The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1898-02-04
IA Tale Of a Texas Editor.



MAYHEM Robert Emmett Smith be-
wv came proprietor, business mana
ger. editor-in.chicf and literary di-
rector of the Piensanton Banner, which
proudly heralded the fact that 1t
was 1.-The official organ of Atascosa
county, Tex.," be was ambitious. He
bought the paper from "Old Man"
tGurlock, paying him therefor $50 In
cash and u promissory note for $3.50 due
in IL months. The "old man" stuffed
the money into the deepest corner of q
deep trousers pocket. spnt into a saw
dust-filled box which did duty for q
cuspidor, and said: you'll find the
folks a, Atascosa easy to get along with
eff you don't step on their corns. Give
'em plenty of local news and spell the
names right. The sheriff is n candidate
for reelection and is u TEDIOUS man.
Jim Scruggs is goin' to run agin him
an he is a TEDIOUS man. They's 40
kind o. Baptists ard 80 kinds o Meth
odists in this town. You'll have TO be
keerful. Everybody has got eye on
YOU. They expect you TO write 'em o
salutatory. Write her. Don't give 'em
no editorials but what is frce-trade ed
itorials. You want to be friendly with
the deestrick jedge and the deestriclS
clerk. They give out the county print
in Good-by."
Robert Emmett Smith took stock. He
found that he owned four cases of bour-
geoise type and line OF advertising
type. 1t was all old. The semi-colons
had been cut down to make commas
and periods. When a proof was taken
it was hard 10 tell an II, from an "
or an .seH from d &C." The type was
swelled ut the bottom, u condition
which printers know by ribald name.
There was Washington handpress,yR
printer who was sometimes sober and
a small boy who was learning the trade.
His Office boas;ed two chairs and u bat
tered desk. There was broken file of
the Banner. Two Office stools, q
couple of rusty ..chases.' some worn
wooden quoins, mallet and planer,
a water bucket md n tin dipper with
small hole in the bottom made up the
furniture. There had been a muzzle-
loading shotgun, ten gauge and weigh
ing 12 pounds. but Guriock had takenit
away with him. The Office was two
roomed frame building on the edge of
the little town. 1t was well-iighted and
the roof leaked. Around it grew large
live oak trees, and near 1t dubbed q
cold clear spring. There was huge
fireplace in the front room. The fore
man and printer built roaring fire In
it when Smiths first edition had been
set up, although the month was Au-
gust aud the flies hummed against the
window panes. He explained that twas
necessary to set TIE forms in front of
the blaze and swell head" the type so
that they would print. This was done
and fair impression obtained.
The new editor wrote his salutatory.
1t was a column aud half long. He
told his 500 subscribers that. although
q stranger in a strange land, he was
Glad to be in their midst; he said that
a tariff law was unconstitutional: he
whacked the "robher trusts" and tar
iff barous" of the east; hedeclared that
the neck of the workingman was be-
meath the iron heels of soulless corpora
tons; he alluded feeiingly to 1.-The crime
of '73;" lie would be found, he asserted,
ever in the forefront of the battle for
human liberty and the rights of man; he
had warm words for the unlimited nat
uralresources of Atascosa county; while
admitting by inference that its prod
ucts were mainly razor-back hogs,
ncorns and nubbins, he thought that q
wooden mill, cotton mill and steel
mill would pay; he pointed with
prophetic forefinger to the time when
the smoke from Pleasanton's factories
would darken the air and smell like in-
ccnse in the nostrils Of the people.
"And now" he said in conclusion, "hav-
ing come amongst you and cast In our
lot with yours, we ask you TO walk hand
in hand with us. We request your
friendship, but we will compel your
support. To measly contemporaries
who hurled their barbed arrows of sar-
casm Mt us and heaped ribald abuse
upon us when we were only associate
editor OF the Bandera Chieftain, we say:
Let slip the dogs OF war;" Smith was
young.
yaded the sanctum. he walked in as II
1t belonged to him, and, depositing the
customary libations of saliva in the
sawdust cuspidor, took seat on the
desk. SiLemmons was the sheriff. He
Was heavily booted and spurred, and .
Colts revolver, single action. nickel
m.- -,t,o ,ro,,% @n take ont