Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-28
DEAD! DEAD!

A DEAD!
Tale of a Rival Newspaper and It's
Mild Editor.
Every body in Hopcville said that
Henry Petit was just the mar to be
editor of a live, progressive newspaper,
and The every body holding this opinion
included very decidedly Mr.. Henry
Petit himself. MIR. Petit was editor and
proprietor of the Hopeville Mulenium.
Why he had chosen this name for his
paper no N knew exactly, though it
was supposed. from the incidental re-
marks of the editor. that it was pro-
phetic. in a modest way, of the state of
things TO which he would ultimately
bring Hopeyilh 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 IL a perpetual rage, a rage varying
in its intensity from the spitcfullY
sarcastic 10 the bloodthirstily fero-
cious. There seemed to be u fam
tastic connection between his degrees
of aggressiveness and the style of
type used in his journal. Thus, when
treating of a subject comparatively I'M
important, he contcnted himself with
the light muskctry 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 bitter invcctivc and the larger
type yclept long primer. and he had
been known, after vainly trying to re-
Gcye his outraged feelings through the
medium of doublc-leaded plea, bristling
with exclamation points and distorted
by italics. to set all typographical pre-
cedcnt at defiance. and lombard his
readers withrhetorical aud maledictory
~cannon-balls, manufactured from the
largest. heaviest and BLACKLIST adver-
&ising letters in his possession. He be-
aieved thoroughly in aggressive jour
nalism, and he always had a fight on
his hands. He disprovcd the old adage
that sit takes two to make a quarrel"
10y maintaining a perpetual dispute
with the world at large. without
even requiring his adversary to say a
word or add a single spark to the fire
of rage that kept the quarrel at boiling
point.
The Ms2cnium was a power in Hope
vile. and Henry Petit enjoyed the
4Moud consciousness that he had shout
,InraA hn,onlF n,I lsn .,o -A-
tho front rank by sheer force of
energy and a display of that fight
ing temperament which never fails
sooner OF later, to win the respect of
a community. As a result, he was
gcaping both fame and a good income
from the millennium. He could perhaps
have got along more peacefully and
quietly than he did, had he chosen, but
attrition with the world seemed to be
essential to his enjoyment of life, and
Inc was always de%nouncing 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
asault. Mr.. Petit was entirely satisfied
with himself, and never tookthe trouble
TO inquire into his neighbours business.
1t was said of him that half the popula-
ton of the town might be carried off by
an epidemic, and unless the death
notices were sent to the Milenium for
publication at regular rates, he would
never know that there had been a
funeral. He rather prided himself on
this accommodation, 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 che word.
One day an event took place at Hope
vile, which, for the moment, literally
Daralyzcd the editor of the MiNeniun1
with establishment. Then he recovered
his breath and retired to his little office
to try andrcalize the situation. A mar
had actually come to Hopeville to start
another paper! Mr.. Petit at first could
hardly believe that such temerity could
pass unpublished by the supcrnatura1
powers that watch over the interests OF
newspapers To think of a mana
.stranger!-an intcr,oper IA fellow
from. no one knew where !-a-a-.
Ii was of no use! MI. Pettit's breath
had gone again and he could only lean
back in his chair and gasp his amaze
nent at the new mans unparalleled
presumption. Mcanwhilethe 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.
tcrial to the house he had rented, cam
vasscd the town for subscribers and
advertisers with satisfactory results,
and published the first number of the
Hopevillc Independent, taking no more
notice of Henry Petit and the MiAen.
lam than if neither had existed. Con
trary to MIR. Pettit's confident predic-
tons, the new paper was ably edited,
ncwsy and bright, and WAS received by
the citizens with as much favor as
the Mlcnium itself. Mr.. Petit came
across the independent in the homes
of his friends. in stores, offices
and places of public resort, and he
scowled darkly. Ho would show this
rival editor chat Bopeville needed only