Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-22
STORIES NEARLY ALWAYS FRESH.
Methods Employed by Depew and Horace
Porter for Keeping Good supply.

There is one feature about the after
dinner speeches of Chauncey Nj. Depew
AID Horace Porter that not only pleases
but likewise surprises all who hear
them. They tell such capital stories
| and they are nearly always fresh. Stale
anecdotes never fall from the lips of
these orators. A writer in the Pitts
burg DiSpdtch says this is the way these
stories and jokes are said to he pro-
cured:
Depew is always personally on the
watch for witticisms. He undoubtedly
hears a great many good stories pri-
vately. But the work of getting to-
gether what is current in the funny line
devolves upon Henry G. Duyal, the pri-
vate secretary of Dr. Depew. Duval
has made "A study of this matter. He
knows more jokes than his chief, and he
isn't at all bad narrator of them him.
self. He jots down every new story he
hears. He records every joke of worth.
He is said 10 have big scrap book in
his Office at the Grand Central depot in
which he pastes anecdotes, puns and
funny things of all sorts that he cuts
out of papers and magazines. He reads
eign. He is particularly attentive to
the odd arSl laughable incidents that
often interlard description of news
events in the daily journals. The pri-
vate secretary also requests his friends,
and he has a heap of them in all lines of
business and branches of trade, to look
out for good things.
1t is easy to see how soon such plan
could be systematized and made very
complete. The scrapbook becomes as
versatile in its compilation of wit as DR..
Depew is versatile in his treatment of
his subjects on which he speaks and the
toasts to which he responds on public
occasions. Before going TO dinner Mr.
Depew always tries to devote a short
time to the preparation of his speech.
While he will depend upon the speakers
who preceded him TO "A large extent for
the points of his response to the subject
allotted him, he wants to be fully
equipped. 1t is at this time he turns to
Duvafs scrapbook. He knows just
where to look for the latest joke or yarn
and under what head To find them The
book is understood to be thoroughly
and ingeniously indeXed. Depew turns
~ lil' l. lS' VI DdEtS CONTAINING SCldDS
bearing upon the topic under treatment.
There may be fifty stories under that
head Those that he has already used,
or has heard some other after-dnner
talker avail himself of, have been
checked off by MI. Duval.
The next morning after dinner DR..
Depew tells Duval what stories he has
told and what jokes he punished the
diners with. If the story is rendered
useless by its one narration it is check
ed, as mentioned. If it might be
adapted in some particular for some
future date, a cross opposite indicates
that fact In fact, there is understood
to be quite a code of signals in connec-
ton with this very unique collection of
tales.
Gen. Porter gets his stock of yarns in
another way. He is vice president of
the Pullman Car company. He is
brought in daily contact with an army
of railroad men. He also meets scores
of supply agents purchasing officials
of roads and the like. These men come
from all parts of the country and they
are constantly on the wing. They are
the greatest story-telers in the world.
They pick up the latest stories. polite
and otherwise. from every state and
every biz town. While many of them
are provincial, the narrator localizes
them. In fact, the vast majority of the
good tales that pass current can be
readily adapted to the time and place
Every one of these travelling railroad
men is anxious to give Porter a new
story. The general is equally anxious
to hear them. In this manner Porter
gets hold of a tremendous supply of
stories. He knows the ones he wants
to keep. At the first opportunity he
dictates them to his stenographer, either
in skeleton shape or in full, as he deems
the wiser.