The Washington times., 1904-03-13

HAD a unique experience with
George Francis Train. who died
in New York on January 10.
said Holman F. Day. the Yankee
poet and humorist. at the Wal.
Astoria, the other day. I was
the editor and proprietor of a weekly
paper at Dexter. Me. and I was read
ing the New York dailies carefully. and
trying to make my little four-page week
~ as near like them as its subscribers
and environment would stand for. Some
OF the most thrilling experiences Of my
life, ~ the way. were earned in con-
nection with that paper.
Trains Weekly Letter.
"One day l saw that Train was filling
the columns OF the Manhattan papers,
writing pretty eccentric and rather hot
ter stuff than my Schedunk correspond
ent sent in, ana / mailed him a copy Of
my paper
THE next week I received from him a
long and carefully written article head
ed, Air Ships in Action. The story
didn't say much about airships, but went
into social purity and wound up with his
explorations in the East Side Of New
York
Il printed the article. It took up a
page and a half of my paper, and the
doings of the misunderstanding sewing
circle and Deacon Watercuss's raising
bee had to be crowded out. But l in
serted an item in the paper to the effect
/ that as Dexter was becoming more met
ropolitan and great writer's in New York
were fighting with each other for a
chance 70 contribute to the local paper,
+ I thought that the story on airships, by
George Francis Train. was more to be
| desired.
| Il put Train on the deadhead list, and
ne got a paper every week at his hotel
| in New York. This seemed to encourage
him, and he wrote an article every week
J the stories growing longer and longer
till at last it was a question Of cutting
his stuff down or leaving out everything
else except the advertisements.
The Circulation Doomed.
But he seemed to take the hint when
he saw that he was monnpolizing three
Uages OF the paper, and he left me
half a page every week for local stun
and DR.. Talmage's sermon
George Francis Train became th'
rage with literary folk, from Sabatis Il
souedunkahunk in ArOOstoOk. and every
correspondent who sent in reports OF tn'
weekly literary club meetings and Chau
tauduan gatherings gave verbatim re
ports of Mrs. Mary Hovey's paper OF
the Sayings of George Francis Train
and the weekly exchanges in Maine be
gan to make slurs a the way l wa
sacrificing space that should be devoted
to Tom Smiths shingling and Rob Cou
turier's sheep and pigs, to the writing
of George Francis Train.
J But my circulation went up. IN
, Train boom was red hot all over tina
mart of Maine and you would haV
thought that he outshone Emerson ant
I,Ongfellow as sages-and I am not sur
but he did, for he could string word
, together without any sense at all
> whereas those other fellows always go
i'm some hidden meaning to offend IN
sense with their presence in otherwls
5 sensational stuff.
1T looked as though every FARMER
a Maine wanted to read Trains letters
o Some one who was running a cOmpetito
paper in another county wrote TO IN
I groceryman in Dexter and got him I
h make quiet inquiries as to what wa
o paying Train for his staff. IF it wash
? too much he wanted to buy him off fc
2 an exclusive for the district, and thu
ruin my trade.