Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-17
GREAT WESTERN ENTERPRISE.
The stories which the Newspaper Men
Of Denver COncOcted About mr.. Cook.

The Stories which the Newspaper Men
Of Denver OOncOcted About mr.. Cook.
From the OtacinnGtf Su~.
One Of the reporters took 1t into his
head once to have little fun at my ex-
pense, and he wrote column of the
most interesting matter about Cooks
Steam Horse" he described a fiery iron
steed which was supposed to have in
vented, telling all about how the legs, tail
and head worked, and how it could De
perfectly controlled by pressing KNOB
here or turning a screw there, ana mace
II out a very wonderful animal lts
strength was prodigIOus, and 1t would
simply reVOlutiOniZe motive power ID THIS
country. The article was so serious ana
the description so plausible that more
than half the people Of Denver believed u
was straight goods. In tact it was so
slick that III be id II most Of the big
papers East didn't copy IL,
Wen, was kept busy right along an
swering questions about my steam horse.
Pretty soon after that l came East, and
the liar announced that l was going 10
Washington TO secure a patent on the ma
chine. The day after / left be published
q especial telegram stating that the To-
connective had become disabled on the
way and that had unpacked my horse
and pulled the train along, to the aston
ishmenJ and delight OF the passengers,
who otherwise would have persisted from
cold and hunger.
While was East met cOrrespon-
dent Of the paper at Washington and went
with him to see LangtrY. A few days la
ter the paper contained long article, de-
scribing me as masher and announcing
that Freddie Gerhard had been thrown
overheard and that 1 was enthrOned in
the English beauty's heart. That article
was also copied a good deal. had not
been able, of course, to get Langtry to
look at me. But the article wound up by
stating that she had promised to send me
her favorite pug dog as soon as she ar
rived at her home in England.
AS soon as l got back TO Denver after
my trip that imaginative fabricator pub
lished an alleged interview with me, in
which ! asked him to say TO the people
that l would the next day give an exhIbi-
ton of my perfected steam horse, having
received my patent papers, and would be
pleased to have everybody in Denver
come to my Office and see it, the test to be
made in the back yard. Public excite
ment had been aroused, and the crowd
which came was enormous. l could do
nothing but slip out the back way and
hide myself. But that unabashed man
had the "gall' TO print a column the next
day giving an elaborate and highly ornate
account of the actions of the horse, which
he said were so perfect an imitation of
the movements of real horse that The
crowd present were delighted and enrap-
tured. Oh, he is the champion liarI
A few moments after that an article
came out illustrating the arrival of the
pug dog Langtry had promised me. First
was shown picture Of the dog as he
started from his mistress loving en-
brace-a sleek, fat and happy canine.
Then the writer described the horrors of
the long journey, and finished with pic
ture of the arrival in Denver, poor,
thin, weeping pup, which almost made
you cry to look at it. 1t made the state
ment that would not sell the present tor
$500, for it had cost me just that amount
for wine while ingratiating myself in
Langtry's affections.