The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-15
New York Editors.


Erastus Brooks was the third distinguished
man that finished his course on Staten
Island, the other two having been Daniel ID.
Tompkins and Aaron Burr, both ex-vice-
presidents. Burr went to Staten Island in
order to visit his cousin, Ogden Edwards,
who has a summer residence there. Edwards
had been successful as lawyer and had
also held the office of circuit Judge. He
always welcomed his notorious kinsman,
who, during this visit, was taken i'll and
never recovered Brooks made an interest
ing evening paper, and though the Erpress
never took leading position, it had at one
time remUuerative circulation. Among
the evening editors of that day were Major
Noah of the EUening star, also William L.,
Stone of the Commercial AdUertiser, both of
whom were wings, though not bitter parti-
sans. The Ecening Post was the only demo-
cratic evening paper, and Bryant had a rich
party patronage, but he gave it up when he
saw that patriotism demanded different
course. Nordhoff was an evening editor
then, ana was manager of the Post, but he
is equally successful on the Herald. John
Bigelow is one of the retired evening edit
ors, having made enough out of the EUen-
ing Post, in addition to his diplomatic salary,
TO live in elegant retirement. Parke God
win is now the Oldest evening editor, and
holds large interest in the Commercial Id
Uertiser. He inherited fortune from Bry-
ant, who made more money than any other
l.
Weed. Goodwin owns the largest share in
the Bryant building, which is occupied by
Offices and yields an income of 100000 a
year. Erastus Brooks did not make as much
as the other evening editors, but he told me
ten years ago that he had 500, 900 invested
in good property, and this is certainly do
ing very well. Weed, however, left "A half
million, and Bryants estate was almost
equal. James Brooks (brother of Erastus)
married fortune, and that led him to re-
init his application to journalism, and the
EIpreSS, which had been sustained by mu-
tual labor, soon began to wane. James Wat
son Webb also was enriched by marriage,
which brought him the wealth of an opu-
lent distiller Coming down to the present
day, Whitelaw Reid has made the best mat
rimonial hit and the wealth of ID. o. Mills has
enabled the once poor editor to become the
proprietor both of the Tribune and also a
palace in Madison avenue. Joseph Pulitzer
obtained wealth in the same manner and
this gave him his start in New York Journal
ism. Bennett, on the other hand, married
poor girl, whose parents kept thread and
needle store. Greeley married school
teacher, whom he first met in his boarding
house Erastus Brooks was seventy-one,
but Bryant, who was the oldest of the even
ing editors, went past four-sCore and died in
harness. Greeley died at sixty-two, but
would probably have lived longer had he
not suffered such exhaustion during that
important presidential campaign, which was
the great blunder of his life Raymond died
at fifty-two, the victim of overwork His
death was sudden beyond any parallel in
the editorial record / saw him one day
walking toward his office in apparently good
health, and the very next issue of his own
paper was in mourning for his death. Turn
ing from the dead to the living, it may be
said that Parke Goodwin is just three-score-
and-ten, and Dana is only two years younger
George Jones is in his seventies, and even
W hltelaw Reid Is fifty. Joseph Pulitzer is
about the same age, and thus one sees that
even the young men of the profession are
rapidly advancing into the ranks of Father
Time.-NeU YORK. Letter.