The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-05

Iutely no respecting of persons there. ant
he who cannot find chair has The
| inalienable right of standing upon his
| feet or reclining upon the floor. 1t was sc
| in Commissioner Heacock's room when
| the sale of THE MORNING CALL COM
menced. The newspaper men and attor
neys who had seats enjoyed them and
| held fast to them as the wise man holds
| fast to a goou thing when he beholds 1t.
| Those who had no chairs perched upon
| the back of lounge or leaned against the
| walls regarding those who were more for
tunate than they with the lofty disdain
| hat swelled the bosom of the fox in the
bile when he declared that the grapes
were green.
Around the desk at which the clerk OF
the court sits to receive the commands of
his Hon or the bidders and their attorneys
clustered. George K. Fitch. the snrvivin e
partner of the three noted men who
owned THE CALL and Bulletin, sat
upon lounge at some distance
from the bidders. His attorney. P. G..
Galpin, held fast to corner seat and
watched the distinguished auctioneer and
the bidders before him with unwavering
eyes.
r. A. Crotbers, who represented the
heirs of Loring Pickering and James w.
Simonton. sat facing the Judge-auctioneer.
Near him sat the other bdder-for there
were but two-Charles M. Shortridge, edi-
tor and pro prietor of the San Jose Mercury.
The representative of Loring chickering's
widow and child was apparently as emo
tionless as the white-haired senior sitting
silent on the leather lounge by the wall.
Tall, straight and taciturn he watched the
movements of his rival and raised bis
bids in the tone that lawyers use when
they read brief in which no one in the
world or out of IL has a shadow of interest.
His competitor, keenly conscious of the
fact that one of the great papers OF the
United States was the guerdon for which
he was battling, was nervous. anxious ana
enthusiastic by turns, but from beginning
TO end, while the hour hand of the clock
covered large segment of the circle
which 1t traverses. he vas watchful. By
his side sat his brother. Samuel M. Short.
ridge, the talented lawyer and attorney,
watching as his relative watched the slow
but ever upward trend of the bids. until
the tens of thousands became hundreds of
thousands and the climax was reached.
The two papers-THE CALL and the
Bulle,in-were ordered sold by Judge Nc
Kenna of the United States Circuit Court
about one month ago. Some of the owners
were in favor of private sale and
the other demanded an auction. Each
gave potent reasons in support of the
sale which 1t favored, and for time the
learned Judge was in a quandary; for he
was anxious to please both and TO hasten
the inevitable transfer Of the two journals
to ether hands. His Honor finally hit upon
plan which he thought would satisfy the
conte nding parties. He suggested that the
papers be sold privately, and, if the re-
suit were unsatisfactory to any one of
those who were interested, an auction of
the properties should be ordered. Nothing
fairer could have been proposed. All the
parties agreed that his Honor had rer-
dered an opinion that would have been
creditable to Solomon il that eminent
peacemaker had not been unavoidably
absent.
The decree was signed and published for
ten days, and the private sale commenced.
1t was In the hands of United States Com.
missioner Heacock, who is general favor
lie among newspaper men, butwho, while
the sale was progressing. coldly and hear
lessly turned deaf ear TO the inauiriog
reporters and forced them to expend their
gray matter in futile guessing. No one
outside the narrow circle of those vho