Wichita eagle., 1888-01-28
GIVE HIM THE WHOLE BAKERY.
The Editor of the War Eagle, the First
Paper, Tells How the Town and
His Fortune Decamped Over
Night, as It Were.
San Francisco Examiner.


when projected the first number of
kins. founder of the Wichita War Eagle,
at the Occidental. the town consisted of
two houses, the United States land Office
and the institution in which ierked the
Archimedian lever. while the office boy
mixed the forms with a hand roller [
had arrived on the scene two weeks be
fore from Chicago with bagfuil Of
type and little second hand press. Our
constituency consisted principally of
prairie dogs, though you could look from
the open door of our board shanty any
hour and see antelopes scampering
past. AT night we heard the doieful
cry of the coyotes. The boy slept on
the rough plank table which we called
an imposing stone. while slept on the
floor under it. Our coats and trousers
served us for pillows. while our ex-
changes. which had been coming in in
advance were used for covering.
dob Tompkins. the register of the
land office. and were intimate friends.
He had given me pointer as to the des-
tined importance of Wichita and l had
got in in the nick of time in order to get
the land notices to publish. In fort
rived. and in little while the entire
prairie was criscrossed with white stakes
representing the Grand Boulevard.
Hemmingway avenue. the Mall, public
park. depot grounds. and the state high
way from Emporia. A half-dozen places
on the principle streets were set aside for
public fountains, and the Lord knows
what we didn't have. We doomed the
IL,
rolled in prairie shoonerS and fast-ridiny
vagueros covered the plains. The land
office was Desieged from morning to
night. and soon it got TO be that the
office was open all night, manned by re-
laws of men. ! got III on land deals.
The War Eagle scared aloft. Its circula-
tiou got SO big | could no longer print it
on my hand press. got a steam power
cylinder and took a suit of elegant rooms
at the Western hotel. begun the erection
of four story office. and again increased
my force until l had twenty men in my
employ.
Then sent to ST. Louis and got big
editorial staff. while | acted as manager,
landed proprietor and general speculator.
All this / accomplised in less than five
months. counted myself worth 500
my finger 10 be assured that | would be
worth 500. 900 by the end of the year.
by the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Re
railroad went whizzing by Us To the
north. and they built up Newton. En-
and advertised them Just like they did
Los Angeles and San Diego. and our
people climbed in their covered wagons
10. 1,r
boomers made such overtures
to them that they captured the
lot. and next day they came back and
hauled their shanties off. The Mali and
and Hemingway avenue and all the
rest of our thoroughfares looked as de-
serted rs when Bob Tompkins and ] first
arrived. Our two buildings were all
that were left. | couldn't paw NV men,
Delegations OF printers and my editorial
staff called on me. and when they found
this out they walked away. Bob and |
were the masters OF the situation Nv
half completed edifice stood high in the
air. The carpenters had gone to New
ton where they could get their money
SATURDAY night Bob had no patrons for
his land office We held meeting and
decided To vamcose. He went over and
key mailed il TO the secretary of the in
terror while wrote s L. Rounds after
ward public printer. who died tine other
day. 10 come out and get his steam press
~ tina, was tue only way knew nf lift
ing the mortgage.
The secretary 81 the interior treated
the matter as Joke, bat Rounds didn't
He knew too much about such things.
Well. after four or five years Wichita
recovered from the awful hacsset and
with steady settlement and cultivation
OF the surrounding country, came 10 the