The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-07-26
BREEZY JOURNALISM.
The First Daily Paper Established in
LeadViI|e, Colo,
Its Pathway was Rough and StuHI-TSen1 Hours Wui
aDg for Editor and Ranager,-Pdrss No Obi Gt


In 1878 Leadville had no newspaper
worthy the name, and people were
gathering there by the thousands. At
that time | was the foreman of the Den
yer Tribune, and in looking the situa
ton over | became, in common with
scores of others, possessed of a desire to
fill one of the long felt wants of the new
community. After talking it over with
a couple of fellow printers and figuring
up the cost we agreed on local habi-
tation and name.
There was no such thing as house to
be had in Leadville at that time. !
couldn't even find a room. Finally | Sc
cured lot from squatter out on Har-
rlson avenue. 1t was way off in the sage
brush, and | selected it because it was
cheap. After great deal of difficulty
and using what influence | could with
the sawmills | got together lumber
enough to build one room house to ac-
commodate the paper. 1t was almost
impossible to get carpenters or people
who would do any kind of labor. Ev-
erybody vas in pursuit of carbonates.
However, after something of strug-
gle the house was put up, and was no.
titled of the shipment of the Office ap-
purtenances from the st. Louis type
foundry. Being practical printer and
aware of our somewhat straitened finan-
cial condition, the purchasing partner
had bought just enough of the various
kinds of material to get out small
daily, which we called The Evening
Chronicle.
One partner was made business man.
ager, a second took the mechanical de-
editing. | was managing editor, city
editor, telegraph editor, set up little
type, made up forms and attended to
few other trifles. All of us worked to-
getner almost increasingly day and
night.
Hundreds of firms were being estab-
lished in Leadville with not a line Of
printed matter in any shape-not let
terhead or even a card. We had less
than $25 in our treasury when we print
ed our first issue and knew we must de-
pend on cur job Office for revenue. We
got it.
1t was not rHow much does it COST"
in Leadville at that time, but How
soon can have it," We knew how to
give it, and we learned how to charge.
Everybody else was doing the same
thing, each in his own line of business.
Our stock of job papers was limited,
and correspondingly short counts were
given to customers. The editor and
business manager assisted with the job
work at night, ran presses, sawed wood
and kept up fires. AS sample Of
charges | will tell you of one order we
filed.
We had no particular hours of labor,
but were generally on our feet from 16
to 90 hours out of the "a. After day S
work of this kind we were just shutting
down one night when gentleman came
in and said he wanted 25 cards printed
Immediately. He was running some sort
of a game at Tom Kemp's theater, and
this game required cards with figures,
one figure to card. He said he didn t
care what they cost so he had them by 0
O'Clock. 1t was then about 7. and we
accommodated him. He was waiting
when the messenger, who was armed
with the bill, arrived.
Have you got them?" he said. How
much are they?'
The messenger was afraid the man
} would fall down if he pronounced the
} amount, so he handed over the bill. The
sporting man pulled from his pockets q
wad Of greenbacks and handed over two
tens and five-$25 for % cards. AS
the messenger started to go away the
man said Hold on. Now, look here
I'm gambler-that' the way make
: my living-but isn't this bill just lit
tie high?'
: You needed to know something about
running newspaper in those days
There was no lack of material, but i
> was not all easy sailing in a mixet
, crowd aggregating some 40, 600 peopl,
l from all parts of the world and al
classes of society. There was not wha
could be called large proportion O
evangelists in the crowd either.
One day we were notified that W.
would have to move. In fact, force o
. men presented themselves and declared
s their willingness and intention to assis
: us in the speedy transfer of our good
and chattels to green fields and pasture
: new. They didn't have furniture vans
= but they had some very ugly lookin,
a guns sticking out of their pockets. W
: didn't see it that way, so Davis slippe
out and got two or three rifles and a
r many more revolvers and came back.
t We closed the doors and announce
: our intention of remaining where W
were. This kind of thing was repeate
several times, but finally quiet was re
stored, our title resting in our firearms
had paid 500 for that lot, and it wa
now worth $40, 900; hence the confer
u ton.
believe have written more murder
y and shootings in a given length of tim
{ than any other newspaper man in tn
o country. One day we had four, whic
we spread out over four editions of IL
paper, the issue which consolidated tt
four having scare head in type a
inch long, Hell Let Loose"
: While Leadvile at that time w;
: pretty rough, with plenty of shootir
: and killing there has never been mo-
y generous, open hearted, honest and faitl
. full class of people than these miner
! They gathered round and supported
grandly, coming to our rescue as oftt
; as our little property was attacke