeys early life
had made her cure impossible.
But deeply as he mourned her, Story was
not long in looking around for successor, and
within year after her death he married the
young lady for whom he has been building
mansion so magnificent that it has been called
Storey's Folly" and who viii be the owner
Of the Chicago Times when death releases the
present owner from the mental decay which
has sunk once commanding intellect into
piteous weakness.