Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-03-25
RALPH HICKS. FIGHTER.
By Opie Read.

Author of 'The Kentucky Colonel THE
Jucklins." "A Mississippi Planter
Etc. Etc, Etc.
Copyright, 1900. Daily Story Pub. Coz
At the time when the Dispatch fell
to the ownership of Miss Lelane Ora
ham, the outlook for the paper was
not good. For the paper. well, yes,
with all the advertising in a town of
twelve thousand, city printing and DO
litical patronage. But where the bad
outlook came in was with the city edi-
tor, which meant the entire local staff.
Within nine months four city, editors
had been killed in the streets, and no
wonder that a contemporary said that
the paper was rightly named the Dis
patch.
In part of the country where the Dis
patch was printed, silence could dis
count truth as a virtue. 1t mad4 no
difference what a man might know
1t was what he said that got him into
trouble. But how was 1t possible to
print the news without saying some
thing, and was it likely that one could
keep on saying something without
~treading upon the corns of an occasion
al truth? 1t is a fact that two men
were hanged by law for assassinating
local stats of the Dispatch, but that
did not preserve the life of another
local staff two weeks later. Miss Lee
lane was a handsome, tender-hearted
young woman, just out of a famous
school where she studied botany and
vivisected frogs, but she had not been
taught that it was right tp kill men.
So, upon taking charge of the paper.
she could not help but feel a certain
responsibility, not to say anxiety. She
could not herself slop around in all
sorts of weather and get the news.
OF course, she could edit the paper
any one could do that, as .nine-tenths
Of the politicians in the district were
ready to swear; but any one would not
dare to gather the news. While sitting
at her desk, the first morning after
taking active control, she heard a
cough, and cooking up, saw standing
near her a thing that looked like a yell
low ghost. She stared at il, not over
frightened, having taken a whirl at
the medical course at school, and asked
what vas wanted. The man-it was
a man bowed and said that he had
come to offer his services as city
editor. And the idea that it
would be well to employ him occurred
to her. No one could have the heart
to murder that skeleton. So, she hired
him and told him to go out and get
the truth. for be it known that a COM
munity where the publication of truth
is the most dangerous, is the place
where truth is most demanded and
most appreciated by newspaper read
ers. The skeleton went out and Miss
Lelane opened an envelope and took
out a communication. 1t told of a des-
perate fight that had just occurred in
the hills. A young mar named Ralph
Hicks had killed, in a fair fight, six
ruffans who had provoked a quarrel
with him. The deed was so full of valor
that it was a good thing to print and
she printed it. A few days later she
received another communication from
a fellow named Holt Smith, giving an
other account of the valiant Ralph
Hicks. This time a desperate known
as the Swamp Angel had met him at a
country store. in a neighborhood where
the Angel was owner of all he surveyed,
and he was a pretty active surveyor.
Hicks was affable and inclined to be
conciliatory, but the Angel said that
he wasn't feeling very well, having Just
got up from a shake down of chills
and fever and he thought Vat a little
fresh blood was about what he needed.
Hicks asked him il a doctor had given
him that sort of prescription, and the
Angel lowed that he had, and then
the ground was stepped off, and Hicks
shot the Angel between the eyes and