The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-10
IN Dlrs OF FORE.
Veteran Reporter Relates an Interesting Incident of Election Returns Gathering in tho Nutmeg state Years Ago--oonsoli- dated Road Annual Meetings,

A AdInlllar race to scores or the Qluer of the Consolidated road is that of Thomas Towndrow, pictured in New York Times, MT. Town droW having been invariably for long period or years an attendant of the an nual meetings of the stockholders of that company in New Haven in his ca pacity as a representative of a great New York daily, and his genial face and accommodating dispositions occupied with his accurate comprehensive report hav- ing made him a very welcome visitor. All will be glad to hear word about this veteran and the following concern Ing him in the Times will be of in terest:
 New Rochelle, Feb. S-There lives in this village one of the oldest newspaper men in the state, and certainly one of the best known in the days of his ac- tivity. His name Is Thomas Towndrow, who has been called the "Nestor of the Press and the Father of Reporters" To assist newspaper men was one of the joys or his life while in active work, but of late. years he has had to desist, being almost eighty-six years old.
 MT. Towndrow was recently met by a reporter of the New York Times who has known him for thirty years, and was asked for sogg,ething in the shape of a reminiscence in his active life, for he began his newspaper work with Horace Greeley on the first number of the New York Tribune, and he remained the Westchester correspondent of that same journal until he had to retire on account of age. On his eighty-first birthday his brother co-laborers presented him with handsome gold watch, suitably in scribed.
 Tn response to the invitation of the re- porter For g raminiscence, MT. Town drow settled himself comfortably and said:
 Well since you ask me for something in my experience as a reporter, will tell you the story of how l beat the tele- graph.
 When David G. Croly, husband of Jennie June the popular. authoress and journalist, was managing editor of the New York World he expressed a desire that I should assist him in ob- taining the returns of the Connecticut state election, to be held on the follow ing day, and arranging them in good shape.
 T casually remarked that I had never seen the work thoroughly done, and that the arrangements made for tele- graphing the returns had been defective and irnperfectly carried out. Further, I believed that the returns of the votes cast in many places in Connecticut could be obtained direct from the poll ing places, brought to New York oii the trains and delivered to the newspapers in advance of the telegraphic messa ges, for reasons. which I could easily ex- plain.
 MT. Croly, however, without listening to any explanation of the matter at once secuted the idea and remarked that it was perfectly absurd--in fact, perfectly preposterous. I, therefore, did not attempt to refute his views, but said that I would go to Connecticut, visit the various polling places in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and towns irnme- liately adjoining them, and jot down anything of interest which might occur in or near these places. The suggestion was favorably considered by MT. Croly. and at o'clock the following morning I took my seat in the train on the New Haven railroad for Stamford, the first large place. k.:.s
 ''On alighting from the train I pros ceeded to find attf Old time friend. the late John R. Knapp, who volunteered to aid me in any manner he could. I sug- gested to him to obtain the result of the voting in Stamford and nearby towns, with the understanding that he would have them ready to hand to me on the station platform on the arrival of the 10:30 D. m. train from New Ha- ven. I was to raise white handker- chief so that he could readily recognize me in the crowd of passengers,
 "This much accomplished, after visit ing the polling places in Stamford to look after matters in general. I boarded the next eastward-bound train and pro- ceeded by it to Norwalk. I there met with a cordial greeting at the office of the Norw'allx Gazette from the editor of that old and popular journal, who vol unteered to assist me in carrying out my scheme, and, after a visit to the poll ing places and looking after the political pulse of the people, l made another movement eastward to Bridgeport There I was again greeted by old friends and co-laborers in Journalistic work, who gave me all the information avail able about the election and other mat ters of general interest, and I arranged with them for the exchange Of returns on my way back to New York
 II reached New Haven about D. m There first looked after the needs of the inner man by partaking of a hearty luncheon, preparatory to the perform ance of the work before me. From that time until ? or 3 o'clock the following morning I was hard at work.
 "In New Haven I gathered some items of interest and visited several of the newspaper offices, where I was accorded the privilege of examining and copy ing the election returns received by them up to that hour, and others as they were received.
 T went aboard an express train o'clock p. m. On the train I found a rush of passengers from Norwallz, New London, Hartford, Middletown, and other places in Connecticut, who had been home to vote and were on their return to their places of business in the city.
 ''The conductor of the train was ac- quainted with most 0f them md through