The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-12-28
THE REPORTERS FAKE.
How 1t Let Him Ont With Horace
Greeley.

GreeIey.
Eyes. I used to know Horace Greeley
very WELL" said an itinerant newspaper
man in conversation with reporter
Yesterday. 'sOf all the eccentric men
I ever knew, l think be was the most
peculiarly so. L had occasion to call
into the Tribune office when Mr:
Greeley was there, and l never shall
forget little incident that, fortunate
enough. made a good mechanic out OF
a poor newspaper man. Mr.. Greeley,
Won know. prided himself that the
columns of the Tribune never got
left on any important item Of news.
"Or the reportorial staff of the TIT
buqe at the time / speak of was
dashing young Massachusetts fellow
"A man. SO New York newspaper
men said, who had good nose for
news. The young man had been con-
nected With the Tribune but week,
when one afternoon he was summoned
into the editorial sanctum by Mr..
Greeley himself. [ happened to be
chatting with Mr. Greeley at the time,
and remember the scared look on the
reporters countelance when he
ushered himself before the great
Greeley, and the conversation that
then took place.
Young man." said Greeley, there
is to be dinner at R to night, and
I shall speak. Be there at s sharp
and report me. [ want column and
half
"The reporter bowed himself out of
the sanctum. AS further develop
lnents 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 lie was
afraid Of his girl. He consulted with a
reporter friend of his on q rival pa
per to the Tribune, and his friend
thus talked: 'Oh, that's nothing.
Guess you haven't been in New York
long. How much did Greeley say he
wanted? Column and half? Oh,
that viii be all right. You just got into
your claw-hammer and take the gal
to the opera. [ know what Greeley
will talk abont, I've been to dinners
lots of times aad heard his speeches.
After the opera come over TO my office
and I'll dictate Greeiey's after dinner
speech, you write it down, and I'll
wager a s. note the editor will COM
pliment the report
'';The Tribune reporter took his
girl TO the opera. He didn't enjoy
himself very much, and after the cur
tain fell and the girl was home he
sought his repOrtorial friend and
found him IN his den. They wrote
up Mr.. Greeley, and put over the az
ticle the most breezy headlines IL
their newspaper vernacular. 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 Z o'clock. He
took up the Tribune, and the first
thing his eye fell upon was Horace
Greeley's ringing speech at Rs
last evening. He read the article
to tie end without word.
He then threw the Tribune into
the waste basket and pulled the bell
for the manager.
Who wrote that article?' said Mr..
Greeley when that man had appeared.
"The new man. replied the man.
ager.
"Send him upr roared Mr.. Greeley.
THE reporter who took his girl to the
opera the night before came up. Mr..
Greeley was as white as a sheet when
the youth backed into the sanctum.
Did you write that article?' thund-
cred Mr. Greeley, referring to the
half-cOiumn of headlines under
which was Mr.. Greeley's speech
Yes sir said the reporter. / fol
lowed 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 +"
thundered Mr.. Greeley, Young man,
you lie! / was sick last night, and
didn't go within three miles of Rs
and didn't make anv speech"
"Mr. Greeley grabbed the retreating
form of the pencil pusher and actually
boosted him down stairs 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 morn
ing Tribune in New York. Said he:
Buy them at any costr
"Mr. Greeley paid as high as
so cents a copy for some of the
papers, but the speech that he didn't
make was the gossip of all New York
for a week. The reporter never dared
to show his face to Mr.. Greeley after
that night. He dropped the scribe's
pen like boiling-hot potato and
came west, l 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 paper
printed in New York." continued the
reminiscent journalist, He told me
one day that he always bought his
own paper when he was within three
minutes walk of the Tribune build
ing. He couldn't wait, as he said.
I've seen Mr.. Greeley walk into
church when the parson was praying,
making a tremendous racket as he
trudged up the aisle to front seat,
throwing a big bundle of newspapers
into the pew and then himself. His
pew was the next in front of mine. In
five minutes 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 q Sunday noornincn