St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-16


real nice sentiment, but not all has yet
come as near being realized as the gov
ernor's brief telegram. where he adj
vised US to grapple San Francisco. a
feat which we have already accom-
plished. and have her In our close EN-
brace. 1t was perhaps owing to the
stupendous idea of Mr.. Seward that it
took two DAYS to get it into print.
HER WAS A HoWDY DO.
AS time wore OH the telegraph service
continued entirely precarious. The
least breath OF wind would PROSTATE
something. and apparently the wires
would sometimes go down as matter
OF alarm lest there should be a breeze,
ana they wanted to he ready in advance.
Consequently. in short time, the daily
papers headed their news. --latest
News by Mail and Telegraph" putting
the word mail ahead of telegraph be-
cause it was nearly all mail news.
But there were exciting times in store
fore these pioneer journalists in tele-
graphic matters. The presidential cleo
ton occurred on Nov. 6, 1860, and the
three daily papers then in existence in
st. Paul all appeared without word of
the news of the election. Instead of
election news they contained the an
nouncement that the telegraph company
declared that election reports were not
part of the Associated Press
dispatches that they agreed to
carry, and, consequently, that
II they wanted them, they
must pay $50 for them. Those VINO
realize how much $50 is at the present
day and how for the past six or eight
mouths at least it has been difficult to
procure that sum, even on an insecure
pfomlssory note, can imagine it was
something of mountain in that early
period, when it was almost sufficient
capital to start bank. 1t was no. sur
prising that the papers went without the
elections, and raved at Winslow and Mr.
Gallup, who had heretofore been por-
trayed in the endearing term of 1.-THE
gentlemanly operator" Though all
this was before dawned personally on
the scene, cannot refrain from remark
ing that had numerous combats later
on with Mr.. Winslow. and that
"gentlemanly OPERATOR" which enables
me to keenly appreciate the situation
OF my early contemporaries. For a
time this cut off all teiegraphic COM
munication between the newspapers
aud the outside world, and some time
before the war was decided on news
that Lincoln had been elected reached
st. Paul by mail.
On the 10th of November the papers
were wrought up to a fever heat, and
joined III card which was signed re-
spectIVely by the Pioneer, T. M. New
son and the Minnesotian, stating that
they had had an agreement with Mr..
WlnSlow, the proprietor of the invalid
telegraph line. to furnish them tele-
grams at $40 per week each, and that
he had grossly violated that agreement,
and, consequently. that they would re-
celVe no more telegraphic news at any
price, but would permit their patrons to
await the arrival of the mails, when
they would let them know what had
happened in the outside world. This
occupied half column and was kept
as standing matter, top of column next
TO reading matter Tor number of days,
saving quite little in composition.
Judge of the surprise of the other two
papers when. on the 4th of December
following this solemn compact, another
compact was made, this time exclusively
Tor the Pioneer. 1t was signed by j. NJ.
Winsiow. proprietor of the dyspeptic
telegraph line, and the Pioneer. and
announced that an exclusive contract
mad been made. running for period of
two years, giving the Pioneer the entire
control of the kilograms in st. Paul for
that period.
Judging from the contents of the
other papers, they arose upon their
auficular organs and made the Welkin
ring until it cracked. 1t seems to me
the storm they created must have pros
trated the feeble telegraph line for a
time, at least. In the meantime the
Pioneer was in high glee. 1t had sprung
scoop on its esteemed contemporaries.
and appeared to be inclined to make the
most of it. Prior to that there had not
been much demonstration over the
Geographic news, but now the matter
became ''hot Stuff
A GREAT. SELL.
The other papers were dete mined to
do or die. The Minnesotian invented
neat scheme of securing copy of the
Pioneer and then holding their COM
poSItors until they could set up the taIe-
grams. The Pioneer pressman was paid
81 night, or at least he was promised
81 night. which was the best thing
That could be expected in that day. for
taking an early copy of the paper and
putting 1t under a stone at the street
corner near the Pioneer office. 1t is
probable that the pressman gave the
scheme away to his employers, for he
remained in the employ of the paper for
years after, until he voluntarily retired.
AS result OF that Information the Pho.
neer few days later concocted about
three columns OF bogus kilograms. and
L must compliment them by saving that
1t was one of the most artistic pieces
OF work nave ever noted in a
newspaper. While they were startling
In their character, they were so ingeni-
ously gotten up and so we'll executed
from beginning to end. that no one
would suspect that they were bogus.
The bogus dispatches. were written out
in the telegraph Office by 1.-The gentle.
manly OPERATOR" the copy having been
furnished by jim Mills, now of Pitts
burg, vino was one OF the brightest and
most wagglsh newspaper men ever in
this part of the country, so that even
the compositors did not know of the sell
until later. The stone was visited as
usual, and the fatal copy of the Pioneer
with the bogus kilograms was obtained.
DIR. Foster was on deck, and, as his
paper demonstrated, must have been
aglow with excitement. One of the tele-
grams was an announcement of an at
tack upon President Buchanan, and it
was headlned as follows:
EXCITEMENT In WASHINGTON