Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-05


better element.
The editor of one Of the papers be-
gan vigorous crusade against this, re-
ceiving Tor time the support of the
element he represented. He made it so
warm finally that he was met on the
street one day by two able bodied thugs
and pounded until they left him for
dead. He was found by his friends and
carried TO his home, the management
OF the paper devolving on a young re-
porter. AS soon as the doctors got the
editor patched up so he could sit up in
bed and write, he penned a note Of in
struction to his young assistant, read
ing as follows:
II am pretty well used up but still in
the ring. Give them H."
The young reporter was one capable
of writing vigorous, flowery style that
would have been great asset for a
spell binder in the back districts. The
brief instruction of his chief was all he
needed and the way he cut loose is still
remembered in that town. The adjec-
tives were SO plentiful that it looked as
if they had been shot in with a Calling
gun. The sarcasm had all the bitter
ness of NORWOOD and there was no
more thought of the libel law than is
possessed by the rooter on the baseball
bleachers. 1t was hot stuff even for
a wild Western town,
When the stuff went to the compost
tors and the crew saw what it was,
there was almost panic, as it was al
most certain that the place would be
attacked as soon as the paper had been
circulated to any extent. Then their
fighting blood was aroused and they de-
cided to stick by the ship come what
would.
Along about the time the paper usual
ly went to press one of the thugs who
had helped cripple the editor was seen
standing on the street outside and he
was the first one to purchase a paper
when it appeared on the street, as a hot
attack had been expected He could be
seen from the windows of the press
room reading the young reporters
effort and it was plain enough that he
was not exactly pleased. When he had
finished he bounded across the street
and could be heard coming up the stairs
i'm great bounds. He burst into the
office like baby cyclone learning to
walk and the first man he met was the
local printer who was near the press.
The Maine man had been expecting
this since he saw the man reading the
paper and had armed himself with a
huge butcher knife used about the
office for cutting paper while a heavy
bit of iron was handy. So when the
thug entered he was busying himself
nl1ntlu n
stop that press" roared the thug
fairly frothing at the mouth.
Who are you?" quietly asked the
Maine man as if observing him for the
first time.
1T don't make any difference who
am. You stop that press or it'll never
have a chance to spread any more such
d-n stuff as that" pointing at the
scare head lines on the first page that
were still wet.
"Oh l don't KNOW replied the Maine
man as cool as before while he worked
the big knife around where the visitor
could see it and quietly reached for the
iron.
well, I know yelled the thug, "ths
paper has got to get out Of business and
the quicker the better. IF you don't get
out We'll help you mighty quick and
won't be particular about it either. We
Amt got no use for you and if you don't
stop that press I'll make a grease spot
OF you in just 80 seconds
This was little too close to fighting
talk to suit the Maine man so he walk
ed around towards the thug, gripping
the knife in a way that isn't according
to the rules of etiquette.
Nov see here, you big, overgrown
lubber of blow hard, you amt got no
business in here and the quicker YOU
take a shoot for the street the better
it'll be for your health. I'm running
this press and it's going to run until
someone in authority orders me to stop
it. You amt got the authority and you
needn't throw out any bluffs for they
don't go here. I didn't write that stuff
and it's none of my business. I'm hired
to run this press and I'm going to do it
and if you think you can stop it begin
right now
This was the next thing to shooting
13-inch shell through a hot air balloon.
The thug promptly allowed that per-
haps the Maine man was right and
simply doing his duty after all and that
the fellow who wrote it was his game.
SO he started after the young reporter
who at last accounts was still living.
But the office had to be barricaded
nights with big bundles of paper that
was in stock and the crew worked
through the day with shot guns and
rifles handy for nearly three weeks. By
that time the fight died out and q truce
was declared