Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-21
RUIN SPECTACULAR END
OF ]. R. WIALSH'S CAREER

Within a few years, Walsh, then
scarcely out of his teens, got control
of the McNally business and it be-
came Walsh's book store, the founda-
ton of an immense business.
His Three Great Ambitions.
At that time it is said Walsh had
three ambitions. He desired to own
bank, to own newspaper and to own
a railroad He got his desire and it
wrecked him
Before dyspepsia came to torment
him he was strong, ragged, an indie
fatigable worker and, while always
ready to fight and quick tempered, he
had his temper under control.
1t was in 1860 when he made the
first great stride toward his millions.
| The war was coming and Walsh was
the first man in the west to see tbs
great possibilities of general circula-
ton of newspapers. He had circulated
papers locally through newsboys that
he hired for several years as branch
of his news stand and books store, but
with the country vastly excited over
the approach of the war he started af-
ter game. He proposed to the news
papers that he purchase great numbers
: of their publications at certain price,
and that he take charge of the circllla-
, ton.
/ The circulation of the papers of Chi
cago in those days was not great. Eight
or ten thousand would have been con-
sidered large. But Walsh w--.lted
, $4,000, or as many of they could print
for him. The demand for newspapers
was so great that he could not supply
1T Independent of the prices charged
by the papers he could command his
own price. His agents covered the en-
, tire west When the armies took the
field his agents sold tens of thousands
of papers to the troops. His harvest
was great.
Pounds Western News Company.
In partnership with McNally Walsh
founded the Western News company
In this field he met a competitor OF
equal strength. An eastern company
!. was fighting for the newspaper trade
and after brief, bitter struggle Walsh
, won, taking control Of the combined
: companies.
, Always he was looking for some
thing new into which to put the money
that he was accommodating.
His ventures during the time that
;, the Western News company was his
a chief reliance were mostly in rea1
r estate and small deals. The news com
i pany was making money rapidly and
? handling hundreds of thousands of dol
\ lars worth of goods each year.
Analysed clear back to the start OF
his fortunes. it was dyspepsia that
6 caused Walsh's downfall He had enc
;, mics even in those days, but they
: were not powerful, and his wealth con
!, tinued to pile up. He was not i'm
= mensely wealthy. but he was adding
;, year by year to his income.
:. = And Walsh wanted money. Never
. man who cared for spending money
a or of expensive tastes. he wanted
y money for the power that was in it
. He wanted his newspaper, his railroad
= and his bank.
He want into politics almost as soo1
as he landed in Chicago and, fighting
y for the love of fight, he held in poll
tics ever afterward, to him money ant
y and politics were the same thing-the.
: meant the same thing - the.
V meant power, and he wanted power
8 power to sweep away his opponent
:, and win.
He directed his efforts towards tn
newspaper. EARLY in the '70's he wa
i trying hard to get control of the oil
8 Times. He found it plastered wit
e MORTGAGES, and finally seeing that
y he bought it he would lose, he re
1T linuuished his ambition for the tim
i, being and stuck to the news business
s. And intermingled with everything h
1t did was politics. He was a party pow
e er in the democracy, but one doctrin
y he would not brook from any party
l. Inconsistent politically m almost e1
erything. he was consistent in one
he stood always and irrevocably 70
. low tariff If the party with which h
= affiliated was for high tariff then h
. went to the other party.
\ But Walsh was making enemie!
,ss linen who did not forget. His dyspepsi
% made him ungovernable in temper a
~ he grow older and frequently, in pol
- tics and in his business, he fell int
10 frenzies, expanding his Ire on his fe
~ lows and his employees. An hour late
~ perhaps he would apologize and e,
:. plain, but IN many cases the BARN wa
= done. Neither could he brook opp'
=. sition or competition.
,e Gets Control of Newspaper.
TX Then he achieved his first ambition
He got control OIL d newspaper jams
Id Scott, Slason Thompson, David Hem
Of erson, and others, all struggling youn
e. newspaper men, had started a littl
IS four page newspaper called the Heral
1t was 4 bright, clean, independe1
fe paper and it's makers gloried in
as even while they lost their none
st Sometimes the owners Of the Heral
to were forced to pawn their watches
meet their bills and to beg and DO
I'd row. but they held on, hoping that the
In could make 1t pay
Mt Suddenly times became easier. The
= were no more skirmishes for none
as Bills were paid promptly and the pap
" began to prosper. The smaller pan
ners in the venture wondered. The
suddenly the news spread that Jof
IN R. Walsh was backing the paper.
III Anger. resentment. bitterness Il
no lowed, and finally Walsh, forced by
he famous libel suit to show his han
" came out as the real owner OF II
- Herald and he sent his man to assun