The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-02-12
How an Editor Won't Down.

AS to the missing New FORK editor,
1t is said Mr.. S. S. Conant not only
burned life's taper st both ends but he
held hot poker in the middle. sup
pose he thought that because he was
man Of large physique and naturally
robust constitution he could stand
more work than most Iaeh::~but as a
rule, it is the small why rnen who can
do the most work without feeling it,
MI. Conant has Teen journolist all the
working years of his life. He began rs
a reporter on the New Yo,6 Times.
Then he was city editor, and finally
managing editor. And from the Times
he vent to Harper's as editor Of the
We J position he has filled for If
teen { sixteen years. He not only
discharged the duties of his editor
ship, which were anything but light
for the work of editing weekly illus
trated paper is never done, there is so
much looking ahead that the editor is
always Oh the jump-but he also read
a great many Of the manuscripts
that were submitted to Harper
g. Brothers. for his CT inions were
particularly sound. TheI he was an
executive officer in the Masonic order,
and that kept him busy in the even
ing. / don't believe that he realized
that he was doing too much work,
and [ don't believe that Harper Il
| Brothers realized it, either, things
seemed to go so quietly with him. He
had acquired the journalistic habit of
sitting up nearly all night, and it was
generally long after midnight before
| he got to his bed. The other journal
istic habit of sleeping late in the
morning, however, he did not indulge
in, for he was at his desk at o'clock.
| Living in Brooklyn, this means that
he got up at a pretty early hour.
Sleep, believe, is one Of the most
necessary things in the life OF man
of letters. An editors brain is never
at rest except in his sleeping hours,
and if he is using it eighteen hours
out of the twenty-four he is using it
! beyond its power of endurance. Mr..
Conant has complained recently OF a
queer feeling in his head, bat he did
not seem to think that it was any
thing serious. On Friday, the 10th of
this month, 1t bothered him good
deal, and he said to Mr. Harry Harper
that he did not know what was the
matter with him, his head felt so
strangely. Mr.. Harper told him
he had better go homo at
| once, and little excursion TO
Albany was proposed by way of re-
creation. MIR. ConaDt acted upon his
advice and left the Office earlier than
usual, and Las not been heard from
since. He was traced to hotel OIL
Fulton street, where he stayed on Fri
day night; but since then all ciews
are lost. HIS didn't register till the
next morning, and although +Wo of
Harpers men were in the hotel lock.
ing for him they didn't know that he
was there. Detectives are working
night and day on the case, but have
apparently made NJ discoveries Of any
Importance.
I OF all the men l know, Mr.. Conant
is the last one l would suspect of any
arrangement of this sort. AS L have
said he was man of large build, aud
apparently of excellent health He
was feet 10 inches IN his stockings,
and weighed about $50 or 1870 POUNDS;
his hair is slightly spriDkled with gray
and falls over his fc ehead. He wears
light mustache il the style of Mac
duff, the mustache raining in with a
whisp of beard, which gives it the
appearance OF being much 10 Iger than
it really is. His appearance, alto
gether, is not unlike the Scottish chief,
or OF the representatives of him that
we see upon the stage.