St. Landry democrat., 1888-07-07
SOME LIES NAILED
An Article That VIII Be q disappointment
to the Masses.

to the Masses.
All this talk about the country editor
being a poor, hard-up, down-trodden
coyote is an absurdity which has out
lived its day. Orpheus G. Kerr or Ar
temus Ward, or some of the other
pioneer funny fellows, started the sto'
ries about editors taking wood and hay
and vegetables on subscription, and OF
having to live between bread and
cheese, and the public accept
ed them as facts. For years past
the country editor has been fondly
supposed to be crying for moro copy,
and to be on his last sheet of paper and
last shilling, and presume my article
will be a great disappointment to the
masses.
began life as printers devil" II
is popularity supposed that 1.-The deEl'
sweeps out and does other dirty work
for year or two before promotion. On
| the first morning reached the office
was told to take things easy till the
| ssold man. came down. l went over to
| the bank for one of the comps
| and deposited $4,000 for him, cleaned
| up the foreman's 5000 diamond. ano
| busted off a plush chair and opened
box of Henry Clays for the pressman
and by that time the editor came down
| in his carriage. He ordered his coach
man to give me an airing. and when
returned he benevolently observed:
We'll, Henry, you and are to run
the Gazette. You won't have much tt
do. Give me about three columns O.
crispy editorial per week, and II yo1
want to dash off poem or a sketch, g
ahead. Your salary will be $50 pei
week for the first six months, and 20,
will occupy one of the spare chamber
in nv residence-the blue and gole
one."
He had a residence valued at 1925,
600, flied with the richest of furniture
His wife thought nothing Of giving
washerwoman silk dress which COS
$500 and had splash of mud on it. M
tramp went away with less than $40 il
cash. Their ice-cream for one season
cost 81 1926 Is, and they were astonishet
at the smallness of the bill. One of thu
rooms was known as the coupon
room" A young man with very deli
cate complexion spent eight hours Pc
day the year round in this room shear
ing off coupons from bonds, and iron
November to December 81 he had t
have two assistants.
While the bona fide circulation of tn
Gazette was close On to 900, the ed
itor kept the figures at 1,4OO in orde
to avoid rush of patronage. He pal
six of the largest merchants in the cit
1000 per year each not to adyertis
with us, as their advertising woul
make extra work for the compositors
i What advertising we did do was yer
heightened, and was charged for at tn
| rate Of 81 per word. The salaries pal
to employees were not as large as
! some offices, because we could not a
ford it, but every one who had been
, the Gazette two years had saved sufi
: Gent money to buy house and lot an
: horse and carriage.
During my ten years IN the office
, never knew LIS to be hard up but one
The proprietor bought gold mine
] California. coffee plantation in Braz
] and a railroad in New England at aboa
: the same time, and carelessly made OF
the papers SO that we had to raise abo1
$3,0OO,O0 in one day We raised
] but had to chip IN fifteen cents fro
my private finances to make up Il
sum. 1t was only a week later that Il
wife of the proprietor paid $4,000
! cash for a blue-faced sunfower for
, corner of the back yard, and the on
remark made by her husband as
: ! learned of the purchase was:
"Why. my dear, you should ha
taken pair of them at 81, 000."
In the seventh year of my stay t!
Gazette changed hands. There was Il
usual notice of sheriff 8 sale, and OF tt
.. plant being bid in by young and g
. terprising man who would seek to NAL
it popular local organ, ETC., but tn
was all tar. The proprietor sold out
open chain of National banks exten
ing from Portland to Galveston, and
!, put FIVE new lines of ocean steamers in
operation. can remember the day
left the town. was called upon to s
his wife's jewelry TO the special C
chartered for it. There were sew,
; large dry goods boxes full, and Pc
8 or 80 of diamonds which could not
+ crowded in was brought along in a q
!. fee sack Detroit Free Press