Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-04-21
STORY or AN EDITOR.



hit with a Story of ''Egypt's Apple
Crop"-Rsmarkabls Hotel interviewer.
W. @. Brann, the fighting editor,
who was killed at Waco, Tex, in n
duel the other day, practically startsd
bis newspaper career in st. Louis, on
The Globe-Demoorat, under Joseph b.
MoCullagh. That was six years ago,
and those who knew Brann then knew
man who was as mild and gentle AZ
could be. His friends littlo dreamed
that he would become the editor at such
a fiery publication Us The Ioonoclast.
In fact, Brann made his first hit OIL Tho
Globe-Democrat with big Sunday arti-
Gle on the apple crop of southern Illi-
nois.
"Brann had been on the paper n few
weeks" said western newspaper man
yesterday, in discussing this eccentric
character, land hadn't succeeded in
turning in much copy. One day MoCul-
lagh suggested that Brann tnko an art
list, SO over into Egypt--as lower ILL
nois is called-and write up the apple
industry, which is a source of great rev.
enue to that part of the state. Brann
started out, and the rest of MS were
more or less curious to see how he
would come ont His article appeared
the next Sunday, and ii is needless to
say that it was a first rate surprise
Brann had made rhetorical flower
garden out of the page that had been
a In, n i'm Ave oAI, IL
on the apple industry would have been,
in the hands of the average reporter,
pretty dry reading, but under the pen
Of Brann apples seemed almost to grow
from the type. As to facts, there was
nothing much to the article, and some
of the members of the staff had doubts
if the new man, as Brann was then
called, had gone any farther into Egypt
than East st. Louis. The strength Of
the story was its phrases. It read like a
classic almost, and some of the boys I'M
dertook to speak to Brann and compli.
ment him upon this feature of it,
'Pshaw, that's nothing, was the
reply. i can do anything that l please
with the English language, can make
1t wave as prettily as a field Of ripe
wheat or I can seize it By its handle
and make it snap like a bull whip in
the hands Of COW puncher.
so it will be seen that he was not
without his share of egotism. We learn
ed that he had been sort of travelling
preacher and lecturer and that his
home had been in Dallas or Waco be.
ha ID,
after the episode Brann went up to
Chicago to the national Democratic CON
vention as one of quite large staff un.
der Walter B. Stevens. 1 have heard
that Brann's especial assignment on the
Chicago trip was to pay no attention to
the big political gathering, but to ex.
pose Chicago with sharp pen. And
Brann did SO, to the great delight of all
st. Louis.
when Brann returned to st. Louis,
he was placed in charge of the column
called Hotel Corridors. This column
had been one of McCullagh's hobbies,
and the rest of us had taken turns in
extracting interviews from tourists and
travelling men until we were black in
the hotel column fourished like green
bay tree. The widest and most improb
able stories in the choicest English, dis,
sertations on religion and on literature,
essays on ethics and culture-in fact,
everything. 1t was useless to pretend
that the interviews were true. The
average run Of hotel guests did not talk
l u a (l1nha. lo,r 4.
them talk, and every ono knew it. But
the work pleased McCullagh, and a lit
tic later, when Brann resigned and re
turned to Texas to start newspaper, the
editor made contract with him to send
a bunch Of hotel interviews daily BIZ
mail.
Sin starting daily newspaper in
Texas Brann had a partner, and the
7ssuggle was hard for them. Their daily
attracted attention, but Brann wa,
crowded out finally By the stockholders
Then he started his Iconoclast at Dalla.
and proceeded to break the popular idols
] of that community. Among other thin. 2.
he assailed Baylor institute. His arti
cles against this college resulted In sew.
eral duels, in each Of which two per
sons were killed, and in the last one,
the other night, Brann and his adver.
sary, 7. Il. Davis each met death.
az appearance Brann was tall, Glen,
der and OF :-rk complexion. His hal.
was iaky block and as straight as that
of an Indian. His eyes wero widely sci
and. wore mean. Fla always wore a
SLOUGH hat and long Priree Albert
coat, snd I've heard him wiz Lon.
dred times thst ha could got out Il the
newspaper business Well, he's ont Of
1t now, poor felinw, after hard fight. "
Washington Post.