Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-27

Like Minerva it sprang into life full
grown, and panoplied in new and
startling armor. 1t commanded at
tention and received it, There was
no escape for the public. Unless one
were blind, deaf and dumb he could
not remain unaware of the fact that
the Record was being published.
Mr.. William Chalmers, his manag-
ing editor, was tall, smooth-shaven,
clear-cut young man, who had passed
his 35 summers. He had acquired no
gray hairs in the accumulation of
vast and varied fund of experience.
He was possessed of an easy conf
dence; was handsome without know
ing it, and had that grasp of every
detail of the newspaper business
which made him invaluable as an ex-
ecutive. He had travelled in every
part of the globe; had interviewed
section hands on railroads and en-
perors in palaces; knew the Ian
guage of the slums and the graces
of court; could report murder
case or dictate message for presi-
dent.
Mr.. Van Horne thoroughly under
stood the great reading public to
which his paper made bid for sup
port. 1t wished to be amused. The
Record amused it. 1t wished to be
thrilled. The Record thrilled it. 1t
hungered for sensations. The Rec
ord had a never-ending supply of SEN
sations. 1t clamored for pictures.
The Record had them 1t stood
ready to print instantly reproduc-
tions of photographs of past, pres
ent or future events.
Mr.. Walter B. Hestor was friend
of Robert Van Horne. He was a
young man with fortune and a
hobby. His hobby was journalism.
His fortune was conservatively esti-
mated at $300OO,0OO, and he was in a
position to indulge in any fancy
which attracted him. The New York
Record under the Van Horne man
agement dazzled him. Its method
of handling great news events APP
pealed to Hestor. AT one time he
contemplated founding a rival pa
per, and surprising, if possible, the
bewildering strokes of enterprise
which were displayed in the pages
of that paper. On reflection he de-
cided it meant too much work. He
realized that the management of a
great newspaper entailed an enor-
nous amount of detail. Though pos
sessed of much energy and persist
| ence, Walter b. Hestor was intro
| spective enough to realize that he
was mot fitted for the task of SUI
| pervising a metropolitan newspaper.
He therefore abandoned the idea.
He had no difficulty in forming a
| close acquaintance with Robert Van
Horne. They were fellow-members
! of several clubs, and both were fitted
by wealth and education to move in
! the same social circles. Hestor lost
no time in confding his ambitions to
his mark in the world as a journalist.
Mr.. Van Horne readily perceived
that Hestor was a genius in his line
of thought and action: The ambi-
tious amateur would listen to no
proposition involving pay for his
services. All he asked was a chance
| to plan and execute those journals
tic commissions which gave play to
| his genius as an initiator and to his
skill as writer.
Mr.. Van Horne was delighted to
accept the volunteer services of the
brilliant but erratic Walter B. Hes
tor. At the time this story begins,
4 Hestor was about 80 years old. He
was a member of New York fam
lily which traced it's wealth and an
cestry to the sixteenth century. His
fortune was an independent one;
and, though his tastes were eXpen,
sive, he did not live up to his income
| 1t would take volume to recount
tho journalistic exploits of Walter
b. Hestor. He built the splendid
/ steam yacht the SHARK" and EN-.
ployed it in his worldwide search fol
sensational news. He took 200 pas
sengers from a sinking liner, ant
was decorated by four governments
for bravery. In every war the
SHARK" was in the foreground. Ii
was the Hestor yacht that ran the
batteries at Havana and escaped
from the harbor with valuable news
and information. At every signal o.
trouble Hestor and the SHARK
were sure to be on hand long before
the representatives of other papers
were aware that news was brewing
At his own expense he established /:
system of espionage on all the courts
of Europe. Hestor was known il
every palace of royalty, and in a few
years became recognized as the mos
brilliant newspaper correspondent il
the world.
At the time this story opens Nh
. Hestor had returned to New Yorl
after cruise in Philippine waters
He was interviewed by all the news
+ papers, and his portrait hashe
, from hundreds of prints in all part
+ of the country. He was proud AM
! happy Of his success. His mind wa
: ever alert for some scheme whic
: would emphasize his fame. He re
4 garded his foreign triumphs as bu
4 stepping stones to some great cou