Evening star., 1896-09-19
ONE KIND OF EDITOR,
Something Like Unto the Fabled
Chinese Style of Editor.

The reporter for The Star had been
around to let Ii Hung Chang ask him
four or five thousand questions before
breakfast, and he was then telling the hotel
clerk about 1t in the hearing Of a man who
looked as much like a Chicago art sales
man as anything else. Incidentally, the
reporter mentioned that in China there
we're people who gathered Information
around the towns and sold it to the Gu
rious. and he intimated that Ii Hung
Chang was on the make and would prob
ably dispose of his large and valuable COL
lection of facts to good advantage when he
got home.
This was taken as a joke, but the Chi
cago man looked serious.
We'll" said he, II don't know about
this Chinese business, but about two years
ago l was In a town down south where
the press isn't supported with that degree of
, liEerality We expect it to be in this day and
generation. and as 1 stood in the door of
the store where had sold bill of goods
a man came by and began to talk to me
LII Hung Changing me, so to speak, for he
asked me more questions In a minute than
l had had asked me all the time l had
been in town. He wasn't very reputable
looking party, either, for his nose was red
and his hat had the droops at four cor
ners, but he was a bright sort Of a fellow
and his eyes Sparkled, even If they were
leary and liquorsoaked.
"As 1 was answering his questions and
trying to get away from him the proprietor
of the store came out and introduced me to
| the queer genius as the local editor. Then
l began to ask few questions myself, but
| before had time to get in very many the
town marshal appeared down the street
with prisoner. and the editor dropped
| me and went after the latest excitement.
"1 didn't know you had a newspaper
here said 1 to the merchant.
| We haven't said he, but we've got
an editor
".How can he edft panar uban tbare
| isn't any" said /.
| HES a genius said he.
| HE doesn't look it, said l.
! "'Well, I'll tell you what that chap does
| said ne, and what he has been doing for q
year or more. You know we have a popu-
| lation Of seven or eight hundred here, and
we don't get daily paper until 1t Is eigh-
| teen hours old and then we don't get tha
regularly, and nobody in town takes it, ex-
| cept on Sunday. Well, what does this
chap do but beg corner in the room
where the post Office is, and there he pu,
| an old arm chair somebody gave him anG
called 1t the editorial rooms Of the Per
petual Gazette. People laughed at him, ant
! thought he was drunk, as usual, but hi
went around everywhere in town gather
ing the news exactly as if he were going te
print 1t. and he knew how. for he had beer
bright newspaper man once.
"'Then he would collect a group of peo
pie and offer to tell all he knew for five
cents from each listener. or, as he die
sometimes. he would get up on a barre
outside the Office. and, after telling wha
he had to tell. he would pass the hat ant
collect sometimes as much as fifty or sew
enty-five cents. He always got lot O.
news out of the daily paper and supplied
1t fresh every morning of the da.
after 1 have often had him come In her,
at night. and for a quarter got an hour o.
more entertainment out of him, besides
getting the news.
He reads the stories in the papers. too
and II anybody wants to hear stories he cal
give all the current ones at so much pc
| listener