The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-09-22
THE INTERESTING CAREER OF
1.-THE LIVE GIRAFFE"O OF RALEIGH
Some "Reminiscences of Henry Clay, Governor Bragg
and President Polk, in the Capt.
tai City.

To the EIltor. speaking o. HtASt8
pers, l am reminded 10 say that IN the
year OF our Lord one thoussId eight
hundred and nifty three, Just Nifty years
ago, ! bought-or rather. my father
bought for mean interest in a paper
called The Live Giraffe a paper that
Wesley Whitaker, Esq. recently deceased.
had been running tor q year or so al a
less. and we paid, that i. father did.
three hundred dollars TOR the privilege OF
getting into trouble and eXpet>e minus
any profits: a worse bargain, a. l now
think it over, than Uncle Sam made II
paylng twenty millions OF dollars for the
| Philippines. / don't remember how the
trade OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES | m@de q
banter. or was bantered, but this much
! do remember, that when | came 10 look
al the subscription books, and saw how
many new subscribers had recently been
taken in, II wasn't long before | was
taken IN, too, and my three hundred dol
lars, as l soon found, had gone into a
rat hole. The good showing which my
partner was able TO make came about
after this fashion. Granville county had
been thrown into the Fourth Congression
al district. Hon Abraham Nenablc had
for a number OF. years represented the
Fifth district IN Congress-, but Dy the new
arrangement his county was thrown into
the Fourth district. When the nomInat-
ing convention was held Mr.. Nenablc cX-
pected to receive tie nomination. as he
had been doing in the Fifth district, but
10, and behold. A. NJ. Lewis, Esq, q
young lawyer Of LOulsburg, received the
domination, Whereupon Mr.. Nenabie an
nounced himself as an independent Demo
cratic candidate. OF course the Standard
supported Mr.. Lewis, the Democratic
nominee, and Mr.. Venable was without
a mouthpiece IN the way Of a paper. here
at the Capital. The matter was finally
arranged between him and Wesley Whita-
ker. the editor of the Live Giraffe" and
for the next month or two the fur was
made to fly in all directions. Every friend
of Mr.. Eenablo subscribed for the Gil
raffe'' and clubs went IN like hot cakes.
all with the cash accompanying, and. IN
less than a month, the books were full.
Hence the good showing that was made,
when for the first time | was permitted
to look upon the foundation upon which.
, l was led to believe, a fortune would
rise up to bless me and mine especially
) the old father who was to pay Tor the
one-half interest IN the paper.
The matter presented itself thus: Five
hundred subscribers IN one month WITT
the cash, At that rate six thousand
l subscribers would be received n a year
!. Six thousand subscribers at two dollars
/, meant twelve thousand dollars a year, {
say nothing of the advertising that could
be done in a paper with SIX thousand
subscribers. The thing looked like a gold
rhine and it pleased my father immense
" when / gave him a statement, made
from the books, and informed him, as
had been informed, that when my name
stood at the head of the Giraffe railroad!
would furnish me with free passes ant
hotel men would drum me for the priv
lege of entertaining me, while | wa
going through the country enjoying tn
profits of a paper with six thousand sub
: scribers and an advertising patronag
that would pay all expenses.
bit. And who would not have bitter
such a bait? But it did not take ~
more than one week TO find out that
I was badly bitten. when the first SatuI
g dav evening came instead of there BEN
fifty dollars in the treasury, as | SUP
posed there would be, fifty cents couldn'
7 be found to meet the demands On tn
way Of printers) that stared US IN tn
face. During the week, however, We ha
received dozens OF notes like this:
The time for which We subscribed e1
i pired with the election, and as we too
the Giraffe as a campaign paper simply
i you will please discontinue, as We do nc
wish to renew our subscription. Wlshln
you abundant success, we are" etc.
: So it turned out, all those who ha
subscribed for MI. Venable's sake stoppe
their papers. and the twelve thousant
dollar prospect had faded out ~entirel.
nothing remains but occasionally frt
= rides, and a dinner, now and then. at
| hotel free Of cost, provided a half colum
was devoted to his ham and eggs.
It was not a great while after purcha
ing a half interest that my partner can
to me one day and IN the spirit OF
8 M gnaminity that l ought never to FOL
- set, told me that he was willing for n
u to take his half Of the concern, as
wished to get out of the printing bus
~ ness-ttake it for nothing, only pay II
q debts of the concern which amounted
a few dollars only" BY the time | Sc
ne tied those debts I had paid out quite
q much as l Paid for my half.
~ Next year was 1914, and Hon. Thorn;
Bragg was the Democratic nominee f
e Governor. 1t occurred to me that
would be a good thing to change the nan
ie- of my paper to THE Metropolitan" al
70 go right into politics. Mr.. Bragg, vi
called in to see me, thought it would
Ut a capital hit. By all means call it TT
he Metropolitan" and swing right out in
In the thickest of the fight, and make a reI
It's tatlon as a writer, he went on. and
Sc, waited to hear what he was going
all promise)-and it won't be long, he wou.
'ge up. before you Will rank among the De
IDS writer's. l thanked him for the comp
cir nlent and assured him that The Metz
ten polltan' should be made a .'brag" pap,
It's. He smiled and left me. Bragg was eleC
ed Governor, but the Metropolitan a
50 venture was a failure, for the reason tt
nd the subscribers did not know how
ex- Fl onounce, the name OF the paper. Tn
ma said they Just couldn't do it, and tn
ith were opposed to having a paper com,
), lrto their homes they could not pronou1
- the name Of. l did not blame them, a
,eir as business was becoming slack l c.
Guided to tie up and rest awhile, VIII
L did IN the fall of that wear