The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-11
TALES OF M'CULLAGH.
SOME OF THE QUEER IDEAS OF
THE ST. LOUIS EDITOR.

Stories Illustrating His Eccentrici-
ties and Methods of Newspaper
Work, Including Interviews,
"scare' Heads, News and Punctu-
aIity.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.
Newspaper men who knew Joseph B.
MeCullagh delight to tell stories of Lit
tie Mack" as he was called. He was a
splendid editor and a thorough disciple
marian, who insisted that the men work.
ing under him should devote all their time
and energies to the newspaper upon which
they We're employed. McCullagh did this
himself and thought it strange that any
one else should have any other desire.
Morning, noon and night, except when
sleeping, he thought only of his work, and
his friends easily believe that. even while
he slept at night he dreamed of the
Globe-Democrat. He was not content with
doing this himslf, but wished every man
in his employ to do the same thing. At
the same time Little Mack" was thor
ough bohemian, a great joker and good
story-teller. He was impetuous, although
meIlOdlCdl, ana mad a Keen VIII.
Many stories are told of his efforts to
make every man in his employ work as
hard as he did himself. Every man had
to be on duty from Ii a. m. to II p. m.
and woe betide the man who was late. A
story, which may be apochryphal, relates
that on one occasion reporter on the
staff went to the great editor and asked
for a day Off
Your day off is Sunday" replied Nc
Cullagh, land now you want an extra
day Tuesday. Don't you know, young
man. that a newspaper man, to succeed,
must work all the time and have no other
thought except his work."
Eyes, sir, but 1 am going to get mar
ried''
"Au right Get married"
But my intended wife objects to being
married on Sunday and we have sent
out the wedding invitations for Tuesday
evening"
81 can't help that
Eyes, sir but 1 would like to get off
Tuesday evening, so 1 can set married"
"Humph. Well, what time is it to be-"
''At 8 o'clock, sir -
"At o'clock. Well, it ought not to take
more than half an hour. Yes, Mr.. Jones,
| you can remain away from your work
| from 7:30 to 8:45 p. m, but report for work
| at 8:45 and look out that you don't get
scooped"
No man had keener sense of news than
| McCullagh. He, as well as his reporters,
! were always in pursuit of the elusive
! item. His ideas of news is we'll known.
| McCullagh regarded religious news and
| the meetings of societies and associations
| of quite as much Importance as murders
| or any other sensational news. He con-
| tended that anything of any kind that was
| sr1fa limo xKraG a
| daily newspaper, provided it had never
| before been published; holding that
whether the occurrence upon which it was
based had happened day, week, or
| month or even twenty years before was
| immaterial.
Every newspaper man knows McCul-
| lagh's famous answer when asked what
| was the chief duty of the managing ed
| itor of newspaper.
ut is" replied McCullagh, ''the art of
having a man on the spot when hell
| breaks loose.
| Editor McCullagh had many ideas pecu-
larly his own about newspapers and their
| conduct. One of his pet diversions was to
| what is called the "scare" head He was
| opposed to the use of big headlines in the
newspapers The Globe-Democrat is
! known as a newspaper which always had
modest headlines. Most of the heads over
the small items are one-line heads, and
the display heads rarely contain more
| than three lines.
ut used to be the rule said Editor Nc
| Cullagh shortly before his death, when
| explaining this characteristic of the
| Globe-Democrat to a newspaper man, Ito
| put a big headline over a department
| whether it contained much or little news.
| For instance, Washington must have
| big headline if there were only half
dozen lines from the capital. One day
| went over the paper with piece of string
| and was amazed to see how much space
| was wasted by headlines This string
| measurement settled the scare head in
my office, and we are enabled to print
| much more news than we did before"
Editor McCullagh will live in journals
| tic history as the inventor of the inter-
| view That idea, which has come to be
| an indispensable as well as a potent fac
| tor in Journalism in this country, was first
| nut into force by Editor McCullagh years
| ago while correspondent at Washington
| CITY His interview with President An
| drew Johnson was the first interview that
| was ever granted to a newspaper CORE
| snondent by a President. In later years,
when McCullagh managed a metropolitan
| daily in Chicago and st. Louis, he enlarg-
ed the scope of the interview by polling
the most prominent citizens of states on
great questions, thereby obtaining con-
sensus of public opinion on those ques-
every newspaper.
When William Hyde, who afterward be-
came postmaster of st. Louis during
CleVeland's first term, was managing ed
tor of the Republican in that city he
threw down the gauntlet in an editorial on
some question of local Importance. 1t was
Immediately accepted by Editor McCullagh
If rhe Globe Democrat, and a warm de-
bate was precipitated between the two
able editors. The intensity of feeling
rev apace. and, as often happens In con-
troversies of that kind, drifted into one
Of scathing abuse between the editors. 1t
was fun for the readers Of the rival pa
ners. but disagreeable to the friends Of
Inc participants. who expected that Sc
iious trouble would result both men pe-
ing courageous and daring.
Finally the vitrolic paragraphs OF Editor
McCullagh stung the other editor with
slch force that he dispatched a personal
communication to McCu.lagh' telling the
| 49, tta oftv nj St Louis was not