Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-08-05
HE COMPROMISED.

the reach OF an opportunity to quench MS
thirst for literary honors.
When he arrived at the mature age OF
five and forty, he saw just ahead ray OF
brightness that promised to develop into
full blown electric light of hopes realized.
His stepmother's cousin, who had been
! sole manager and owner of The Wayback
I Register for the last 20 years, grew tired
of the business, and in letter to Hib-
bard's stepmother he diated upon his
eagerness to sell out and betake himself to
fields far removed from newspaperdom
The old lady turned her cousins letter
over to Hubbard.
The price set upon Tho Register by its
owner appeared very low to Hibbard, and
the upshot of the matter was that the
staid old journal, which had just managed
to keep its head above water for the last
twelvemonth, was transferred from the
hands of Mrs. Hubbard s cousin, who was
glad enough to rid himself of the rapidly
decaying incumbrance at any price, to AL
fred Hubbard.
During the 81 years of The Registers
existence it had been conducted on the
same cut and dried plan from one weeks
end to the other. Its readers were not
particularly progressive people, but for
about six months before the paper changed
hands the orders to cancel subscriptions
when they expired came in by twos and
threes and by every other known COM
bination.
Alfred Hubbard had not inquired into
the financial standing of his purchase with
the caution that he would have observed
had he boon embarking in an enterprise in
which his business interests were not so
completely overshadowed by his enthusi-
asm for the ideal side Of the venture.
When the knowledge Of the imminent
overthrow of his pet scheme gradually
forced itself upon him, 1t did not unnerve
him. He was prolific in we'll defined ideas
concerning the management of a news
paper, and he set about to put them into
practice with zest that augured either to
kill or cure the popularity of his journal.
From an eight page weekly, issued every
Thursday morning, The Register blossom
ed out into four page triweekly, with an
occasional illustrated supplement-, and the
dry as dust columns, which for many years
had formed the mental bone and sinew of
Altoona's population, were transformed
into sensationalists paradise of electri-
| flying headlines and startling paragraphs.
He wrote to numerous prospective cor
respondents In sister towns, requesting
| them to make their communications as
racy and interesting as the circumstances
would permit, and the amateur pencil
showers took advantage Of the license al
lowed them and went in full tilt.
For three months The Register ran along
in the broad way Of evil doing, and fol
three months its circulation increased
from day to day as 1t had never done DO
fore, and its fame spread throughout thai
part of the state. At the end Of that time
one of the many threatened lawsuits was
brought to head.
"Lavina Ogden versus Alfred Hubbard
SANDER" was the third case set for hear
ing before the Altoona county circuit
court when that body was convened In
May.
The grounds on which the plaintiff
brought suit was an item which appeared
in The Register in April to the effect that
Miss Lavina, then of uncertain age, was
about to institute legal proceedings against
gentleman of uncertain age, name un-
known, for the purloining of her atfec-
tions, which in the course of time had beer
ruthlessly thrown aside to make way fol
another set of affections.
Miss Lavina stoutly affirmed that hel
affections were intact and in her keeping
and always had been, and she estimated
the value of statement to tho contrary q
$4,000.
The trial lasted more than week, ant
its progress was watched with unboundet
interest by the community at large, which
hardly knew whether to be pleased or dis
appointed when the jury returned a YER
dict requiring Hubbard to pay, to the las
penny, the amount considered an equiva
lent for maligned reputation.
A month passed after the reading of thu
decision, and Hubbard had made no move
toward settlement. Through her lawyers
Miss Lavina demanded an explanation
Hubbard that evening called on Miss La
vina to conduct the remainder of the dis
agreeable suit from a personal standpoint
"Miss Ogden he said bluntly at tn
beginning Of the interview, ~ am sorr!
that anything should have been printed II
my paper derogatory to your character
The itom which has proved to be such {
bone of contention was given to me by ,
correspondent as q piece of news and
used it. assure you that in the publica
ton of that paragraph was actuated by
no personal motive, for until the begin
ming of this trouble you were tota
stranger to me.
"You claim that your pride and goot
name have been injured to the extent o
$4,000. Miss Ogden, have been study
ing you closely during the last six week
and / am convinced that If there Is an!
woman deserving Of that amount 1t Il
yourself.
"The only property have in the worlt
is The Wayback Register. The whole plan
wouldn't figure up to half that amount.
have but one suggestion to make-I vii
give you half interest In The Register
Is that satisfactory"
Miss Lavina took ton days to conside
the matter. Her answer made Hibbar(
quail. She wanted $1,000 or its equiva
lent within another ten days.
When his second respite drew to an end
he called on his antagonist again.
II couldn't get the money, Miss Og
den, he said In great oontrition. II an
sorry for your sake and my own; more 81
ON your account than mine. have com
today to offer another compromise. freel,
give you The Wayback Register complete
have but one other thing to throw in Il
make up the balance. That Is myself. D.
you think that l, individually, am wortl
the 5000 and some odd dollarsP If SO,
can cancel my indebtedness at once"
It was unique PROPOSAL and the law o
the eternal fitness of things required tina
it should meet with unique reception.
"This is not sudden" she said calmly
II foresaw from the beginning that 70,
would do this very thing. You are nov
looking at this step as a marriage Of con
venience, but you will learn to like mo II
time. There are some traits in your char
acter that admire and Others that