Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-05
FIRST COUSIN TO A MISER.
PINCH-PENSY CHARACFEKIS
TICS OF EDITOR BROOKS.

NEW Ohh. b6C. r. w I'LL IUb uedbu
Erastus Brooks, the last of the old news
paper stars drops from the armament. He
was prominent figure in New York
journalism when Horace Greeley started
the Tribune and long before the elder
Bennett was IN his prime. He broke many
lance with James Watson Webb, j..
Maj. Mordecai Noah, and William Cullen
Bryant before the age OF the telegraph.
Henry j. Raymond was a mere boy when
Eratus was making his hardest Eewspa-
per fights. Brooks, even 10 his old age,
was as straight and as swarthy as an In
dian. His cheek bones were as prominent
as those of Red Cloud, and his eyes were
small, black and swapping. He was prim
and antiquated. he wore neither beard
nor moustache, and to the day of his death
invariably shaved himself. He had extra
ordinary self-cOmmand, and he rarely
gave way to anger. His editorial articles
were always written in terse Anglo
Saxon, and his ideas were never clothed in
yerbiSge. He bad all the newspaper in
stincts Of the elder Bennett, but they were
checked by the excessive csutiousness
that marks natural love of money. The
organ of acquisitiveness in Erastus
Brooks was abnormally developed. He
worked day and night, and he stored all
that he earned. No man ever clung closer
to his earnings. Certain it is that he new r
was known TO give dollar to the needy
and the suffering. 1t was amusing to see
him avoid Sisters of Charity when they
entered his sanctum. He neither loaned
nor borrowed money. He would lend his
time and his pen to charitable missions,
but his pocket book was always closed.
But Tor his inherent penuriousness he
might have founded a newspaper that
would havo equalled the Herald in wealth
and influence. After the death of his
brother the Express lost it's power and its
circulation. 1t ran on the impetus given
it In the days of it's success, until. like a
top.it made its last spin, and wabbled over
on it's side.
1t was at this time that John Kelly and
Iammany Hall bought out two fifth in
terest. The newspaper had barely 1000
circulation. Its columns were filed with
dead advertisements. The type was worn
out. and the presses were old fashioned
and rickety. 1t had a news editor who
was getting $40 week and an assistant
who received S.. The news came from
associations. which sent In "manitold
copy" at nominal sums. There were TWO
reporters who wrote a little local news
for the privilege OF grinding axes for their
friends. Its only solid man was its finan-
cial editor, who turned in half the paying
advertisements. The news was mixed
with the advertisements and bewilder-
Ingly scattered. A dog fight might be
strung through the five editions. The
tail OF 1t would appear IN the first page,
and the head of it be found OF the fourth
page. When Sam Bowles spent night
in Ludlow street jail in 1869 on the charge
Of libeiling Col. james j. Fisk, Jr., be
was delighted to find COPY of the Ex-
press in his cell.
81 spent the evening"" he said, sin try
ing to fathom the mysteries of its make
up. Time never flew so fast before"
Under Kelly's management new life
was breathed into the newspaper. Its
columns became bright and sparkling,
and in tive months its circulation ran up
to 5000. Mr.. Brooks retained control of
it's editorial columns, with the under
standing that he should not go contrary
to Mr.. kelly's wishes, nor interfere in
the news department. The noted fight
against Illden's nomination for President
IN 1876 was begun in the news columns.
The Michigan copper mine scandal and
the papers in the Alton and Terre Haute
suit were unearthed. George Moss, who
represented Mr.. Kelly on the editorial
staff, wrote articles cautiously backing
the attack in the news columns, but 80
deity worded that the paper could not be
compromised in case of MIR. IIlden's sue
cess. 1t was centennial year, and Brooks
was in Philadelphia at tina exposition. On
his return he deprecated the attack on
Tilden, but as the proofs of Sammy's
rapacity were brought to light he changed
front, and began to lash him editOrially.
Among other expressions used was one
TO the purport that he "knew more of MIR.
Filden's wracking operations than he
dared to expose" When Tilden was at
st. Louis this phrase returned to torment
Erastus. He laid the blame of the fight on
the managing editor, and soon after sold
out his entire interest in the paper. This
closed his newspaper career.
Only those who were editoriallv asso-
ciated with Mr.. Brooks can have any con-
ception of his saving disposition. The
envelopes of letters received by mail were
saved and turned. On such little scraps
he wrote many an article. Reportorial
manuscripts were returned from the COM
posing room. and the blank sides filled
with fresh reports. 1t was no uncommon
thing to md an editorial article written
on the back Of private letter. This par
simony came near costing the Express
Association a round sum Of money. A
New Jersey judge sued the Express for
"a
port of a criminal trial had been printed
in which the Judge figured as the pris-
oner, and the prisoner as the Judge. The
reporter had gOt the names mixed and the
Judge was wild. OF course, there WAS
no record OF the authorship OF the arti-
Gle. The blank paper on which 1t was
written had been used q second time, and
then sold as old paper. Eratus was in a
quandary. He had no defense without q
clue to the author. Days passed, and the
suit was about TO be brought to trial,
when a news editor rememb ered that he
had written out the alleged libel from an
Associated Press report. The columns
of the Evening Post and Commercial Ad-
vertiser OF a given date were scanned,
and a similar libel appeared in both. As
they had saved the manuscript tle report
was traced to the Associated Press, winch
was thus forced to defend the suit.
In 1876 Air. Brooks lad an extremely
bright office boy. The little fellow swept
the Office and composing room, distributed
all the 'pp and had a "start' OF $500
ems day. For all this work he received
only 81 80 a week.
"Mr. Brooks" said he one day, "pve
been here two years now. and think that
you ought TO raise my wages"
"Well, William" was the reply, 81
don't think you have been as watchful a
boy lately as you used to be. | picked
three type from the floor an hour ago.
They had been ground Into tue dirt until
their sides shone like silver. They were
ruined, and by right ought to deduct tho
weight OF such type from your salary.
l. HI. a