The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14

had been committed. I wasn't the
murder editor-but he was out and
| had to go. Captain Saunders had told
me that the right man was never in
his place, but the man who would do
always was At that time it went into
one ear and came out at the other.
but later it came back through the
other ear and staid there. In due
course the train and l. got to Colds
boro without accident, by field or
flood. but there / found the whole sub
ject stale The ground had been pre-
empted by Dick fFulghum of The
News. Is it necessarv to explain that
The News was the other paper with
the accent on the Other-acute ac-
cent? People know SO little noW-a-
DAYS F'ulghum knew every man, Wo
man and child in and around Colds.
boro or they knew him, which was
worse for me.
They had every one been to him and
told him all about it-lots more than
they knew, and he had copious memo
randa of what had not been told him.
He had stories that would have
shriveled up the New York Evening
Journal, and L had only the acquain-
lance of q few choice spirits like Isaac
and Hab Dortch, Arnold and Frank
Borden, Abe Smedes. and the Dewey
boys, and a few others who didn't
take any interest in low-down muir
der and were all out of town to boot.
SO / efficiently suggested to Dick
Fulghum. that / would go out to the
scene and scuftie around the best I
could with the murderer and the muir
deree. Holy Moses, no! Let's get
some supper and then / will show
you the Jail and you can have all my
notes and write your, own account of
it. I'll show you where you can get
la bully supper" In these days of
scoops think of that! That mans
heart was so big it grew till 1t showed
out all the little mean things that
stick in the crevices. He went in due
course where it's Gods wonder all
newspaper men don't go, only to rest
a while a tired brain and wounded
limbs. for an easier transition to that
rest of the soul "Are you going to
illustrate it," he asked with a little
hesitation. / assured him | could not
draw a straight line if he gave me thu
points. He looked pleased. The next
morning when / bourht the other
paper and The Observer there in the
other paper stood a diagram of tho
scene of the murder so far as I knew
it was the first illustration of the sort
in North Carolina journalism, and
though done with rule. If the vulgar
understands what rules are. it made
my columns look fiat, dreary, neWlesS,
uninteresting, unsuggestive.
Writing up GoIdsbOro.
The same mail brought me orders
o write up GoldsborO. l wasn't the
town writing editor, but he was out
of place and / would dot. So |
did it. Dick Fulghum was curious as
to why L dallied by the waters of the
Neuse at the cross of the iron ways.
had to get even on the diagram, and
so | just whitelied it about getting
subscriptions and one thing and an
other until I got my work done and
then I stayed over a day to deliver
the papers. l got lots of subscriptions
and advertisements. l wasn't the
subscription editor, nor yet the adj
vertisement editor. but / would do
the office said. Well, / got back Sat
urday night. Fulghum went up on the
train with me. He said the write-up
was bully, and as it was about his
town he was going to print it. | felt
he wanted to think well of it, because
/ was new at the bellows, but it help
ed me up the steps of the office When
got in Captain Dick took his pipe
out of his mouth. lOng-stemmed, reed
root. Powhatan pipe, and said Hello!
Back" / knew right then that / had
left out a diagram of Goldsboro l
Diagrams.
could have made it with rules w. &
w. r. r. long rug; Snort rules cross
streets. Diagram seemed to be my
weak point in descriptive writing, and
it was quite clear that no murder or
town Write-up was complete without
them. Then thought | wouldn't turn
over the money to spite him, but
would keep it for one of the big chiefs;
but my anxiety to know how my work
stood in the office chewed the bark off
that idea and I threw down q wad of
money and the subscription form
book "Bll and Mr.. Hale been talk
ing about you" he said, with all the
Delphic irritation possible. | knew
it. / felt it. How could anyone not
consumed with egoism expect the
public to understand any undiagramed
thing? Just then the familiar thump
of Mr.. Hales cane came rapidly up
the stairs and as he came in he gave
me a hearty shake of the hand and a
little satisfied laugh bill and | have
talked it over. and we wait you to
take Woodson's place" / didn't have
any diagram to go by. so just sald,
when? 2" SIN the. morning, write the
announcement now" And that is the
way I broke into The Observer staff
announcer very llilhOIldIll llittil vi Tic
paper and one of whom l stood in
some awe, because he seemed to know
so much about a paper, aHd did. was
the foreman Harry Roberts, and next
to him was j. G.. Birdsong, of whom
| stood in no awe whatever. He was
just a plain, long lank typical Reb,
old -fashioned printer, with all their
virtues and none of their vices. He
could work sixteen long hours day,
and when he wanted good rest he
sat down and dreamt about Billy Ma
hone and the Twelfth regiment and
wished for a return of those good old
days when the shooting was so good
down in the Peninsula-Since libra
rian and examiner of printing faithful
in all. His religion will doubtless
save him. but it will never reconstruct
him. Jewett Cosby was clerk and
cashier. He had been handed down
some way from the Sentinel and was
ranked as a veteran. Ny contact with
him was largely confined to those
Saturday afternoon matinees when the
funds were divided. but he was even
and rotund in mind and body anu
earned and kept the good Will or the
paper and public until he balanced me-
books for the last time. Among the
regular printers were Charles kennedy