The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-15
,asury department. ana acoOsted the seo-


some misunderstanding about the bonds
that are to be called. Is it the four-and-a-
halls that are to be called in!"
''The four-and- halls, Fletcher, as told
YOU. Did you think was dreaming" re-
sponded the good natured secretary.
Elated at this plain and unmistakable
confirmation OF his original information
Hodges Joined his fellow conspirators.
Each started out to raise some money.
One man borrowed of his father thou
sand dollars, another sold house and lot
which it had taken him years to acquire,
another took all his funds out of a savings
bank and borrowed little more Two or
three other friends were let into the secret,
and soon a number of orders 20 buy four
and-a-half per cent. bonds were on their
way to Wall street.
The sequel of this story Is almost pitiful.
Four-and-a-half per cent. bonds did go up
a few points, and the newspaper boys
thought they were surely going to make
their fortunes Then the market sagged
off a little, but the spectators, who
thought they had sure thing, confidently
smiled, said to one another, "Wait till the
call comes out" and wished they had
more money with which TO buy more
bonds. Thus matters ran on for some
days, and at times the margin which the
spectators had put up was well nigh ex-
hausted. But miss was as good as a
mile, they thought, and the call would
surely be issued in a few days, and then
four-and-a-halfs would bound
Suddenly one morning Fletcher Hodges
bounded into the Office. He was out of
breath, and his face was as pale as piece
of ice
"The call is outp' he shouted
"Hurrahl Hurrahg' shouted his fellow
spectators.
'But-but"-s tammered Fletcher, catch
ing for breath.
''But WHAT" demanded Sarviss
'But it is not for the four-and- a-halfs;
it is for the continued fives."
CONSERVATION and ruin. Mystery, too.
Had not Secretary Folger told Hodges
twice in the plainest of words that the
four-and-a-halfs were to be called? What
could this meanH There must be some
mistake. So Sarviss started out to investi-
gate on his own account. In a few min
utes he came back. The news was too true.
Ten minutes later kilograms were on the
way to certain Wall street brokers TO sell
all the four-and-a- half per cent. bonds held
by the newspaper coterie of spectators.
But it was too late. Continued fives had
the call and four-and-a-halfs were down.
The margins were wiped out and the loss
was total.
The explanation? Secretary Folger's alb
sence of mind. A good and honest old gen.
tleman be was, and a sincere friend to the
newspaper men. He had not the slightest
thought in the world of deceiving them.
But he had made a mistake. His well
known habit of saying one thing while
thinking anOther-a mental alteration
which often led him to sign his name at
the top of letter and to put the date line
at the bottom-had been the ruin of the
newspaper spectators.
One Of the best known newspaper CORE
spondentsin Washingtonis O'Brien Moore,
of The St. Louis Republic. He is an Irish
man, n Texan and a Missourian, but he
takes most pride in being a Texan. He is
the man whom Congressman Crane, of
Texas, was some time ago looking for with
a pistol. 1t was expected there would be a
fight between these two men of undoubted
courage, but there wasn't. Friends
smoothed the difficulty over. Moore has
lived nearly all his life on the frontier and
has reputation as a fighter, providing the
Quarrels are forced on him.
II never quarrel when l can help it, he
said to party of friends one day; 'but if
you do get into quarrels, boys, let me give
you some advice. Never quarrel with a
The Kentuckians are the
most clannish men on earth. Every Ken
tuckian stands by every other Kentuckian.
Some years ago | was editing paper in
the town of Cleveland, Tex. | printed
one day which citizen didn't
like, and he tackled me about it on the
street. He was so offensive that there was
nothing left for me 10 do but TO lay TO and
give him a good thrashing, which | at once
proceeded TO do. | remained in that town
two years, and was never once without
black eye or a skinned nose in all that
time You see, the man / had licked IS
a Kentuckian, and every Kentuckian in
the town took up his fight. At the end Of
the two years a colony of hentuckians-
three or four carloads-came there 10 set
tie, and l concluded it wasn't worth while
trying TO whip the whole state of Ken
lucky, and consequently lit out for Calves
ton"
Most newspaper men at the capital are
Independent in politics, or if they have pol
itics do not let their convictions interfere
with their usefulness. a good story or this
point is told by Col. Dick Bright, formerly
sergeant-at-arms of the senate. and one of
the best known politicians of Indiana.
Some years ago." said Col Bright,
1.-THE Indianapolis News, then young and
struggling paper, fell into my hands.
was a Democrat of Democrats, and my
first thought was to make the paper DEM
ocratic to the backbone. In order TO do
that | determined TO clear out all the Re
publicans in the shop, and among the first
to 90 was young man named Holiday.
then the city editor. lie was a very valu-
able man and had practically made the pa
per what it was, but | wasn't going to
break my rule, and told him he could go.
He asked why, and told him because he
was a Republican. He smiled a little at
this, and said while he didn't care much
about it personally was making a great
mistake. Politics, in his opinion, had
precious little to do with newspaper uso-
In six months lost about $1,000
running that paper and then sold il cut
for s.. $50 To man who had no money, but
who thought he could make a success of it
and pay me the pa chase price. 10 my
great surprise he succeeded, and he now
has one Of the finest newspaper properties
in the west. That man was John Is. Holli-
day, whom had discharged from the city
editorship because he did not agree with
me in politics. What an idiot l YVES for
not taking him in Is a partner"
ROBERT GRAVES
HoopSkirts, 80 says an able bodied ru-
NOR, are soon 70 become fashionable They
VIII be larger than those known 20 the
poodle OF two generations AGO.