Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1886-07-12
HOW HE GOT THE BLUES.
A Newspaper Mans Experience as a
Manufacturer OF indigo

Oakland boat with friend, the other
day, when the chattee said to him: "Did
you ever see blonde Indianp" The
reporter for once admitted there was
something he had not seen, lingering
on the admission long enough to give
the angel of record whack at the in
cident. Pointing across the deck his
friend indicated close knit, tall. busi-
nesslike man, who, sure enough, in his
features, was perfect image of Black
Hawk, chief of the Sacs and Foxes, al
belt he was blonde, and sandy as the
typical Scotchman. "Know himP"
said the party of the second part.
"NoP Why, that's Jim Woodard, who
did more to give The Cincinnati En-
quirer reputation by his "Jayhawker''
letters than Gath has done by his top
loftical tumblings in the same paper
Woodard is now the San Francisco
agent of the Wabash road, trying to
recoup himself for losses"
The reporters fancy was reused by
the statement that newspaper man
ever had anything to lose, and there
fore drew out this tale. which began on
the boat and was successfully finished in
q California street cigar store while
lighting two of the ''stinkers' of the
period:
In many respects Woodard is a re-
markable genius. He is the product of
Warren county, Indiana. from whence
he went to war in the union cause, and
1T was during his service in the field
that he developed, in his correspondence
to local papers, those marked character
istics as a newspaper writer which sub
sequently made him somewhat ia
nous character in the journalistic pro-
fession. He somehow got an unde-
served reputation for being studious
and uncOmpromsing liar. Those most
familiar with him are sincere in believ-
ing that Woodland was honest and con-
scientious in his work, much of which,
however, sensational, was usually found
to be truthful, and was never gosspy
or scandalous. Next to newspaper
work, Woodard had weakness for
railroadinS: and for q number of years
past he has had more or less interest in
various enterprises of that kind. After
the close of the war Woodland went to
Tennessee, got into politics, and ulti-
mately into the legislature. By one
deal and another he had managed to
save up something like $4,000. About
the time his handbook showed balance
represented by those figures mysteri-
Gus individual came to Memphis, rent
ed rooms, and with closed doors and
blinded windows he pursued some sort
of star-chamber Investigations and ex-
periments, about which the curious
manifested much interest, but could
learn nothing more definite than that
little which they CLEANED from the my
sterious strangers frequent visit to
drug stores and his purchase of divers
compounds
In the course of few weeks Wood
ard was taken into the confidence of
the weird alchemist, who told a fairy
story of what he had finally accom-
plished after years of patient toll and
industry, and at the sacrifice of for
tune which had been left him by his
father, then deceased. In brief he had
discovered process for the manufac-
ture of artificial indigo by a combina-
ton of chemicals and minerals, by
which the cost of production could be
reduced to a mere bagatelle The
solemn-visaged alchemist was plethOric
of statistics and pregnant with visions
of untold profits. But he was broke
and wanted partner to help turn the
discovery to profit. The sincerity and
enthusiasm of the man had turned the
head of the shrewd and worldly jour
nalist, and for the first and probably
Al. L., So IL