The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1901-04-04

to the placard forbidding bill collect
ors coming into the building.
The general took one of his hearty
laughs, the first he has had since the
Tennessee river dam bill failed to re-
ceive the Presidents signature.
Cy is democrt and General Wilder
is, Of course, arepublican, but they are
the best of friends. The Comet wrote
the first editorial booming Gen. Wilder
for pension agent, the position he now
holds, 1t called the attention of the
press to Gen. Wilder and he was uni
yersally endorsed, Gen. Wilder re-
members the editorial very we'll and
says he himself had never thought of
asking for the place until he read the
Comet and the endorsement of other
papers over the country. lie has had
very kindly feeling for Cy ever since,
During the boom days of Johnson
City Cy made daily out of the Comet
and it was one of the brightest little
sheets in the state, but when the boom
collapsed the daily Comet finally had
to do the same thing, but the struggle
of Cy to keep from dropping the daily
was one of the most heroic in the his
tory of journalism. Cy got so poor
that if Cleveland hadn't given him the
postoffice to edit for four years the
weekly would have persisted also.
But Cy laughed through it all and is
so polite and handsome that his credi.
tors never got mad at him, but went
away from the office without a cent,
feeling as good as if he had paid the
whole bill.
Cy is in good circumstances now,
thanks to the Mckinley prosperity, he
tried so hard to keep off, and the hard
luck stories of the Comet are of the
past. But during all these hard years
Cy was trying to build house in the
suburbs of Johnson City. 1t did no
| 90 up like the palace of Aladdin in the
Arabian Nights, but he was ten years
building 1t. He began it during thu
boom, but before it was fairly started
the boom bursted and everything col
lapsed.
Cy called his place "Builtless' in
contrardistinction to George Van
derbuilt's Baltimore" at Asheville
and he never got so poor that he diC
not put up board now and then on it
1t is completed now and is one of tn
handsomest residences between Knox
vile and Bristol. 1t could not b
: bought for $4,000.
Cy does not drink, but he always ex
cites the demand for red lemonad
when he visits the city. He is beyon,
: doubt the most popular man in tn
: Tennessee Press association and is YER
life of its animal junkets. Cy was rais
ed in Johnson City, His father is Cal
: tain Henry Lyle, who was for man
years a conductor ON the Southern raj
y way. He learned to set tyye in til
" the Comet office when ex-GovernC
Bob TAYLOR owned it.
Cy reminds one of the of "Arizor
% Kicker" editor and in addition to b
. other accomplishments, he is justice
:, the peace. His court is said ia, be ii
. resort of all those who not only wal
Justice, but want it administered in
y" cheerful manner. He is the favori
;, with those who want to get married b
, cause he can say more bright cOmpl
mentary things abont the bride thu
any man that ever tied the matrimoni
knot.
On his premises at "Builtless"
> has regular poultry palace and rails
: fine bronze turkies, Plymoth Ro'
chickens and Pekin ducks. He 50,
II he is going to send the next democrs
oe ic president a 52-pound turkey.