New-York tribune., 1907-07-28

CHAPTER OF NEWSPAPER ENERGY.
His crowning effort was his stories Of the
| BOstain Bridge railway wreck. when twenty
four were killed and twice as many injured.
| G. L. King, first on the ground, camped on
| the single wire for forty hours. He sent
| live copy, dead copy, any kind OF copy 10 hold
the wire while about him, four deep, stood q
circle OF special correspondents. gnashng their
| defeated teeth.
Following the Bostain Bridge triumph, Tie
: Atlanta Journal invited the energetic Mr..
| King into its business office where for five
! years he drew mankind's attention 10 every
| Southern advantage, from watermeons to
| Uncle Remus" Harris. Then, kindred lines.
he put In three years with the st. Louis Re-
public" On the heels Of his Republic" work,
early III 1891, Mr. King joined the Boston
| Traveller" and labOred two years IN the bus-
ness vineyards Of that Journal.
The year 1899 arrived, and c. L. King was in
his thirty second year. He became impatient at
being still upon the payrolls Of other men, and
resolved 10 start payroll of his own. lie com
| bined the Boston Journal the New York
Sun" the Philadelphia Times" the Bald
more Herald" and the Chicago Inter Ocean
IN an advertising group which he called the
Great Eastern Newspaper League and with
his eye on the West made ready for adver
tlsiug action
The West is strong In what baseball folk call
! 'Team-w In every town there eX-
changes, commercial clubs and chambers of
commerce. The West is an Antonio and bor
rows money from Shylock East, giving
curty It's pound OF flesh Also, as II means Of
loosenins the Shylocklan purse-striugs. the
Western Antonio, through whose trade bodies
chronicled goes largely into advertising, TAX
ing pages at q time. 1t was TO harvest home
this Western advertising that q. L. King or
ganized his Great Eastern Newspaper League.
On the threshold OF the enterprise Mr.. King
visited the Pullman people with Il purpose Of
hiring q private car. There would be from six
TO ten assistants with him. q private car was
necessary. Besides, II would be imposing and
have favorable weight with those Western
Antonios who like to see things done in style.
A WESTERN PROCESSION OF VICTORIES
The PulImans wanted ffy dollars a day for
a private car. Having but few hundred dol
lars, Mr. King gave up hiring the car and
bought it outright instead. making eloquence do
duty as u first payment
The expedition was procession of unbroken
victories Mr.. King in his private car covered
twenty thousand Western miles in nine
months speaking 70 thoss commercial clubs,
exchanges and chambers of commerce. and
publishing page write-ups Of what unlimited
milk and honey flowed in the fortunate regions
he visited. He returned. money in his pocket,
tOuteutment in his heart, and the Pullmans
sold his car for him at a figure which reduced
his nine months travelling expenses to a paItry
flv hundred dollars. All things considered, Mr.
Kings Western campaign was Il bewildering
success.
1t was In February 1901 that c. F. King
wound up the affairs of his Great Eastern
Newspaper League and rested from his labors.
While thus resting. he elaborated another on
ward step. His genius for advertising was adj
mitted. He had made fortunes for other men.
through his unique and striking celebration Of
their goods. He was resolved thereafter TO
have personal first advantage of his powers, and
devote himself to the advertisement of goods
of his own. The primary and most important
move was to get the goods; and be sure
quality and Quantity-that he had them.
1.-The great thing" said Mr. King, when sub
sequently 1 talked with him, "the great thing
In advertising is this: the advertiser should
make certain of the positive. legitimate value
of what wares he offers, whether they be shares
of stock or something else Having honest goods
10 sell, he may then exercise his ingenuity in
attracting the attention Of customers Lacking
honest goods with honest values, 1t isn't adver-
tising, it's obtaining money by false pre-
tences."
BEGINNING GREAT KING-CROWTHER.
1t was while in this mood of doing for him
self that C. f. King was drawn to a considera-
ton of what properties became afterward-
and still remain--the basis of the King Crow
Their Corporation. Mr.. King took hold of the
enterprise In the autumn Of 1901. Under his
management King Crowther was organized as
a corporation. The properties, oil lands, one
hundred square miles in all, located In South
western Texas, were untouched and unmarked
of influences more civilized and civilizng than
should come from the unscarred occupation of
coyotes, antelope, prairie dogs and jaCk-rabbits.
That was six years ago To-day, displacing
those wild ones. there lives the thriving town
of Crowther with its hotel and daily mail, and
n number of oil wells drilled at enormous ex-
pense 10 prove up and determine beyond ques-
ton an oil area so large as to be practically ill.,
exhaustible. In addition to this. the King
Crowther Corporation owns and operates IN the
nroYano nil halt1 Of Ohio and Indiana 6Q9 oil