Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25
He Talks Like Lightning.

Over the doors of the Office were texts of
was a roller-top desk which was Uttered
with manuscripts, and near it wide divan
which was also covered with papers of
various kinds. A large bust of Cardinal
Manning looked down from the top of the
desk, and as I entered Mr.. Stead rose from
| a chair in front of it and took my hand.
He at once plunged into business with me,
and in five minutes he told me more about
London than 1 had been able to
learn in the week 1 had spent in trying
to find out about things before
coming to him. He is more like an cleo
trio dynamo in clothes than any man 1
know. He talks like lightning and a blaze
| of intellectual sparks follows his words. He
looks more like a practical American
Methodist preacher than London littera-
teur He is plain in his dress and habits
His soft brown hat is crushed in at the top
and his snuffcolored suit of business clothes
looked as though their owner had been on
roughing tour and had just got home. He
talks more like an American than an
Enslishman. He has no cockneyisms or
anglicisms in his conversation. He never
saws "you know" and the only English
slang noticed in his talk was the word
''blooming," bv which he would now and
then refer to some people whom he held in
contempt as the "whole blooming set" He
is, / Judge, about feet inches high and
he weighs about $50 pounds. He has a
fiorid complexion, bright blue eyes and
bushv, reddish-brown beard. His hair is
combed up from high, broad and full fore
head. and he stoops little in his should
ers. He laughs easily, and tells story as
well as he writes it,
Story of Great Interview.
1t was during a lunch with him at Gatti's
on the Strand that the conversation turned
to newspapers. Mr. Stead is one of the
greatest interviewers of the world. He
knows how to make a man think as well as
talk and he gets out of every man he inter-
views the best that is in him and expresses
it more clearly and fully than the man
himself
'"The field of the interviewer" said Mr..
Stead, sis one OF the most attractive in
journalism. The newspaper is for the COM
munication of thought. The interview Is
one of the best methods OF such communi-
cation. 1t brings the reader and thinker
close together, and such talks sometimes
change the face of history"
"How about your talk with General
Chinese Gordon Just before he went to
Egypt? That affected history, did it not?''
1 asked.
YES" was the reply. ''That was per-
haps one of the most important interviews
ever taken. 1t resulted in the loss OF more
than 20, 900 lives and it cost England mill
ions of pounds. 1t was at the time of our
troubles with Egypt. The Government
had decided to give up the Soudan and Gen.
eral Gordon was at Southampton, about TO
proceed to Egypt. He had, L knew, posi-
tive orders as to what was to be done and
wanted an interview with him upon the
situation. wrote him at Southampton
telling him would like to see him and
asking him when he could receive me. He
replied at once, saying that it would be i'm
possible for him to talk to me and that he
had nothing TO ray. l thereuDon tele-
graphed him that must see him and that l
would leave for Southampton on the next
train. have been told that he spent the
rest of that day walking up and down and
debating whether he would see me when
came or not.
His Meeting With Gordon.
"When got off the train 1 went at once