Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-01-27
CHAPTER II.


and editor of the New York Record.
He was leading light in much
criticised school of journalism. He
was the exemplar of the theory that
the modern newspaper should "do
things"-to quote the idiomatic ex-
preston of Mr.. William : Chalmers,
his managing editor.
Robert Van Horne was the mil
ionaire son of a departed million
aire father. His mother died in his
school years, and at the age of 26
he found himself the sole owner of the
immense Van Horne estate, roughly
estimated as having value of $780,
100000. His cattle roamed on thou
sand hills in New Mexico and Texas.
The drills of his mining machinery
were boring into the rocks in scores
of productive mines in Colorado, the
Dakotas and Montana. With the ira
ditional "Van Horne luck his agents
had been among the first to strike it
rich in the snow-swept valleys of the
Klondike. At an opportune moment
he had invested small fortune in
Tennessee iron lands, and before this
fusion of those friends who chided
him as the purchaser of gold
brick
Soon after the death of his father,
Van Horne bought the New York
Record; paper which had survived
checkered career in the arena OF
metropolitan journalism. From the
first issue under the Van Horne man
agement the Record was publica-
ton which could not be ignored.
Like Minerva it sprang into life full
grown, and panoplied in new and
startling armor. 1t commanded at
tention and received it. There was
no escape for the public. Unless one
were blind, deaf and dumb he could
not remain unaware of the fact that
the Record was being published.
Mr.. William Chalmers, his manag-
ing editor, was tall, smooth-shaven,
clear-cut young man, who had passed
his 35 summers. He had acquired no
gray hairs in the accumulation of a
vast and varied fund of experience
He was possessed of an easy conf
| dence; was handsome without know
| ing it, and had that grasp of every
detail of the newspaper business
which made him invaluable as an ex-
ecutive. He had travelled in every
part of the globe; had interviewed
section hands on railroads and en-
perOrs in palaces; knew the Ian
| guage of the slums and the graces
of court; could report a murder
| nr 6info 70 Cro
dent.
Mr.. Van Horne thoroughly under
stood the great reading public to
which his paper made bid for sup
port. 1t wished to be amused. The
Record amused it. It wished to be
thrilled. The Record thrilled it. It
hungered for sensations. The Rec
ord had a neyer-ending supply of SEN
sations. 1t clamored for pictures.
The Record had them. It stood
ready to print instantly reproduc-
tions of photographs of past, pres
ent or future events.
Mr.. Walter B. Hestor was a friend
of Robert Van Horne. He was a
young man with fortune and a
hobby. His hobby was journalism.
His fortune was conservatively esti-
mated at $3O,ocO,OoO, and he was in a
position to indulge in any fancy
which attracted him. The New York
Record under the Van Horne man
agement dazzled him. It's method
of handling great news events ap-
pealed to Hestor. At one time he
contemplated founding a rival pa
per, and surprising, if possible, the
bewildering strokes of enterprise
which were displayed in the pages
of that paper On reflection he de-
cided it meant too much work. He
realized that the management of a
great newspaper entailed an enor-
nous amount of detail. Though pos.
sessed of much energy and persist
ence, Walter B. Hestor was intro
spective enough to realize that he
pervising a metropolitan newspaper
He therefore abandoned the idea.
He had no difficulty in forming q
close acquaintance with Robert Var
Horne. They were fellow-memberi
of several clubs, and both were fitted
by wealth and education to move il
the same social circles. Hestor LOST
no time in confiding his ambitions tc
Mr.. Van Horne. He wished to make
his mark in the world as journalist
Mr.. Van Horne readily perceived
that Hestor was genius in his line
of thought and action. The ambi
tious amateur would listen to ne
proposition involving pay for hi'
services. All he asked was a chanc,
| to plan and execute those journals
tic commissions which gave play t.