The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-16
JOURNALISM In THE WEST.
Graphic Story of Bill Nye's First Experience
in the West.
! corOnet.


Address before Wisconsin Press Association.
my first experience in journalism was in a
Western town In which was total stranger L
went there with 30 cents, but had it concealed
in the lining of my clothes. so that no one would
have suspected it if they met me- had mn
friends and l noticed that when | got off the
train the band was not there to meet me- got
a chance to work on morning paper. It used
to 60 to press before dark so | had nv evenings
to myself, and | always liked that part Of it
frstrate l worked on that paper a year and
might have continued if the proprietors had not
changed it to an evening paper. Then a COM
pany incorporated itself and started a paper OF
which | took charge. The paper was published
in the loft of livery stable That is the reason
they called it stock company. You could
come up the stairs into the office, or you could
twist the tail of the iron-gra mule and take
the elevator.
ut wasn't much of paper, but it cost $16 COO
a year to run it, and it come out six DAYS in tha
week. no matter what the weather We
took the Associated Press news by telegraph
part of the time, and part of the time we relied
on a copy of the Cheyenne morning papers,
which we got of the conductor on the early
freight. We got great many special kilograms
from Washington in that way, and when tho
freight train got in late had to guess at what
Congress was doing and fix up a column of tee-
graph the best could There was a rival even
ing paper there, and sometimes it would send a
smart boy down to the train and get hold of our
special kilograms and sometimes the conductor
would go away picnic and take our Chey-
enne paper with him.
Sometimes the Indians would send US in an
item. 1t was most generally in the obituary
line. With the Sioux the north and the peace
full Utes on the south, we were pretty sure OF
some kind of news during the summer The
parks used to be occupied by white men winters
and Indian summers. Summer was really the
pleasantest time to go into the parks, but the
Indians had been in the habit Of going there at
that season, and they were clanish that tho
white man couldn't have much fun with them.
SO they decided that they would not go there III
the summer. Several of our best subscribers
were killed by the peaceful Utes.
1--WE had rising young horse thief in W.
oming in those days who got into jail by some
freak of justice, and it was so odd for horse
thief to get in jail that alluded to it editoriay-
This horse thief had distinguished himself from
the common vulgar horse thieves of his time by
wearing a large mouth a kind of fuldress,
eight-day mouth. He very seldom smiled, tut
when he did ne had to hold the top Of his head
on with both hands. | remember that spoke
of this in the paper forgetting that he might
criticse me when he got out of Jail. When ha
did get out again, he stated that he would shoot
me on sight but friends advised me not 20 have
his blood on my hands and took their advice
so haven't particle of his blood on my hands.
For two or three months l didn't know but he's
would drop into the Office any minute and criti-
else me, but one day a friend Gold that he had
been hanged in Montana Then l began Tor
mnge in society again, and didn't have to get i'm
my Goa! with double-barrel shotgun any more.
After that was always conservative in regard
to horse-thiev until we got the report Of tAss
vigilance committee"