The Portland daily press., 1890-04-26
HoWARp's FIRST NEWSPAPER
WORK
The Genial Joseph Did a Checker
Thing than DllWorth Choate OF
New York.
rCorrasnondence If the Press. /


NEW YORK, April 24.-The case Of
Choate, the reporter who hid in the jury
room at the Flack trial, has given rise to
all sorts of "reminiscences and yarns con-
corning instances of newspaper enter
prise, or reportorial cheek. The story
OF Joe Towards first piece of newspaper
work is perhaps one of the most interest
ing, and is certainly characteristic of the
man.
Joe had just returned from an unsuc-
cessful business venture in California
and was visiting friends ir Lynn, Mass.
The great strike of the Lynn shoemakers
was In progress, and when Joe reached
the hotel he found the names of half a
dozen well known newspaper reporters
on the register. It was the fashion in
those days for the correspondent to regis
ter the name of the paper he represented,
and after Howard had read, 'tSo-and-so,
The New York Herald" "Blank Blank,
The New York Tribune" and so on, he
became afflicted with spirit of emula-
ton and wrote in large, flowing hand,
"Joseph Howard, Jr., The New York
AALlSo. llC lldu, dU bIidI ntNGI
written line for newspaper in his life,
and his only connection with The Times
was as an occasional purchaser. In the
course of the afternoon he met several
of the newspaper men and found that
they were in the dumps. The strikers
were holding meetings with closed doors,
and it was impossible to learn anything
of their doings.
''I'll fix that" said Joseph, after listen
ing to the tale of woe.
That evening he marched down to the
hall where the meetings were held,
knocked on the door, and when it was
opened boldly pushed his way in. He
strobe up the middle aisle to the plat
form, stepped to the front, beside the
chairman's table, interrupted the speaker
with a courteous yet commanding EEK
cuse me for one moment, please" and
then, before the astonished strikers could
regain their scattered senses, he launched
into Enthusiastically Howardian
speech.
He told them that he had been sent on
by The New York Times to represent
ehSh SNSC Aoiiy w q w LDdL
he wished to counsel with them, to advo-
cate their cause and assist them in gain
ing their point He spoke enthusiastical-
ly of the rights of labor, of the power of
the press and the duty of American citi-
zens. He told them stories, got them
into thoroughly good humor and practi-
cally took charge of the meeting. After
the meeting was adjourned he sat down
to write his first newspaper article He
sent it to The Times without a word of
explanation, signed it Howard" and
awaited developments. The letter reached
The Times Office late at night, and the
editor, supposing Howard" to be work
ing under instructions from Mr.. Ray
mond, printed it.
The next morning when Mr.. Raymond
came to the Office his first question was:
"Who is Howard?' Nobody knew. His
matter was bright, readable, and a de-
cided SCOOP" Mr.. Raymond COM
municated with him and arranged to
have him follow the strike to the end.
On his return to New York he became
regularly connected with The Times, and
has stuck to newspaper work ever since.
If it had not been for his spirit of "bluff"
he would have probably been merchant,
and journalism would have been with
out one of its most entertaining figures.
n