Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-19
DEAD! DEAD!
Tale of q Rival Newspaper and It's
Mild Editor.

Mild Editor.
Every body in Hopeville said that
Henry Petit was just the man to be
editor of live, progressive newspaper,
and the every body holding this opinion
included very decidedly Mr.. Henry
Petit himself. Mr.. Petit was editor and
proprietor of the Hopeville Millennium.
Why he had chosen this name for his
paper no one knew exactly, though it
was supposed, from the incidental re-
marks of the editor, that il was pro-
phetic, in a modest way, of the state OF
things to which he would ultimately
bring Hopeville and such of its popula-
ton as were subscribers for the paper
and paid for it promptly. Mr.. Petit
was small in stature. sharp of features,
and loud of voice. Journalistically, he
was in perpetual rage, a rage varying
in its intensity from the spitcfully
sarcastic to the bloodthirstily fero-
cious There seemed to be fam
tastic connection between his degrees
of aggressiveness and the style of
type used in his journal. Thus. when
treating of subject comparatively I'M
important, he contented himself with
the light musketry of solid nonpareil,
the smallest type in his Office. A mat
ter for more forcible denunciation re-
quired minion or brewer TO give it
proper weight; from this he sometimes
passed to hitter invcctive and the larger
type yclept long primer, and he had
been known, after vainly trying TO re-
.lieve his outraged feelings through the
medium of double-leaded plea, bristling
with exclamation points and distorted
by italics, to set all typographical pre-
cedent at defiance, and lombard his
readers with rhetorical and maledictory
cannon balls, manufactured from the
largest. heaviest and blacklist adver-
Using letters in his possession. He be-
Eeved thoroughly in aggressive jour
nalsm, and he always had fight on
his hands. He disproved the old adage
that lit takes two to make a quarrel"
by maintaining a perpetual dispute
with the world at large. without
even requiring his adversary to say a
word or add single spark to the fire
of rage that kept the quarrel at boiling
point.
The Millennium was a power in Hope
vile. and Henry Petit enjoyed the
proud consciousness that he had Shout
dered himself and his paper into
the front rank by sheer force of
energy and display of that fight
ing temperament which never fails
sooner or later, to win the respect of
a community. As result, he was
reaping both fame and good income
from the Millennium. He could perhaps
have got along more peacefully and
quietly than he did, had he chosen. but
atirition with the world seemed to be
essential to his enjoyment of life, and
he was always denouncing real or i'm
aginary evils. and lamenting that there
was not more of them against which
he could couch his lance in deadly as
sault. Mr.. Petit WAS entirely satisfied
with himself, and never took the trouble
TO inquire into his neighbours business.
IL was said of him that half the popula-
ton of the town might be carried of by
an epidemic. and unless the death
notices were sent TO the Millennium for
publication at regular rates, he would
never know that there had been a
funeral He rather prided himself on
this INSTRUMENTATION, and declared
that he despised curiosity save when its
indulgence WAS necessary for the sue
cessful prosecution of his business. In
that case. he added. it ceased to be
curiosity in the true and offensive sense
of the word.
One day an event took place at Hope
vile. which. for the moment. literally
paralyzed the editor of the Millennium
with astonishment. Then he recovered
his breath and retired to his little Office
TO try and realize the situation. A man
had actually come to Hopeville to start
another paperi Mr.. Petit at first could
hardly believe that such temerity could
pass unpublished by the supernatural
powers that watch over the interests Of
newspapers To think of a mana
stranger an interloper Ia fellow
from. no one knew where !-a-a-.
1t was of no use MIR. Pettit's breath
had gone again and he could only lean
back in his chair and gasp his amaze
ment at the new mans unparalleled
presumption. Meanwhile the new man
went on quietly with his preparations.
He looked over the ground, satisfied
himselfthat Hopeville needed his paper,
brought type and press and other ma
terial to the house he had rented. can
vassed the town for subscribers and
dyertisers with satisfactory results,
and published the first number of the
Iopeville Independent, taking no more
notice of Henry Petit and the Miile,s-
ium than if neither had existed. Con-
trary to Mr.. Pettit's confident predic-
lions. the new paper was ably edited.
newsy and bright, and WAS received by
the citizens with as much favor rs
the Millennium itself. Mr.. Petit came
across the Independent in the homes
of his friends, in stores, Offices
and places of public resort. and he
scowled darby He would show this
-ival editor that Hopeville needed only
one paper-the Milfcnium-and that
an attempt to establish anothe: would
be ut the expense of . continued and
bitter strife. So he went to hisnpfice
and wrote the following. which ap.
peared in the next issue Of the Aiile,s.
lam:
I've have been asked whether the rumor
that there 10 another weekly paper in Hope
willie f. based on fact We can not give
positive answer. tnougu VIC nave uohicco =
sickly looking sheet pasted on a bulletin
board outside Q house on - street As
this particular sheet is the only one We ever
cav we presume IL represents the whole cir
culatiou Of what our correspondent has per
haps heard called Q weekly paper. II 10
doubtful whether another issue will appear.
as we understand the alleged editor has a.
ready become disgufted with the want OF
success that has attended his e9orts 70 force
his dreamy rubbish down the throats OF the
Intelligent citizens of Hopeville-
The Niileniam was published every
Thursday and the Independent on Sat
urday. Mr.. Petit watched eagerly for
the next issue of his rival. and As soon
as he had secured q copy, looked all
over the paper for reply to his para
graph. Not word. The Independent
came out brighter and newsier than
ever, with well-considered, conserva-
tive editorial comments on the leading