The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1894-03-09
BREEZY JOURNALISM,
THE FIRST DAILY PAPER ESTABLISH
ED IN lEADVILLE.


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
tiOn over l became, in common with
scores of others, possessed Cf desire to
fill one of the long felt wants of the new
community. After talking it over with
couple of fellow printers and figuring
up the cost we agreed on local habi-
tatiOn and a name.
There was no such thing as a house to
be had in Leadville at that time.
couldn't even find a room. Finally Sc
cured lot from a squatter out on Har-
rlsOn avenue. 1t was way off In the sage
brush, and l selected it because it was
cheap. After great deal of difficulty
and using what influence l could with
the sawmills l 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 was in pursuit of carbOnates.
However, after something of a 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-
partment, while l was selected to do the
editing. l was managing editor, city
editor, telegraph editor, set up little
type, made up forms and attended to a
few other trifes. 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 How 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 a sample Of
charges l will tell you of one order we
filled.
We had no particular hours of labor,
but were generally on our feet from / g
TO 30 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 % 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 8
o'clock. 1t was then about Z, 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 be pronounced the
amount, so he handed over the bill. The
sporting man pulled from his pockets a
wad of greenbacks and handed ovel two
tens and five-$25 for % cards. AS
the messenger started to go away the
man said: Hold on. Now, look here,
I'm a gambler-that's the way | make
my living-but isn't this bill just a lit
tie high?"
You needed to know something about
running newspaper in those days.
There was no lack of material, but it
was not all easy sailing in mixed
crowd aggregating some 40, 900 people
from all parts of the world and all
classes of society. There was not what
could be called large proportion of
evangelistS in the crowd either.
One day we were notified that we
would have to move. In fact, force of
men presented themselves and declared
their willingness and intention to assist
us in the speedy transfer of our goods
and chattels to green fields and pastures
new. They didn't have furniture vans,
but they had some very ugly looking
/ guns sticking out of their pockets. We
didn't see it that way, so Davis slipped
/ out and got two or three rifles and as
/ many more revolvers and came back.
We closed the doors and announced
/ our intention of emaining where we
were. This kind of thing was repeated
several times, but finally quiet was re-
stored, our title resting in our firearms.
/ had paid 800 for that lot, and it was
now worth SO, 600; hence the conten-
/ ton.
/ | believe have written more murders
and shootings in given length Of time
than any other newspaper man In the
country. One day we had four, which
/ we spread out over four editions of the
paper, the issue which consolidated the
four having scare head in type an
| inch long, Hell Let Loose.
While Leadville at that time was
/ pretty rough, with plenty of shooting
and killing, there has never been a more
/ generous, open hearted, honest and faith
/ full class of people than these miners.
/ They gathered round and supported Us
/ grandly, coming to our rescue as often
as our little property was attacked.