The sun., 1896-08-30
NEWSPAPER HISTORY.
Death Among the Veterans.

whlCn occurred NJ lshho EOEcols lll.' Oh tlo 'Nh
of July, tho last Of the second generation OF
Press Association managers passed onward.
The hrst conspic cuous figure in the work Of news
collecting on an extensive plan was ID. II. Craig,
whose death occurred but recently at the age OF
eighty years or upward. He was once the auto
crat OF the news business In the East, and his
Western coad jutor was George Is. Hicks, whose
headquarters were at Cleveland. Mr.. Craig's
principal assistants were Mcssrs. GobriRht OF
Washington, Fulton Of baltimore, and Blan-
chArd OF Boston. All Of these men have also
been gathered TO their fathers.
The power of Craig and Hicks was suddenly
broken one day by n little man named James
w. Simonton He was ono OF those who, with
Henry j. Raymond. founded the NetU York
Times and he was the unrcsting, virle and
sometimes recalcitrant correspondent of that
paper In Washington for several years. In 1860
Mr.. Simonton. who had purchased an interest
in the San Francisco Cal and the Bulletin, came
on from the Pacific coast with an unpleasant
light in his eyes to see why his news service
was so unsatisfactory. He had complained to
Craig and had received no attention beyond be-
Ing referred to Hicks. For some fifteen years
Craig had carried things with high hand,
and he cour,ed an attack on hs management
from any source. He was like village bully
who had never been trounced. But MIR. Simon
ton was fighter whose courage had not
ouniled when he was summoned before the bar
OF the Senate and sent TO prison on tho plea
that he was coutumacious witness, and he
forced Craig to the wall. When the New YORK
Associated Press was ready 10 remove Craig.
tho question arose, "Who can I'LL his placer"
MIR Simonton replied that he would take 1t
temporarily until tonebody could be found
to fiji the ill--with the result that he stayed in
th,, nu.ition for period oi four een years, re-
tir,uy in lssU when he WAS succeeieu by James
{. hue-ton. Mr.. simonton died at Nspa City'
Cal. in 1881. ,.., w.t.,
With the downfall of Craig, his partner Hicks
and Mr.. SlmontOn demonstrated that they
stimulated, and Il was then that VILLAIN Henry
smith came to the front ns manager OF me
Western o,ansh 1i tI. ns seryie p5er his apumatio
touch, an inde ependent organizations tho W eStorn
Associated Press. was created. ana II worksu 70
Press aud the latter's successor. tho United
Press for more than twenty years prior TO 1898,
when there was another and much more serious
d .sagrecment between the East ana the West
In iss2 Sir. hucston involved the New York
AssoysteG ',s,.a rTssS th rr.ss wen the vaccine
uv-rturcs OF Mr. smith, which had 9eneraIiy
prevailed With Mr.. .monton. We're p"wer.ees 10
allay. There mad been numheriess occasions
during the preceding ten years when VT.
Smonton could have been accommodated with
a hight by Mr. Smith. but they "eieR cohserFA-
tive and ir end y par when they came togethe
although their correspondence was uetEhttu'!y
h. in iur-d hy tho result OF the battle. II one
should ever be preciptated; But Hueston. VINO
ny ,.,t IN Kew Ynrk had beeu living IA Lon
don for eoune years. tie wa> the european rep
iesrutAtive OF the New York ana a" esterh A.
soclated Presses aud he inbibed some very
| autocratc ideas from his contact with btitl'h
institutions. Besides this. he was naturally OF
| u contentious nature. and A. one OF the famous
| Louisiana Tigers. had served with credit on tne
Confederate side III the war OF the reoeIiioh. he
WAS a man Of distinct aoliity. lie had Oeeh
teiryrapuer in the m ,tary service OF the sou,h,
| aud WAS familiar with th- mystery OF the wires,
! He was a graduate OF princeton toIisRe ana OF
| the Columbia college Law ScAuoi III New i"tk,
| aud his experience IN the news business on ontn
utle- OF the Atlantic peculiarly httrd him 10
Eui he went into a conflict with william Henry
smith and was defeated. truce was agreed
I uuon: fiur,tou rendered his res,EnRttun ae gen
eraI manager OF the Sew York Associated Press,
winch wa, accepted, and pending - prrtnHhe"t
settlement between tho two organizations. tho
Hon Era.tus brooks, ASSISTED by George a.
