Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-31
BOOM EDITOR ON THE FRONTIER.
A Town with Nothing but a Newspaper,
but that was Enough.

Town with Nothing but a Newspaper,
but that was Enough.
A correspondent Of the st. Paul Pio-
neer-Press tells this story about A. c..
Adams, editor of the Webster (Dak,l
Farmer and Reporter: After the war
Mejor Adams was prominent for some
years in Iowa politics, but faally deter
mined to move to Dakota. He settled in
Day county, faF from the haunts OF man,
took up s lain and built himself S sod
shanty. He was printer By trade and 8
newspaper man by instinct, and, having
run = newspaper in Iowa SUCCESS
fully, took printing outfit with him to
mis- claim. He finally went to amusing
himself getting out newspaper. He
vas twelve miles from posto flee and
thirty-ei 2ht from a railroad, but he issued
8 paper filed with accounts Of the occur
reuces which would ordinarily take place
in S town Of 5000 or 1000 He described
the tiremen's parade, the concert by the
band, lectures by prominent people in
the town hsil, church sociables and so on,
drawing on his imagination and past eX-
perierce Unfortunately. After Printing
q few hundred copies OF these papers the
Major would drive over TO the postoffice
and mail them to various offices in the
east and west for general distribution.
One dsy the editor of this strsIge sheet
was standing in front Of his sod shanty
when he saw horse and buggy coming
across the prairie. As it drew nearer he
observed the figure OF man Ia the buggy
and he noticed eN cry now and then the
vehicle stopped and the man stood up 10
the buggy and looked aDXiously about
him. This proceeding was repeGted as he
approached the shack, and finally Adams
made out the man to be an elderly man
with iron gray Wniskers, and evidently q
man Of business. At last he stood upon
his se6t, shaded his eoes with his hand
and scanned the horizon in every direc-
| ton. Then he sat down and drove
straight to the sod shack.
"Hello!" said Adams. "HoW are
you?"
"Howd'y dol" replied the stranger.
"Won't you get out and come in and
resi?" said the Major.
eyes, will" responded the traveller
and he did.
He took 8 stool and looked around the
shack curiously, taking in the printing
outfit with the other furniture. Then an
idea seemed to strike him.
"Look here" he said, "do you print
the Western Chief here?"
eyes," said Adams. "Would you like
to lock at one7"
"Look at cne!" exclaimed the straug-
er; "look at one! No, thank you! I've
looked at it coed many times"
"Whst do you think of it?" inquired
Adams.
"You want me to tell your" responded
the stranger.
"Cersainly," replied the editor.
"Well, Their, think you are the d-esi
liar ever knew"
"Why, you didn't take my fun in earn.
est, did your" inquired Adams.
"Fun nothiDg!" said the stranger.
"Why, came out to your Internal place
TO start hardware store"
Adams tried to preysil on the stranger,
whose Game was Lawrence, TO stay and
start the store anyway, but 1t was nc
use. He went back to Iowa. But foul
months from that time Mr.. Adsms stood
| in the door Of his shsck and counted I2-
houses in sight. The boom edition had
brought others IN who stsid Now rail-
ways traverse the region, and q short
distance from that first dwelling stands
the thriving town of Britton, in Marshal
county, Day having been divided and s
new county formed of that name. 81
Lawrence had staid and started the hard
ware store" says Adams, The would now
| be worth S50,000n