San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-04-16
EDISON AS A NEWSBOY.
How He First Appreciated Electricity and
Incidentally Made "A Stake.
THE END

How He First Appreciated Electricity and
Incidentally Made "A Stake.
Toe following is one of the "TalEs with
Edison" which George Parsons LathrUp re-
ports in Harpers Magazine "At the be
ginning of the civil war; said Mr.. Edison,
Il was shaving late and early at selling
pap.rS; hut, to tcil til" truth, was not max
mg a fortune. | worked ON 50 small margin
that had to be mighty careful not to over
load myself with papers that | couldn't sell.
On the other hand, | could not afford to
carry SO few that | should find myself sold
ont long before the end Of the trip. To en-
able myself to hit the happy mean, formed
a plan which turned out admirably. made
a friend of one of the compOsitorS in The
Free Press office, and persuaded him to show
me every day galley proof Of the most
important news article. From a study of its
headlines soon learned to gauge the value
of the days news and its selling capacity, SO
that | could form a tolcrabIy correct esti-
mate Of the number Of papers should need.
As "A rule, could dispose of about 200; but
if there was any special news from the seat
of war, the sale ran up to 800 or over. Well
one day my compositor brought me a proof
slip of which nearly the whole was taken up
with a gigantic display head. 1t was the
first report Of the battle of Pittsburg Land
ng-afterward called Shiloh, you know
and it gave the number of killed and wounded
as 1900 men!
II grasped the situation at once Here was
chance for enormous sales, if only the people
along the line could kr.ow what had hap
pcnyd; if only they could sec the proof sip
was then reading! Suddenly an idea occurred
to me. | rushed off to the telegraph operator
and gravely made a PROF. position to him. which
he received just as gravely. He, on his part,
was to wire to each of the principal stations
on our route, asking the station master to
chalk upon the black bulletin boarl-used
for announcing the times OF arrival and de-
parture of trains-the news of the great battle
with its accompanying slaughter. This he
was to do at once; while agreed, in RETURN
TO supply him free, gratis, for nothing,' a
llarper's Weekly, a Harpers Monthly, and
IA daily evening paper during the next six
months from that date
This bargain struck, began to belhink
me how was to get enough papers to make
the grand coup | intended had very little
cash, and, feared, still less credit | went
to the superintendent Of the delivery depart
ment and prof"red a modest request for 900
~, !,
'oN VI III '''1 VII u "H' ""O was
'oD 'i'",' %, - 1H,' wren NY '''i" - wis
,"h.'l anu - "lIiN ItluN''', Al '"''N" Gays
,'''"7"' was P''''N '"'rNH ""S' ana l'HI
W ~" d S'''I' '"' I"I'a III pros
i",. Il III! vt'HI" P" "iT'a'"r ha ai kept ms
i'.e', '',ii' VII VINO" J. was sun URINE
" u ''7 my sen i'' q great 2.'nN''
:, ',,,'' ''' 'I'o ''G once "I lI"ur
"''.' - ''''I'' anu "HNeo ~ 9''' num- \
''" ,'i'''"''' '%''i was s'Io" Il III |" MN
''': 'i''iI "''' was am It"' "a"'ri I."o
: 'Pi'' Vi INC P'le' 81" g. cult me 'aIl' i"II,
,''''N 'Seu' "'Ie'l' ,""hIhS man stared at me
]" "'"'''eIi'' ana 'I'h >cralch"d few
NoI"' OH sup oI paper lake mat down
'''''S, sam me- ana you VIII get what You
want anu - l "Iu' linen ''l' happier
'"aIl l "''' ever leII since.
'o'N my '''"' papers, GOT lnr'e boys to
hrlP me IoId 'h''h' anu mounted the train,
al "s"9 70 nild out whether the telegraph
operator H1l NePV MS "''ri Al thH town
mere our 'IrsC H'"p was made usually sold
TWO papers" As inc Tram swung INTO that
',i"s' "' I''V ~''',7 OIL y DE- 'rn"i hI"d
III" P"'I'' W. anu a. Tie Idill uIe" up l