El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-12
The Spectator.

1t is not generally known by re-
sidents of Ell Paso that Geo. Perkins,
the popular manager OF the Postal
telegraph company, is q newspaper
man of wide experience and thorough
training. Heshas, it might be said,
experienced all the ups and downs of'the
profession and graduated with high
nonors as managing edi' or of great
press association. The average life of
a managing editor In the big cities is
five years. He is supposed to know, about
everything that has ever occurred
even in the most remote quarters of
the globe, ::and the wear and tear upon
his system lie terrible. He is expect
ed to estimate at glance
the value of news item
and to order q report of an asssssina-
away marriage from Kalamazoo and
the tale of duel with pistols from
Arizona, all in the same breath and
never make q mistake. He generally
earns an enormous salary while 1t
lasts, but his official life is generally
short. Many stand the strain five years
or longer if they are gifted with an
iron Constitution. Perkins stood it
six and then broke down and went the
way OF many others-to the West in
search of health. What Perkins
doesn't know about newspaper work
isn't worth knowing and many q young
would-be journalist of Ell Paso has
found HE advice Invaluable at times.
II began my career at the telegraph
editors desk on Chicago paper, "said
, Perkins when asked for a story.
| too many on the force and detailed me
| for reportorial work. 1 had never
worked q day as reporter in my life
and did mot know how to prepare a re-
port of anything. However the man
agement knew nothing of hat and
| naturally supposed that 1 had worked
my way up to the position of telegra ph
EDITOR. l WAS anxious to keep my job
| and of course didn't say anything
about my lack OF experience. L was
detailed to work up what was
q news standpoint that had occurred
in Chicago for years. A large
mercantile firm had been burnt out
| and employees of the con-
Germ had leagued themselves
| together to extOrt money from
the owners of the establishment,
| by swearing that the fire was of incend
larry origin and that the firm member:
were the lncendiaries. Whether they
were or not l can't say but L am inclin
ed to believe they were. 1t took me
|
the conspiracy. l gathered sufficient
data for full page story but on &C
count of not knowing how to use the
material, only made u column article
This was locked in the city editor:
desk to await the final coup. 1t came
at last when the whole gang was ar
rested and jailed, charged with black
mail and conspiracy. Strange to say
the man who had the full story in his
keeping was absent from the city anG
the police reporter, who knew nothing
about the case, made only a two line
item of it and we were scOoped the
next day by every paper in town.
The teachers at the Contra
school have for long time
been filed daily with dread les
some of their charges should
be run over and mangled by passing
vehicles. There is no play ground at
tached to the Central school and tn.
pupils spend their leisure moment,
romping in the streets. There hav,
been hundreds of narrow escapes by
them but thus far none have been kill
ed. A play ground for them has a.
last been provided. General Manager
ThOrne of the Il. 81 p. owns large va
can't lot in the rear of the school lot
and he has consented to have it turned
into play ground for the children
The city will clean up and level the 10
and 1t will be spriukled by the s.ree
sprinkler to keep down the dust Will
a few improvements it is capitally ad
apted for play ground and Prof. Put
nam is cOngratulating himself that b.
has at last solved the problem will
| which he has wrestled several wears
and every teecher in the high schoo
will heave a deep sigh of relief as sool
as the lot is available and the childre
are taken from the street.
Yesterday afternoon Captain Pa
Garrett, the newly elected sheriff o