The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-14
STORIES OF EDITOR BENNETT.
Eccentricities That Upset the Hera Id
Office When He Is Home.
New York Press.

James Gordon Benefits arrival in New
York last week did not seem to be planned
with an eye to dramatic effect. If there
was anything like a shakeuD among the
people of the Venetian palace wherein the
Herald is produced 500 days every year it
did not come with the shock of a surprise
1t used to be different in the old days.
when the home of the Herald was at Broad
way and Ann streets. where the st. Paul
building now pierces the sky.
Then, according to tradition, possibly
strained beyond the point of veracity, it
was not unusual for the first knowledge of
the proprietors arrival in New York to be
made known to Herald employees by the
resonant sound of his own private gong
echoing through the rooms.
Then there was a general dressing UP of
all concerned. Heads of departments got
ready to be summoned to "the old man S
room" that had been swept and garnished
and generally made ready for him every
day of his absence in the certainty that he
would appear some time when least ex-
pected.
was once surprised out of a half year S
growth by the unexpected appearance of
Mr.. Bennett when everybody supposed he
was cruising in the Mediterranean. declares
ii to be his belief that there was an un-
derground passage between the old Herald
building and the Bennett building in Mas
sau street, and that the erratic newspaper
publisher used to enter the office of his
journal by the route just for the fun of the
thing.
one of his returns, which was mot ar
ranged with secrecy, was soon after his
fathers death. A lot of his employees
thought it would be a good thing TO so
down the bay in a body and formally re-
ceive their new master. Addresses We're
got up with the greatest care and i'm
pressively delivered But the scheme went
way wide of the mark. Mr.. Bennett was
not pleased and from the beginning TO the
end of the ceremony he never Sald WORD,
while on his face there was a look that
BODIED 70 good to the participants Just
how they We're made to regret i does not
seem to be recorded in the oral annals of
Park row. but that one by one they did
repent il is a Well-de1ned memory.
Once when he came entirely unan-
rounced he made an early visit to the
uressroom Among the pressmen was one
who had worked for the elder Bennett, an
excellent workman in every way, except
that he was guilty of an occasional drink
ing bout He had just recovered from one
of these spells and had "a mouse" under
one eye, which he had acquired in a fight
while exhilarated
He was in "A great state of mind when ne
saw "the old man" coming into the room,
seized an ink roller and, rubbing his
smudged hands oyer his face, succeeded in
completely hiding the black eye. Mr.. Ben
nett appeared not TO notice the man till
Just as he was turning 10 go Then he
turned to the foreman: What is the name
of that man with the ink on his face!
The subject of the query quaked in his
shoes but was relieved and overJoyed 10
hear his employer say, a moment later
Wei. raise his salary SIS a week. He S
about the only man in the room who looks
as If he had been working this morning.
Among those who know Mr.. Bennett there
is a catch phrase that james Gordon Ben
nett never makes a mistake 1t would
fare i'll with a Herald man who should dis