The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05
AN EPISODE IN EARLY
MINNEAPOLIS JOURNALISM
Talent onetm Invaluable Qualification
Valuable for Preseason

and influential country edi-
western part of the state, entered as
the representative of hotel paper
which was then published in the twin
cities. Ed Atterbury asked to be per-
mitted to represent T h e j o urnal,
and, full of confidence in the RELIABLE
ity of my legs, entered as the repre-
sentative Of the Tribune. While this
affair was being arranged / met At
terbury, to know him, for the first
time. There were numerous confer
ences, and it was mutually agreed
that the first prize should be a gold
watch, to cost not less than $50, to
be paid for from the door receipts;
the balance to be divided on a sports
man-lige basis. Atterbury was par
ticularly solicitious about the amount
Of money to be put into the watch, and
finally insisted on a stipulation that
the winner might take, if he SO de-
sired, the good coin of the realm, in
stead Of the watch. The watch which
was to be bought was agreed upon by
the contestants and their co-laborers.
Charles A. Pillsbury added second
prize in the shape of a barrel of flour,
and sundry umbrellas and things OF
that sort were given by other enter
prising merchants whose names were
given great prominence in the papers.
1t was agreed that the contest should
be three-hour go-as-you-please, and
the old market hall was chosen as the
scene of the contest.
After the details had ben arranged
we set about preparation for the
event. -Four of the party were con-
tent to do their usual daily amount of
walking and let it go at that In my
| own case, think / put IN a few extra
side trips in doing the town, and felt
Of my calves every night to see if was
icr0t tiY1or in hot fnY- T
was we'll satisfied that I could pick a
winner without going out of the
Tribune office. Atterbury disappeared
almost altogether. After the thing
was all over we learned that he found
a trainer, who put him thru course
of good hard work in a hall on Wash
ington avenue S. We found out some
other things also-that Atterbury was
an all-around sport; that he liked to
put the boxing gloves on, and particu-
larly loved to knock out any physical
director that the Y. M. c. A. saw fit
to import; that he knew the pedigree
of most of the blooded dogs in town;
that he could talk horse with the best
of them, and that athletics was his
passion.
1.-THE evening for the contest ar
rived. 1t rained torrents, and the audi
ence which gathered seemed miser-
ably small. Harlow Gale, as the i'm
presario Of the market hall, was on
hand with a smile, and a cheerful
word for everybody: Tom King was
chosen one of the judges, as remem-
4 ber and Charlie Mitchell and Lucian
Swift, as attaches of the Tribune, were
on hand to see that I got a fair show;
that I was appropriately spunged
down; that I now and then had a
lemon to suck, and that when my
, weary feet began to lag I was duly
! Echeered. Perhaps Tom King was not
one of the judges, but in any event
, he was on the stage and got more fun
, out of that match than anybody. ]
: remember now with kindly regard that
: he had lost interest in the Pioneer
:, Press representative, in the person OF
Ed Bromley. Charlie Mitchell brought
+ him over to the side of the Tribune
; as a possible winner. These three
, good friends did their best to bring
me in a lap or two ahead of After.
, bury, but failed"
! IT had an easy lead for the first
!, hour. Bromley, Puhler and Sturte.
want trailed OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES After
bury settled into what might be called
a gentle dog trot, but which before
:. the contest was over was the despair
!, of all of us. He kept that dog tro
\ lup for a matter of just eighteen miles
3 without stopping for a rest. It took
! about two Of the three hours to &C.
\ complish that result, and when After
! bury began to slow up he was mile
. or two in the lead Of all the rest Of us
p Fred Puhler in the meantime haC
: tainted; Ed Bromley had a discour
q aged look, and might have been taken
;, for an old settler. or almost anything
9 else. altho he was twenty-five year.
4 younger than he is now; and EarneS
a Sturtevant, despite the Establishment
. who didn't want the Globe left, hat
dropped out altogether. But After
bury finished first with spmethin,
" more than twenty-four miles to hi
:. credit. Fred Puhler would have fin
u ished second if it hadn't been for tina
II fainting spell, but cheered on by Ton
is Kings jokes and the plaudits Q
: who We're loyal to the Representative
Of the Tribune, I passed under tn
wire, as I now remember, about !
= mile and half behind Atterbury.
?. "Atterbury was in good enough con
e dition at the finish to make it, under
the watch, and his partners, Curt
!. and Stevens, were there to back hir
up in the demand"
There was story in circulation a
= one time that Atterbury's $50 went t
Y. pay some of T h ] o n a rs bill
s, at that time and really saved the pa
j., | per from bankruptcy, but G. A
French Of Monticello, who was on
of the proprietors, says that while tn
owners of the paper could have mad
good use of the money, they neve
- profited by Atterbury's superiority a
81 pedestrian to the extent of one cent
: The paper lived. but not because o
- the success of its representative at tn
walking match.
FUNERAL OF MRS. WEDGE