Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-04-29
THE BRIGHTEST PARAGRAPHER.
Merrick Did More Than Any Other
Man to Develop That Feature
Of Journalism.

The death of Harry l.. Merrick,
the talented paragrapher Of the Wash
ington Post, last week removed from
the field of American journalism one
of the brightest and most entertain
ing writers in the profession. Pop
Merrick, as he was Familiarity known,
was one of the most unique characters
in the newspaper field of this country
He knew personally, perhaps, more
public men than any newspaper
writer in the United States, and he
knew the striking peculiarities and
eccentricities of them all He was a
careful student of human nature, and
understood exactly how to turn to a
point the characteristics of men.
No Photographer was so widely quoted
for the very good reason that none
have succeeded so pre- eminently in
that distinctive and comparatively
modern branch of American journal
ism. Merrick was responsible more
spicuous place which the editorial
paragraph has taken in journalism.
He made it striking feature of the
paper, and under his talents it became
the most widely read and the most
popular column in the Washington
Post, one of the ablest and best edited
papers in this country.
SHOTS AT TILLMAN.
tits said that hundreds of men who
have been sent to congress, and who
figured as targets Of Merrick's pen
before they had long been in Wash
ington expressed desire to meet and
know the versatile paragrapher. The
Hon. B. r. Tillman, United States
senator for South Carolina, was for
long time favorite subject of Mer-
rick's. Tillman was just the sort of
man the paragrapher liked to aim at.
The South Carolina senator was re-
peatedly doing something more or less
spectacular or ridiculous, and Merrick
never failed to see the ludicrous side
of it.
Upon one occasion after Tillman
had been raped about eight days IN
succession he was much impressed
with the writer's shots at him. In
deed, Mr.. Tillman was heard to
chuckle to himslef as he would read
them. and once he came down with his
fist on his desk in the senate, laughed
heartily and said to himself loud
enough to be heard ten feet around:
Well that's good one; would
certainly like to know that fellow"
Some one who personally knew
Merrick volunteered to go with Mr..
Tillman to the editorial rooms of the
Post and introduce him. When they
met Mr.. Tillman grasped the para
grapher's hand very warmly and
laughingly said: 81 want to thank
you, Mr. Merrick, for the pleasure
your very bright paragraphs have
given me, and especially for the en-
tertainment your shots at me have
afforded" After that Merrick and
Tillman were friends, but the para
grapher never lost an opportunity to
make Mr.. Tillman a frequent subject
for pointed paragraph.
A BROAD SCOPE.
In fact the writer spared no one.
His eyes were ever alert for para
graph, and while most of them had a
political application or touched upon
the personality of some public charac-
ter, narrow partisan politics by no
means influenced him. He aimed at
Republicans, Democrats and Populites
alike. President Roosevelt, members
Of the cabinet, heads of the depart
ment in Washington, members of Con-
gress, public men all over the country,
and all classes and conditions of men
and women gave him subjects for his
trenchant pen.