The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-06
'5AD Luck BRINGS RICHES
Tho Bouncing Of Corporal Tanner
Put Him on the Road to
Wealth.
An Old and Faithful WASHINGTON
Newspaper Man Loses His
Head.
Resemblance Noted at the CapitaI-The
Appropriations Foot Up Over One
Billion Dollars.

WAsHING1RN, March 6.-lSpecial. bad
luck IL often ia god d-send to some men. Cor
poral Tanner, who was forced to step down
and out of the pension Office mover was 10
lucky 90 when that blow fell upon him.
The salary Of the pension commissioner ia
nothing very great for public man in
Washington and the corporal had to look
sharp to make it keep up with the year. By
the deal which put him back in private life
his two daughters were retained in good
places in ordet to keep the wolf from their
fathers door. One was given 81, 400 clerk
ship in the local disbursing pension agents
Office. The other Was made private secreta-
~ to Treasurer Huston at $1,000 year.
With this income Of 1920 year the Tan
ner family had something to 10 ON until
the corporal could look around. He decided
to do just what the men who had been cul-
tivating his friendship were doing. He set
up as pension attorney ON his own ac-
couat. Ho spent $500 in getting up the
stereotype plates pf his various Offices, forms
OF letters, blank applications and all the
type-set machinery of the business. Then
he turned the reputation he had made to
good account and made push for bust
ness. He succeeded, as anybody can suo-
ceed in the pension business if they can
get at the hundreds Of thousands OF old
soldiers who want pensions. Tanner
cleared $4,000 last year out of his new
business. s
An amusing fact connected with Cor
poral Tanners Office concerns the OWL SER
vice. He really knew very little of the
routine of the pension business when he
left the pension bureau. He had to have
little help. Among the most valuable
clerks in the bureau when he became COM
missioner was man named Eisenstein,
democrat, who was enjoying. $1,000 a
year. PRESSURE in some way crowded Eisen-
stein out. Tanner, perhaps, didn't know
him OF anything about him. He only knew
there wefe lots of fellows trying to get in
and somebody had to 70 out to make room
for the new men. At any rate Eisenstein
was dismissed, and, queerly enough, on the
ground that he was incompetent. Now
Eisenstein ia Tanners manager and he
pays him $4,000 year. Under him are
twenty clerks, all kept busy by the buri-
ness drawn solely by Tanner name and
popularity and Eisenstein's good busiaess
ability males the concern move smoothly
and profitably.
Herbert A. Preston, who was suddenly re-
lieved the other day of control of the New
York Herald's Washington Office is one of
the old men on the paper. For fifteen
years. although Charles Nordhoff has been
the head of the bureau here. Preston has
borne the responsibility and sat at the news
desk night after night. Why he was
dropped no man knows. 1t is one o. those
things that happen on the Herald now and
then to prove that it has an owner and per-
haps to scare the men who are left into
greater effort. The oueerest thing about it
is that the best men are the ones who are
visited with sudden dismissal.
Preston made an especially good record
during the sickness of President Garfield.
The Herald all through the summer of 1881
surpassed all other papers in the fullness
and accuracy of its reports of the wounded
mans condition. Most of this success was
due to Preston's acquaintance with young
drug clerk in the store where the presi-
dents doctors sent their prescriptions.
Every night Preston knew what the physi-
clans and surgeons had sent for and as a
geOlogist constructs and restores an extinct
species from a single stone, the Her
of the medical men made up his story of
the Presidents condition. If ether was
ordered he knew cutting WAS being done.
II stimulants were sent for he knew the
patient WAS worse; if no extraordinary
drug was needed OK none at all, the indica-
tions were hopeful. From such slender
thread of fact the Herald's whole circum-
stantial story depended and strong imagi-
nation made the daily account the best We
had.
~
There are numerous resemblances among
public men. Tom. Reed they say, looks
like Shakespeare, but it is fearful strain