The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-07-20
Some Lies Nailed at Last.

From the Detroit Free Press.
All this talk about the country editor
being poor, hard-up, down trodden
coyote is an absurdity which has out
lived its dag. Orpheus 9. Kerr or
Artemus Ward, or some Of the other
pioneer funny fellows, started the
stories about editors taking wood and
hay and vegetables on subscription,
and of having to live between bread
and cheese, and the public accepted
them as facts. For years past the
country editor has been fondly suppos-
ed to be crying for 'more copy" and
to be on his last sheet of paper and last
shilling, and I presume my article will
be a great disappointment to the mass
es.
l began life as 'printer's devil"
1t is popularity supposed that "the
devil sweeps out and does other dirty
work for year or two before promo
tion. On the first morning / reached
the Office l was told to take things
easy until the sold man" came down.
| went over to the bank for one of the
"comps," and depo -ited $4,000 for him,
cleaned up the foreman's 5000 diamond
and busted off the plush chair and
opened box of Henry Clays for the
pressman, and by that time the editor
came down in his carriage. He order.
ed his ccachman to give me an airing
and when l returned he behevolently
observed:
"Well, Henry, you and l are to run
the "Gazette." You won't have much
to do. Give me about three columns
of crispy editorial per week, and if you
want to dash off poem or a sketch,
go ahead. Your salary will he $50
a week for the first six months, and
you will occupy ons of the spare
chambers in my residence-the blue
and gold one."
His residence was valued at S125,.
900, filed with the richest of furniture
His wife thought nothing of giving a
washwoman silk dress which cost
$500 aud had splash of mud on it.
No tramp went away with less than
800 in cash. Their ice cream for one
season cost 81, ,4367S, and they were
astonished at the smallness of the bill
Que of the rooms was known as ''the
coupon room" A young man with
very delicate complexion spent eigh,
hours per day the year round shearine
off coupons from bonds, and from
November to December 81 he had tc
| have two assistants
While the bona fde circulation oi
the "Gaze, te" was close on to 100000
the editor kept the figures at l,4OO il
order to avoid rush of patronage
He paid six of the largest merchants il
the city $4,000 per year each not tt
advertise with us, as their advertising
would make extra work for the com
positors. What advertising we did dc
was very high-toned and was charged
at the rate OF 81 per word. The sal
aries paid to employees were not a
large as in some offices, because W,
could not afford it, but every one whit
had been on the "Gazette" two year
had saved sufficient money to buy
house and lot and horse and carriage
During my ten years in the Office
never knew us to be hard up but once
The proprietor Lought gold mine il
California, coffee plantation in Brazi
and railroad in New England a
about the same time, and carelessl
made out the papers so that we had t
raise about S3,000,000 in one day. w
raised it, but had to chip in fifteel
cents from my private finances to max
up the sum. 1T was only week late
that the wife of the proprietor pai
$4,000 in cash for a blue-face sur
flower for corner of the back yarC
and the only remark made by her hus
band as he learned of the purchas
was:
"Why, my dear, you should hay
taken a pair OF them at $1,000.
In the seventh year of my stay th
"Gazette" changed hands. There wa
=. the usual notice of shenff's sale, an
of the plant being bid in by youn
and enterprising man who would see
to make it popular local organ, etc
but that was all tar. The proprietc
sold out to open a chain of nation;
banks extending from Portland ,
Galveston, and to put five new lines {
ocean steamers into operation. l ca
remember the day he left town. l W;
called upon to see his wife's jewelry ,
the special car chartered for it. Thel
were seven large dry goods boxes fu
and peck or so of diamonds whic
coul | moi be crowded in were brougi
along in coffee sack.