The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-23
sPO0PENDYKE in REAL LIFE.
Stanley Huntley's First Work On the
Tribune Under Horace Greeley.
CPhjfad elr,I1fa Post !
Philadelphia PoSt.)

Fourteen years after his death the
writings Of the late Stanley Huntley
have been resurrected from their news
paper tomb and presented to the world
anew between book covers. Stanley
Huntley was as original as character as
his Spoopendyke. He was lawyer in
New York in the SOS, a reporter,
newspaper correspondent and editor in
Chicago and Dakota in the '70s, and a
humorist ON the leading paper in his
| native city in the 'SCs. He gave to
! Bismarck, N D., it's only fame by
! editing the Tribune of that place, and
| he found and interviewed Sitting Bull
| for the Chicago Tribune in his hiding
place in British America, after the
! Custer massacre. His entrance into
! journalism is worthy of record:
Huntley had tired of law, and sought
employment upon the New York Tri-
bune early in 1870. His first assign
ment was to report meeting to dig
cuss a proposed insurance law. AS
Huntley was an authority on insur-
ance law, he made d good STORY out
of it. and the next day he saw it on
the first page Of the paper. His sec
ond assignment was to cover a meeting
of the Farmers club which then, as
now, met in Cooper Union. AS a rule
the club which comprised several
professional gentlemen who knew even
less of agriculture than they did of
other things, discussed optical maladies
in early potatoes and aural Affections
in late corn and such peaceful topics,
but on this occasion temper was
aroused and, the meeting ended in a
free fight.
Huntley wrote a vivid and eloquent
account of the affair, sparing no one.
When he finished writing. the city
editor being absent, he thrust the copy
into a chute and sent it whirring to
the printers Early the next morning
he found the story on the first page,
without the alteration of a letter. To
say that he was proud feebly expresses
his eonceit. He, even showed it when
he went down to the office at noon.
Before he had been there long the city
editor called to him.
'sMr Huntiey Mr.. Greeley wants to
see YOU"
Thereupon Huntley walked out of
the room with conscious strut, while
the other and wiser reporters smiled.
Mr.. Greeley was in his paper Uttered
dem on tfea;fioor below. and the door
was ajar Within sat the old man in
his shirt sleeves. deep in an editorial.
Huntley knocked.
3 Come ainsn called out Mr.. Greeley
in his high. squeaky voice. Huntley
went III. Hff
wei. sir! WELL sir Who the devil
are YOUR asked the chief iInpatientIy
! Pm Huntley, sir" said the reporter,
Strengthening up.
H. 'fOha', answered the old editor. nod
ding his head so you're the Internal
idiot that wrote that Farmers club
story? ~ Huntley flushed. and said
that he was.
What did you do with your copy?"
II didn't copy IL Z wrote it all
myself
Young man., put IN the editor in a.
softened voice, how long have You
been on this. paper2'' So
Forty eight hours, sir. and that
article is truce every word Of it., and
If they deny 1t. PHI
No, you won't They haven't denied
1T. They are the blamedest lot of
idiots alive. But you shouldn't have
said it in this paper. sir. Indeed. yon
really should not. 1 am the president
of that club"