The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-13
COUNTRY REPORTERS.
Some Of Them Have Funny Ezperi-

Of the country" said a young lawyer
10 group Of New York City neWspa-
per men during a court recess. Before 4
I reached New York j had several /
months experience on morning. papers /
in small eastern cities. My first job ;
was a failure owing to a bad habit 4
which the proprietor had acquired OF
paying salaries in merchandise. For !
three months ] was the best dressed [
man In town. but. unfortunately, had
forgotten what a square meal looked
Ike. Being a bachelor. I did not par
ticuiarly banker after rocking chairs
and sofa cushions. but a half share IN
p meal ticket al a critical moment kept
me loyal TO the paper Tor a while long
er. But when for two weeks my only
pay was fin the shape of unlimited cred
il a a livery stable ] began TO weaken
and or the livery man Directing be-
cause L was sub-letUng his runabout
and gray mare for 70 cents a day, !
moved on 10 the next town.
There was a little more cash in the
Office in this place. but a seemingly un-
necessary spirit of petty economy and
ClOseness was rather trying. To be
paid off in quarters and hait-doiiars
was decidedly annoying 10 ones sense
Of dignity, while our expense accounts
were audited with as much care as
though a $4,000 embezzlement was sus-
peCted. i remember throwing the OF
fee into a temporary state Of coma by
handing in a bin for so cents carriage
hire used in going TO a a. IN. IRE.
Every newspaper man IN the town had
a bet mp on the outcome Of the claim.
] finally received the money, but as
mild protest 20 such extravaganza II
was paid entirely I'm pennies.
The editor of this sheet was char
eCter. He was dirty and shabby in ap-
pearance. and yet had for years been
successful speculatOr In stocks on mar
gin. he was an almost invariable win
uer at the game, and his soul was
wrapped up in 10. He lived in the most
misery way in order that every last
cent might be staked on the rise and
fan of the market. 1t was known
fact that he was i'm the habit OF selling
20 the newsboys at 10 cents apiece the
tickets for the circus which the adj
vance agent gave him. The CITY editor
was almost as bad, and between them
they engaged a foolish sort Of youth
es police reporter. The salary appro-
pirate for this position on the part of
the publisher was S15 but Sc was be-
lieved that the two editors handed the
new reporter 50 and pOcReted 50 apiece
weekly as a result Of the transaction.
Moreover, the poor youth was expected
70 take the chief out to supper at II
o'clock each night.
firing of these surroundings, went
to a larger town TO Join the staff Of a
new paper. just started. which was try
ing the dangerous experiment Of en-
deaVoring 10 publish newspaper with
an equipment Of only two typesetting
machines. The machines were both
new and baked about twice day.
The consequence Of the constant delays
thus caused was the monotonOus fire.
ouency with which our two column cut
of the governor Of the state and the
three column cut Of our new office APP
feared on the front page One memoir
able Monday morning that same front
page was entirely devoted to one col
umn OF telegraph news, TO plate mat
ter in the shape of poems, puzzles.
jokes and anecdotes. That was our
banner issue, and I have never seen
anything to equal it.
THE publisher Of this paper thought
ne had accomplished a master stroke
when he obtained prOOfreader for the
Insignificant sum Of SO weekly. The
only trouble was that the proofreader
was so years old, and after 10 o'clock
at night 1t was a physical impOssibility
for him to keep awage for more than
Few minutes at time. il was pathetic
10 watch the old man start bravely in
at the top of a galley proof. fall asleep
when about twenty lines down, and
only wake up when his hand, with it's
idle blue pencil, had mechanically trav-
eled over a greater part Of the proof
lie would start in again at the point
at which his pencil rested when he
aWOke- The obvious result was that
while the beginning and the end OF the
story would be comparatively free from
mistakes, the great middle area would
present a waste Of typographical err
rors. bulls and pied lines. that would
defy the bravest reader The publisher
finally came TO the conclusion that
false economy was as dangerous as
prodigality. and I'm a burst OF liberality
offered a younger man So as proof
reader.
''The newcomer was an experienced
man, but of a nasty temper and prone
20 imbibe. The second day he worked
extra time in order 10 turn i'm a half
column story of his own on the pOliti-
cal situation I'm Bulgevilie. a suburb
where he resided. However unselfsh
his action I'm so doing, the story did
not please Roberts. our publisher, for
the reason that 10 was largely COM
posed Of an attack on one of Roberts
nearest and dearest friends. He called
the prOOfreader down for this and, as
a result on Friday evening Wilkes, the
proOfreader, was full Of anger and
whisky in an evil moment Roberts
walked into the editorial rooms and
asked each man in turn 10 have a spe-
Cial story for early copy on Sunday.
When it came his turn to address
Wilkes you could have heard a pin
drop.
Mr.. Wilkes, can you give us a good
Budgeville story for early COpy2' asked
Roberts, apparently ignorant of any III
VIII. No snapped Wilkes. III never
write another story for this paper You
don't appreciate anything that is done
FOR YOU. And then he went or for five
minutes more and gave Roberts such
an insight into his character as seen
by others, as is seldom granted to any
man.
Roberts retreated hastily and. as
each man had a griavence against Rob
erts, The entire STAFF adjourned to a
friendly cafe as soon as the work was
over, and an all night session ensued.
Being on the water wagon at the
time. I acted as shepherd. and at s
O'Clock i'm the morning finally man
aged to get the boys started for home.
Imagine our horror when. on suddenly
turning a corner. we almost ran into
Roberts himself, chatting with a
friend. but. fortunately. standing with
his back toward us. All the bravery
Of the married men. who could not
afford 10 lose their positions. vanished
into thin air. their terror affected the
bachelors, and a hasty If somewhat
wabby retreat was made before Rob
erts had a chance TO see us. Needless
20 say. WILKES did not return to read
proof any more. New York Tribune.