Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-29
A STORY OF GREELEY.
A pAsHING YOUNG REPORTER WITH
ANOSE FOR NEWS.


How He Reported the Famous Editor
of The Tribune and Attended Opera
at the Same Time-A Day of Wrath.
ayes, used to know Horace Greeley very
WELL" said leading Ellsworth, Ne, mer-
chant in conversation the other day. -Of all
the eccentric men l ever knew | think be was
the most peculiarly so. / had occasion to call
into The Tribune Office often when Mr.. Gree
ley was there, and never shall forget little
incident that, fortunate enough. made good
mechanic out of a poor newspaper man. Mr..
Greeley, you know, prided himself that the
columns Of The Tribune We're always accu-
rate, and that, too, The Tribune never got
left on any important item OF news.
"On the reportorial force Of The Tribune at
the time speak Of was dashing young Mas
sachusetts fellow, a man, so New York news
paper men said, who had good nose for
news. The young man had been connected
with The Tribune but week, when one after
noon he was summoned into the editorial
sanctum by Mr.. Greeley himself. l happened
to be chatting with Mr.. Greeley at the time,
and remember the scared look of the re-
porter's countenance wnen he ushered HIM
self before the great Greeley and the CONVEX
sation that then took place.
Young man. said Mr.. Greeley, there n
to be dinner at Rs tonight, and l shall
speak. Be there at sharp and report me.
want a column and half
IN A DILEMMA.
xThe reporter bowed himself out of the
sanctum. As further developments proved.
the newspaper man had made arrangements
to take his girl to the opera that evening. he
was up a stump what to do. He was afraid
of Mr.. Greeley and he was afraid of his girl.
He consulted with reporter friend of bis on
a rival paper to The Tribune, and his friend
thus talked: oh, that's nothing. Gness you
haven't been in New York long2 How much
did Greeley say he wantedi Column ard q
halfl Oh, that will be all right You Just
get into your claw hammer and take the gal
TO the opera know what Greeley viii talk
about. I've been to dinners lots Of times and
heard his speeches. After the opera come
over to my Office and I'll dictate Greeleys
after dinner speech, you write it down, and
I'll wager So note that the editor viii COM
pliment the report.
"fhe Tribune reporter took his girl 10 the
opera. He didn't enjoy himself very much,
and after the curtain fell and the girl was
home he sought his reportorial friend and
found him in his dem They wrote up Mr..
Greeley and put over the article the most
breezy headlines in their newspaper vernacn-
lar. The speech was printed on the first page
of The Tribune
"The next morning Mr.. Greeley came down
town and tumbled into the editorial chair at
7 o'clock. He took up The Tribune, and the
first thing his eye fell upon was Horace
Greeley's ringing speech at Rs last even
ing. He read the article to the end without
a word.
"He then threw The Tribune into the
waste basket and pulled the bell for the man
ager.
"'Who wrote that articlep said Mr.. Greeley,
when the man had appeared
The new man. replied the manager.
Send him upr reared Mr. Greeley
'The reporter who took his girl to tho opera
the night before came up. Mr. Greeley was
white as a sheet when the youth backed into
the sanctum.
AN ANGRY EDITOR.
"'Did you write that articleP Numbered
Mr.. Greeley, referring to the half column Of
headlines under which was Mr. Greeley's
speech.
eyes, sir, said the reporter; Il followed
you the best could You know you spoke
uncommonly fast last night, and there was a
noise and had to stand up
"'Spoke uncommonly fast, did II Numbered
Mr. Greeley. Young man, you lie! was
sick last night and didn't go within three
miles of Rs, AID didn't make any speech
"Mr. Greeley grabbed the retreaang form
Of the pencil pusher and actually booted him
down stairs and into the street
''The editor tried to recall the great edition
of The Tribune, but it was too late He sent
men all over the city with instructions to buy
every morning Tribune in New York. Said
he, Buy them at any cost
Mr.. Greeley paid as high as so cents COPY
for some of the papers, but the speech that he
didn't make was the gossip Of all New York
for week. The reporter never dared to
show his face to Mr.. Greeley after that night.
He dropped the scribes pen like boiling hot
potato, and went west, believe He made
a splendid mechanic.
"On the way to The Tribune office every |
morning Mr.. Greeley always stepped into a |
periodical store and bought The Tribune and |
every other paper printed in New York.
continued the Ellsworth merchant. ale told |
me one day that he always bought his own |
paper when he was within three minutes |
walk of The Tribune building He couldn't /
wait, as he said.
1--WE seen Mr.. Greeley walk into church /
when the parson was praying, making ire
mendous racket as he trudged up the aisle to
a front seat throwing big bundle of news.
papers into the pew and then himself His
pew was next in front of mine In Ave min
utes after he was comfortably settled among
his newspapers he was mapping People used
to tell me that the ablest preacher in New
York city couldn't keep Horace Greeley
awake Of a Sunday morning. n-Ellswortb
Mel Journal
Tho London Half Saturday.
OF course the British public is used to IT,
laf Saturdays now, and perhaps in time th,