The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-22
DAKOTA JOURNALISM.
How an Unenterprising Editor Lost His
Hold the Community.

DAKOTA JOURNALISM.
How an Unenterprisng Editor Lost His
Hold the Community.
Have you newspaper here?" I
asked of a man who came over to where
we were camped on the edge of little
Dakota town.
.Yes. got one; did have two. but the
other feller pulled out last week"
Didn't it pay?"
Nav, he want no good-got out
the weakest paper You ever seem"
What was the trouble with it?''
"Nc news, or least none to mount to
any thing. Course. if something big
happened that he couldn't help seein'
he'd git it in, but ev'ry week there'd be
whole lot O. spicy things that he'd
keep stills mouse about. an stick in
a lot O. pieces on free trade, or protec-
ton, or mebby sometimes the tariff.
Bat the other man want that style
no blowin' pieces in his'n. but all the
spicy an interestin' news that hap
pened."
so you froze the long editorial man
man out?"
Had to do it. l tell you-he didn't
know enough to pound sand. Wy,
lemme tell you little case: Couple O.
months ago l built me a new chicken
coop-not very big un. cause only
got six hens an fightin' rooster-but
made it very keerful an put in two
round roosts an whitewashed 'em, an
three nests. Figured on half the hens
restin' an scratchin' while the other
shift was layin', an nailed some Stats
over box in one corner to shut up the
settlers in an make 'em quit their
monkey business, an fixed her up in
style generally. Pretty soon old Cooper.
this man that's gone, come along an
1 called him in an says l: 'Jes' get onto
the new hen-house | been a-buildin.'
That looks first-rate,' says he. Wig
gle it, says L. He wiggled it. 1t
pears solid,' says ne. 4 claim it 5 tile
best hen-house in the city, says L.
Wouldn't wonder says he. Then he
walked off with his head down, a-think-
in, l reckoned, what he should say
bout it. Somehow | didn't manage to
see the other feller to tell him bout it,
but Lordy, how do you think it come
out?'
Haven't any idea. How did it??'
"Wv, sir. l went over to Hank
Georges au' borrowed his copy of
Cooper's paper soon's it come out
Hank hadn't got alook at it yet himself
an took it home an waded through
it, but not line bout my hen-coOp!
Not line, Not word! Didn't say
nothing bout tiny name wasn't in
the paper! went so fur as to even
read clear through long piece on Our
Common School SYSTEM thinkin' meb-
by that he stuck in something bout my
hen-hOuse in it somewheres, but he
hadn't. Well, was mad, an think
had right to be. l throwed the pa
per down an didn't even take it back
to Hank. But next mornin' when
seen one of the other feller's papers
down in the store my eyes stuck out SO
you could "A hung your hat on 'em.
There it was in his paper bout my hem
coop big's a Mexican dollar! 1t read
like this: we hear that Uncle Abner
Doty has jes' completed a large an
convenient hen-house for his fine flock
of Shanghis, Bramys, Plymouth Rocks.
an so forth, together with his famous
fightin' rooster. Ben Butler. We have
not yet had the pleasure of samplin'
any of the eggs laid in this new hen
house. but we know that Uncle Abner
is not the man to long forget We editor. ,
That's the very way he had it, word for
word, name an all. Jes' soOn's read
it went right out an told ev'rybody
we couldn't ford to support Old Cooper
no longer cause he was hurtin' the
town by not mentionin' the improve
ments, and jes' KEEP up the talk till
what little business he did have
dropped off an nobody wouldn't have
nothing to do with him, an he's left.
You can see yourself that we couldn't
very we'll do any thing else after the
way he used me on that hen-house. y
f. II. CGrruth, in CHICAGO Tribune.