The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-03-21
"This," said he, sis the national pre-
caution against rigandage in Sicily"
George 4, OynlsGy. in Boston Courier.

"This," said he, sis the national pre-
caution against brigandage in Sicily"
George T., Ornssty. in Boston Courier.
TRAGEDIES OF THE Sane
TUM.
Closing Scenes In the Lives OF Some
New York Editors.
The first edssr of the New York
World. which was started as an ortho-
dox religious, pAper. was Mr.. Spauld-
ing, grave, 5taciturn man of large
frame and pswerful intellect. When
the World fell into financial straits, and
threw religion overheard, about 1868,
Mr.. SpauldinE took place upon the
editorial stat of tho Times, under Hen
ry j. RaymLs,i, whose first assistant /
then was; and there he showed himself
to be the boldest master of political
invective ever known on the American
press. To- acruit his health, he made
o voyage to New Orleans, but on an
excursion up the Mississippi his boat
met with il~~@c ok, and he was cast on q
deserted T. of land, where he almost
starved Il h. The first knew of
his retur. .ew York was at very
late hour oT one night, when, being on
duty in the editorial quarters of the
Times. 'twhistle up the pipe" from
the publication Office, and q message
that Mr.. Spaulding had muttered my
name hurried me DOWNSTAIRS. 1
found him PROSTATE on his back upon
the stone flooring, and evidently struck
by paralysis, and entirely unconscious.
In .ew moments he caught my voice,
| and began stammering out Latin
words, dsJolnted quotations from Vir-
gil, Horace, and his other favorite au-
thors, occasionally pressing his head
with his hands and breaking into sort
of wild laugh. 1t was after midnight
by the city hall clock when / left his
side, fastened over to the old New
York hospital, then in Broadway, rang
up tho young doctor in charge, who
agreed to take him in, returned to the
Times with stretcher, called down
four compositors, who lifted the pros
trate man from the floor, and accom-
panied them back to the hospital,
where saw him placed safely upon a
cot under u DOCTORS charge. 1t was
half an hour of the time for going to
press when I got back to the editors
sanctum. If the editorial columns of
next days Times were short or other
wise imperfect the reason is now for
the first time told. Though Mr..
Spaulding was over so years old, he
had been married but few months be-
fore. and in the morning l tclegraphed
to his young wife, then in one of the
towns up the Hudson river, who ap-
peared at the hospital in a very few
hours. She tended him devotedly dur
ing the days in which he could not be
removed from the cot, and then had
him taken to her fathers country
home, where he soon after bowed his
head in death. In this tragical way
ended the life of tho first editor of the
New York World, man of great soul
and honest purpose.
Even more tragical was the closing
scene, in June, 1869, of the life of Hem
ry j. Raymond himself. the distin-
guishcd founder and editor of the New
York Times. He had been at the
Times Office on the afternoon of the
night in which he was found dead, and
inquired for me; but happened to be
engaged olsewkcrc IN work which ne
had put upon me, writing criticism of
Woolsey's Reform Against Nature"
then just published. Leaving word
that he desired to see me as soon as
possible, he left the Office in his usual
CHEEKY mood, took dinner at his house
on Ninth street, and then went to q So-
litical meeting. But little is known of
bic cuhcnrpnnt Ynnuomanfc until oftor.
midnight of that day Dune lS. when
his wife, who was drawn downstairs by
hearing q noise, found him lying dead
at the door of his house. In the midst
of great career in the press and in
politics, his life ended in tragedy never
yet cleared up. In the very early
years of my manhood, Mr.. Raymond
had given me my first opportunity on
tho press by inviting me to his paper,
and during the ten years that proceed
ed, included, and followed the great
war for abolition (or from 1859 to
1869, when was his daily associate,
he proved himself to DO the most amia-
bic OF men, as he was one of the most
accomplished editors.
But set out to tell, with the fewest
York editors of my acquaintance.
The tragedy of the death in q mad
house of Horace Greeley, the founder
and editor of the New York Tribune
who has not been shocked by the story
of it?
The tragedy of the death of the ven
cradle poet, William Cullen Bryant,
editor of the Eveni's2 Posi-, who fell be-
tore my eyes under q sunstroke in the
Central park five years ago. was told
n this paper of December 80.
How suddenly and Unexpectedly, in
she summer of last year, death struck
my associate. William o. Bartlett, of
the Sun, man OF great mind and great
heart.
The tragedy of the death last Sep
TENDER of the jovial Hugh j. Hastings,
the editor of the Commercial advertiser,
of this city, was caused through a
shock which he got when his carriage
came in collision with an express wag-
on.
How suddenly and grievously in De-
cember last fell William L. Clarke, ed
itor of the New York Star, the good
and talented man, who had so often
thought it his duty to assail me for the
deeds that l did under the highest
sense of duty.
The managing editor of the New
York Herald during nearly the whole
of the life of the elder Bennett was Mr..
Hudson, who came to tragical end in
the Massachusetts town of Concord, a
few years ago, through being crushed
by railway train.
Time fails me to tell of the lesser
lights-Chase of the Herald, Ned Sey-
mour and Mills of the Times, Adams
of the Sam, and how many others.
What line of tragedies of the sane
tum is enrolled before my eyes!-trag-
edies which have shocked my spirit ev-
cry year since first stood, as o strip
ling, within tho innermost circles of
the daily press of New York.
The tragedy of poor Doc Wood is the
latest on the roll.-John Ss0intos,'s Pa
per.
NM