Leach. was in charge OF affairs Among tho,e
who were active III bringing aooul r."E,Iui
solution Bf prevailing truulIt were W .Illanl
Henry Hur.bcrt, George Jones, Isaac w Eng
land. aud Da. ID NJ. stone All OF them. IKE
sIumOer from which there Is no ph!siSai h"Ah-
en,,s. sroo.o,.a Mr. R-ooks as soon as
thr details of new contract tetwcrn the New
York Associated Press ana tar W e. eri A-so-
Gated Press could be agreed upon. ana i"r
nrar.y ten Yeas hc was in tull cninihahu oi
both organizations. he brought order out o!
chaos, improved the service. per ectea tLe
leased wire system. Introduced the typ""rit-r
among press operators made u ~ pdtS = Iehdi
with The .T"wlnS and rrs, .ess rival OF tue A.
.oci;.rcd Press. viz. the United Press ana IN
every way 30 syst-natz-d and strengthened tho
position 0t the Associated Pres, ns an orHani'
Zi.t.un that W TO S9I It's srrStCe was the urst
| The cot OF II 10 its members and clients wa the
least a,d the frunchi.cs owurd ny its news
paper. were the most ,alunOl- at any time dur
tng IL, history. Bu, the situation Was not salts,
! factory u GER ain gentlemen ia chicago. ana
they =" haras-ed Mr. smith: ana & so a,,Eu",rd 20
! latter uul an end to The G.Odns rlrehd' on Oct
! 20. 1891. and MIR. smith returned to the Me't a
2 h.. h NNaOn Gll
| that hnaiIy destroyed the original Western As
| socinted Pres ami enabled The United Press TO
| /, DID in prcember 1902. /, nov in charge OF
| that remarkable institution. the Chicago AS
Mr. smrIh sustained u grcnt loss In Il e death
| OF his vie. which came when lie was beng
| scourEed 10y men from whom hoeIpected hetter
thing, and further bio" WAS dralt MN moro
! recently by tho sudden death OF his daughter.
| Mrs Charles K, Williams. saw hum last at
| his hons at Lost Rock, surrounded By hi.
| books and a vast amount Of data, from which
| he was con-tructlnsa history Of Rutherford b.
| Hayes and hi Administration a. President.
As we talked OF literary matters he WAS so
| fuen. and GENIAL. aud knew so well how kind
! lie hai hren To- the unfortunate. how hrm he
| could he with his equals. aud how determined
| aud almost defiaGt hc WAS with Lir superiora
| when he tnou. mt they were In the wrong hs we
| this was the man whn when ten. Logan. then a
senator from Illinois, had supposed hewnuld
under PRECEDENT Hayes a man who would be us
clay In the hands OF the potter had proven a
| worthy OF even Logan
| sl.el. II all reminded me OF what uverh-nr d
Henry n. stanry LAY to- lady q! a teception
| In New York some years ago: Nature never
| Intended me-" said stanley. for an explorer.
| ! was created to -it by my own tir-hiur and
he a man of peace. contented In his obscur-
| ity. ! am explorer from the necessities OF
| the case. | went to Africa reluctantly In the
first place and return there with ever-incrcna-
| ing reluctance" lie who had KEEP the ny le
| and puguactous SimOnton IN line. who had
made II brilliant campaign and won the 'iciory
when the Napoleani, methods OF Hueston COM
| pplled INN 10 do hattie or surrender, and who
had moi been afraid Of the great Logan when
their views Of public duty were ia conflict. Was
by nature sw eetiy gentle ~ lorabDe man.
| think, pcrhap-, he read Shakespeare when he
was Young. and Thought well OF PUlotiuSs ad-
vice 10 Larrtes to beware of gett ny mo quar-
REL. but when ouCe in to make things az inter
cstiug as possible But his preference was for
peace and the quiet Of home HE. for books nnd
| uictures and the soothing influences Of all nntu-
| raj phenumena. The woods we're his friend
| and the song, of the birds and the signing oi
the winds about Lost Rock were to him as
| sweetest music.
Hts friends may take. think, this bit Of com
| fort out OF what seems to Us a. his untlmely
| drath. Some OF tile more the better BE
| Ie,e in Emrrsun's theory Of reinchrnation. and
ALTHOUGH Mr.. smith dird when lie was in his
| Irb that