Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-02-20
TRAGEDIES OF THE SANCTUAI.


the newspaper men of New York over the
tragical ending, few days ago, Of the life
Of John L. Wood, familiarity known as Doc
Wood, the 'Great American Condenser" OF
the Sun, by shock and exposure through
falling into the ice.bound river at midnight.
The tragedy Of his death bringssto my
mind Il score Of other tragedies Of the sane
tum that have cast a lurid light oyer the
years Of my career upon the press of New
| York l will tell of !. few of the more
notable Of them without going far back in
my memory.
The first editor Of the New York UIoId,
which was started Us ali orthodox religious
paper, was Mr.. Spaulding, grave, taciturn
! man Of large frame and powerful intellect.
When the World fell into financial straits
and threw religi ion overheard, about 1868,
llr Spaulding took Il place upon the edi-
toriai staff Of the Times, under Henry j.
RAYMOND, whose first assistant I then was
and there lie showed himself to be the
bodcSt master Of political invective ever
known on the American press. To recruit
bis health, he made Il voyage 10 New
Orleans but Oh an excursion up the Missis-
sippi his boat met with i'll luck, and he was
cast OIL Il deserted bank of land, where he
was almost starved TO death. The first /
knew of his return to New York was at Il
very late hour OF one night, when, being
on duty in the editorial quarters Of
the Times, ii whistle up the pipe" from
the publication Office, and message
tna; Mr.. Spaulding had muttered my
name. hurried me down stairs found him
PROSTATE Oh his back upon the stone floor
ing, evidently struck hy paralysis, and en-
trely unconscious. In Il few moments he
caught my voice, and began stammering out
Latin words, dsiolnted quotations from
Virgil, Horace, aud his other iavorite auth
ors. occasionally pressing his head with his
hands, and breaking into a sort CT wild
iaugh. Ii was after midnight by the City
lIa!! clock when left his side, FASTENED
over ~ the old New York hospital, then III
| Broadway, rang up the young docinr in
charge. who agreed to take Him III, returned
| ia The Times with II stretChcr, called down
| four compositOrs, who lifted the PROSTATE
| man from the floor, and accompanied them
| back 10 the hospital, where saw him placed
safety upon 4 cot under Il doctors charge.
| it was half an hour of the time for going Ia
press when | got back to the editor. sane
tum, and il the editorial columns Of next
| DAVIS Times were short or otherwise imper-
|
| Though Mr. Spauding was over fifty years
old. he had been married but Il few months
before. and in the morning | tclegraphed TO
his young wife, then III one OF the towns up
| the Hudson river, who appeared 1t the hos
pital il very few hours. She tended him
| devotedly during 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 afterWard bowed his head III
| death. In this tragical way ended tho life
| of the first editor OF the New York World,
a man of great soul and honest purpose.
Even more tragical was the closing scene,
| in June 1869, of the life of Henry J. Ray
| mond himself, the distinguished founder and
| editor Of the New York Times He had
| been ut the Times office OH the afternoon Of
| the ught in which he was found dead, and
| inquired for me, but happened to be en-
| gagged elsewhere in a work which he had
| put upon Inc, writing a criticism of Wool
sey's Reform Against Nature" then just
published. Leaving word that he desired
to seq me rs soon as possible, he left the Of
flee in his usual cherry mood, took dinner
| at his house in 9th street, and then went to
a political meeting. But little is known of
his subsequent movements until after mid
night of that day June is, when his wife,who
was drawn down stairs by hearing 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 vet cleared up. In the very
early years OF nay manhood Mr.. Raymond
had given me my first opportunity on the
press by inviting me to his paper, and dur
inc the ten years that preceded, included,
and followed by the great war for abolition
Tor from 1859 to 1861 when 1 was his daily
associate, he proved himself to be the most
amiablc of men, as he was one of the most
accomplished editors.
But set out to tell, with the fewest words,
the tragedies of a score of New York editors
of nv acquaintance, i'll sing gle column, and
already | find it nearly full.
The tragedy of the death in madhouse
of Horace Greeley, the founder and editor
of the New York Tribuae-who has not been
shocked by the story oft?
The tragedy of the death OF the venerable
noet, William Cullen Bryant, editor of the
Ereniag Post, who fell before my eyes un-
dera sun stroke in the Central Park five
Years ago, was told in this paper of Decem-
Der 80.
How suddenly and unexpectedly, in the
summer of last year, death struck my assoc
iote VIM. 0. Bartlett, of the Sun, a man O.
Great mind and great heart.
The tragedy of the death last September
of tho iovial Hugh J. Hastings, the editor
n the &C C1mmerciaI Adrertiser of this city, wa:
caused Cau through shock which be got wher
his his carriage came in collision with an ez
= How Suddenly and grievously, in Decem
, ber last fell William t. Clarke, editor OF th
New York Star, the good and talented man
who had so often thought it his duty TO as
sail me for the deeds that did under th
highest sense of duty. ~,