Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-01-07

AAAAAA ~ AkA AfafDAAls ktNA AAAh tN8AAN vi
my interview with Mr. Gleason in his
avn language, and Il viii be found ~
plrtc with interest:
Il commenced thc publication bus
incAs In iS4sin the old ScOlly building,
ltoSton, issuing from there a hunter
~ noyclettes and other cheap works
ln lsgg established the Flag Of Our
MON, the tret really literary publi-
cation u les class. which soon brought
hosts ~ imltatoFs. Among these were
tho True Flag and the American Union.
Most ~ them ceased publication long
ago. The True Flag Is still with Us,
but tho American Union suspended
at'pni two years ago,
About 1850 the Flag ~ Our Union
had 4 large circulation from which my
income was So. 600 per annum. lIay.
ing long been lover Of pictures l con.
ccived the idea Of Publishing a paper
10 this country similar - the London
illustrated News. After giving the
matter careful consideration I deter
mined 10 commence ia publication, re-.
lying upon my So, 900 income To carry
u through to success ] commenced u
with an edition Of sS,Ol0 copies and Il
steadily Increased until / sold out 10
W. ". Bailon In 1854. when II had .
circulation Of 10000 copies and the
flag 5000 copies Ny income az that
tune was $50 900 per year.
In 1851 Henry Carter. more famil-
iarly known at the present day as
frank Leslie, came to me In search OF
employment. lie claimed % ba able TO
improve our cut impressions by sys-
tenn Of OVERLAPPING. then unknown 10
me ] hired him. but soon found he
was not thorough NJ e. got man
named Hart 10 take HIS place and put
leslie IN charge Of my engraving de-
mrtmcnt. IIc remained with me about
two years, when he went to New
York
AT that time there were really no
cngravers or artists capable OF doing
Illustrating work In this city, and |
had to send work b New York and
and Philadelphia even togct the paper
ont on time.
When Jenny Lind came % this
country and llaruum WAS at the height
q his famc, ! got out special edition
IN bronze out OF fricndiincss to Bar
nun with whom / was intimately uc-
quaintcd. got twelve cents copy
for them. shortly after this received
letter from him, which ran some
thing like this:
Little did think I'D 20 In the
same business you are in No soon after
we last met. Moses Y. Beach, his two
sons, aud I propose TO start an illustra-
Ted paper in New York. hope IL will
not Interfere with our friendly rela-
TONS
II sat right down and wrote him in
the most friendly manner n letter nd
vising him not 70 enter upon an enter
prise that he knew nothing about.
About that time employed an agent
~ New York, a Mr. French, 20 place
my paper ON the market. There were
nc news companies for that purpose
then as now. shortly after ] wrote
iarnum he met French in u fashion
able barber shop and in the presence
81 number of people said:---'l under
stand Gleason don't like my going into
the illustrated paper business. He
better look out I'll bet any amount
Ill run him out In six months. French
wrote me of the meeting, and re-
phed, Bet him any amount up to $40,
ooo that he can't run me out In six
months.
Mr.. French and Col. Fuller, editor
of the Mirror, called on Barnum TO
make the bet, but he backed down
completely, saying perhaps he had
talked too hastily. My paper was then
selling ut 81 year and ten cents a
copy, and on learning that Barnum
proposed TO sell his paper at SO a year
and six cents a copy Immediately re-
auced my paper TO those figures and
lts circulation doubled at once.
The first number of Barnums Illus
trated News, as IL was called, appeared
under the art supervision Of Leslie. II