The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-28
HENRY w. GRADY.
Career of the Atlanta Constitution Man Who
Speaks for the New South

Career of the Atlanta Constitution Man Who
Speaks for the New South.
New York Star.
Henry Walsingham Grady, who has won fame
by his speech at the New England dinner, re-
NAMED at the Fifth Avenue yesterday instead
of returning home, as was his intention. Humid
dreds of people called to congratulate him over
his now celebrated speech
A gentleman, a publisher in New York
who was once editor of an Atlanta daily, talked
to Star reporter, yesterday, about Henry w.
Grady 81 know him quite WE'LL" he
said, "and have had some tits with
him through rival editorial columns
He is about thirty-fve years old. He
was graduated from the University of Georgia at
the age of eighteen. In the university he was
conspicuous not only for his mental aptness, but
for the heartiness and success with which he en-
tered into athletic sports He had the reputa-
ton of being the fastest runner at the univer-
sity Immediately after leaving college, while
on visit to Atlanta, he volunteered TO 60 as the
Constitutions correspondent an excursion
provided by Governor Bulloch, taking in a
trip over the Western Atlantic railroad
and by steamer from Rome down the
Coosa river into Alabama. The party was gone
a week, and Grady wrote a letter each day over
the nom de plume of King Hans" They were
the most brilliant letters of correspondence that
ever fell from the pen of an eiehteen-year- old
boy and precipitated him into enviable notice as
writer. For while he edited daily in Rome,
but afterward, in 1871, went to Atlanta. where,
Alexander St Clar-Abrams he published and
edited the Atlanta Herald. the existence of which,
though brief was breezy.
ST Clair abrams himself was pungent
writer, but in a short time Grady carried off the
honors of the staff and for two years made the
Herald the most brilliant paper that had ever
existed south of Mason and Dixon's line. It was
published on the high pressure plan. If the rail-
road schedules did not suit them, they chartered
special engines on the different roads to carry
few hundred papers to their subscribers
along the line, the plea being to
get ahead Of the Macon papers. 1t was a
paper characteristic of Atlanta grit and
of youthful rashness. There were weeks when
the Herald paid more money daily for special
engines than was probably taken in at the
counting room. Finally the paper went down
with crash, but young Grady held over its
ruin a reputation writer that was good
connected as correspondent with the Louisville
CourierJ Journal and New York Herald. At times
his pen is an idler, and the readers Of the Con
stitution who admire his work so much, grumble
at the shortness of the provender he
is desired to provide. When the numor
for work comes on, which might be termed in
spiration, he can throw off more columns of
crisper reading in given length of time than
any writer In America. When II. Victor New
combe became president of the Louisville 81
Nashville railroad he took liking to Henry
Grady, and it is said, gave him points, if not
material assistance, so that Grady bought large
ly of Louisville % Nashville stock with mar
gins, and within few months made number
of thousand dollars, with which he bought a
third interest in the Atlanta Constitution. He
is an open handed fellow and universally popu-
lar. think his speech, the other day. was the
greatest delivered in this country since the wars