The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-10
WRITING AROUND PICTURES.
The Straits to which = Magazine
Hack Was Put to Make Copy.
New Orleans Times-Democrat.

New Orleans Times-Democrat.
once upon time was hack writer and
lived magazine in Chicago said an old
newspaper man. 1T was a fascinating oc-
cupation. There was very little money in
of taking TO make show. 1t was before
the days of cheap process illustrations, but
we got lot OF old stock cuts from bank
three or four and write story aroud 'em.
AS they had no earthly sequence or con-
nection. 1t was a job requiring considerable
ingenuity, and Pendennis grinding out his
celebrated custom-made poem simply wasn't
in 1t with me. / remember on one occasion
I sorted out three pictures for our leading
tale. One represented two young people
wandering In the woods, and had originally
garnished the May leaf of soap calen-
dar. That did well enough for the meeting
of my hero and heroine. The second de-
pice, and was made an ad for the old
melodrama A Life for a Life used 1t to
illustrate the chapter in which the villain
is thwarted in his scheme to do up the
heroine's papa. The last was greWsome
scene In a graveyard, with man lying
PROSTATE before tomb In order to work
1t in l gave my story tragic finale, and
made my hero commit suicide over the
grave Of his lady love. Unfortunately tho
foreman dropped an iron mallet on this pic
going to press. The only thing that could
find that At the space was a wood cut
showing man in tree with big bulldog
there was no time to scare up anything
else, changed the final chapter and gave
the tale comic ending: After thwarting
the villain, the hero is chased into the tree
by bulldog, and while he is held there a
prisoner the heroine runs off with the
French cook Strange to say, the story was
one OF the most popular things we ever
printed.
"One of my duties" continued the old
newspaper man, was to lick manuscripts
into shape. We had rule that every line
of poetry had to rhyme, and when it didn' I
/ made 1t. Just to show you how easy 1t
really u.s. take 1 band Ha rand for rae
are the first and last stanzas or little
poem:
LAY. love me. dear, but just to-day.
The sunshine over all,
The roses crimsoning the air
Along the garden wall.
There is no hand may stop the sand
But his who turns the whole. glass down.
And dreams It's all to-day.
'If that had been sent to our magazine I
would have made it read:
"Ay, love me, dear, but just to-day,
The sunshine over all,
The roses in a brave array
Along the garden wall.
For only he may stop the sand
From flowing fast away
And dreams it's all to-day.
See? It's as easy as rolling off q log.
I used to do some pretty heavy carpenter
work on serious papers, too, and 1T was real
ly an exploit in that line that closed US up.
Some politician in New Jersey sent us in a
redhot contribution upholding protection.
liked the matter more than the manner, SO
/ merely added few pages refuting all the
propositions and turning 1t into an able
document for free trade. forgot, however,
to erase his signature, and when 1T came
out II ruined the author with his entire
constituency. He didn't do thing but take
the train for Chicago My boss told him to
bring an action If he wanted to, and he said
all right, he'd begin at once. The action
the boss, at least on parts of him, and while
he was convalescent our creditors seized the
plant. 1t was the end OF a very promising
enterprise. L often think of it with regret"