The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-07
JOE, M'CULLAGH'S WAYS.
Daily Routine of the Late Editor of
the st. Louis GIObe-DemOcrat.

Dt1hy ftOutlne Oh the Isitc EuitOT VI
the st. Louis GIObe-DemOcrat.
"Old Reporter" in Chicago Times-Herald.
Never a better newspaper man lived than
Joseph 3. McCullagh, and never one who
was a greater taskmaster, exacting the
limit OF work from every employee lie
others; that can be said to his credit. A
man of routine, he was as we'll a peculiar
character. an oddity among men. The edf-
tor of a great paper. continuously Ell rap
port with current events, great in its news
features, he had no associates, seemed
never TO talk to anyone but was ever in
touch with the world.
A man of routine, i'm the old days. when
the Globe-Democrat was located at Fourth
and Pine streets, McCullagh would walk
into the office at 1890 o'clock daily. He
never varied a second. Then. going to his
den, a dusty, paper-bestrewn room of eight
feet square, he would summon the heads of
each department to his presence. Never
looking at any one of them. but cycling a
marked paper on his ill-kept desk. he in
turn roasted each one of his staff. He
was never known to m but ever
lastinSly condemned.
The daily duty discharged, at 1 o'clock he
would leave the office and go to the South
ern Hotel. He was as prompt to leave at !
O'Clock as he was in entering the office at
1880 o'clock. Reaching the hotel and enter
ing at the Walnut-street doorway. he at
once repaired to the bar. o. sight the bar
tender set up four glasses. two of which he
filled with water. In the other two McCul-
lagn poured the same size generous drink OF
WHISKY. lie drank one ana In a lew sec
onds lifted the other to his lips and swal-
lowed II. 1t used to be said that i'm taking
the second drink McCullagh treated a
phantom," though the drink went down
the gullet of "a very sturdy man. Then he
went to dinner. Finishing that quickly he
Strolled down into the corridor of the hotel.
a Cincinnati Enquirer, sat down and buried
ms race behind the paper until . o'clock
stood inquired out on the dial of time. Then
he stood up. left the hotel by the Walnut
street entrance, and, turning west. walked
INTO Parle's buffet. a half block away.
There four glasses were set Up for him.
Leaving the saloon he Wake east 10
FOURTH street and thence to The office.
There he ensconced himself I'm his den. but
every nfteen minutes or SO he would walk
10 the water cooler located i'm the city
room: 1t was well understood. or thor
oughiy supposed, at least. that 1.-The old
man made these frequent trips to see, like
an irlsh schoolmaster. If the boys were at
work. And however gleeful they NAV have
been. when his step was heard every man
got TO his desk. bent down his head and be-
gan writing for dear life.
AT o o'clock he would again go to the
southern Hotel, returning at Z o'clock. and
until Il o'clock keep up his visits to the
wafer cooler, At midnight he would go
nome IN a cab. This was his daily life for
twenty years or more. He never attended
a. place OF amusement nor any public meet
ing, and never was the guest at anv enter
tainment. He had his own peculiar views
about running a newspaper, and having alb
Soiute and untrammeled control Of the
oiobC-DtIlOCTdl his views nave been DrOVed
correct by the grand success of that jour-
nal. The Globe-Democrat. under his editor
lal management, was unlike any other
newspaper in the country. He subordinated
the business department to the editorial de-
partment. and in few other papers in the
country is the upstairs supreme over the
DOWNSTAIRS. He declared in print i'm an
SWer to an lnterrogatory some wears ago
What makes a great paper?' "A telegraph
WIRE a pair of scissors and a pastepot."
Ana IN the conduct of his newspaper he
1OllOWpd out this sentiment He naid n,ora
for telegraph news than is paid bv any
newspaper in this or any other country.
II was his boast that if anything. from
birth; marriage to death. or in life. hap
pened of any consequence i'm the remotest
hamlet of the country there would be an
account of ii in The Religious Daily. lat
terly issued from the Temple of Truth.
While the editorial columns of the Globe
Democrat. under Capt. Henry Kings schol-
airy control. are not excelled in the coun-
try, space in them was ever contracted for
news, Geographic news and the scissors
ana pastepot. or reprint selections. Local
news. too. had to be summarized into the
conventional two sticks unless there was
Il mighty good story to recount.
This he would say. lis a national pa
per. not n local affair. and while published
IN st. Louis. it goes TO every town in the
country. The current events of st. Louis.
therefore, should not be elaborated to the
exclusion of other news more interesting
to other localities than the happenings
here" But he never failed Ito cover St.
Louis, though never padding out the local
itNS DecduSt SIMPLY 81. DOulS matter.
Stern. u~nbending and eXacting. t~aciturn
and never commencing, there was a good
side to this odd genius which now and then
broke out. For a year he would condemn.
never m and then on Christmas
morning. or at 1890 O'Clock precisely. would
stroll into the office and without SO much
porter a $40 gold piece and the city editor a
$50 crisp greenback. The eagles looked in
variably as if just. minted and the green
back as if just printed. 1t wasn't good
form IN fh4nk him and no nnNnr NEac
thanked.
The great editor lived for his paper. 1t
was his especial pride. and this story goes
as an Illustration. He had occasion to
send one of the reporters to San Antonio.
Texas. His correspondent there. lobe
Mitchell. had gotten into IA difficulty" as
Kit Carson would term it. with a Texan
and had been knitted. The reporter was
sent down to take Mitchelrs place. Going
to his quarters and packing his grip, he
the depot. There he encountered 'the old
man"
Are you ready to go?' he asked.
Have you any money"
Yes. sir"
How much?"
"Forty-eight dollars, and my transporta-
ton"
Not enough" he said laconically. and
stepping up TO Harper. the cashier of the
hotel. IL whispering conversation ensued.
Then returning to the reporter the old
man. showed a roll of bills into his hand,
saying:
Take that" as If he were delivering a
body blow. adding: "All | nave got 10
say is. remember YOU represent the Globe
Democrat
on counting the bills the reporter found
the sum of $500. Reaching Texas. the new
correspondent found himself almost unable
to spend "a cent. the Texans trying to pla-
cate the Globe-Democrat for the stabbing
of Mitchell with all sorts Of hospitality.
Contriving TO spend about $50 in some way.
the reporter at the end of ten days re-
turned 10 St. Louis. Mitchell having recov-
cred. Reporting to 1.-The old man." he
turned over a wad of bills to him.
What's this?" he asked.
The balance of the expense money you
gave men"
Ugh" he calculated. You are the first
man that ever returned any expense money
to me-"