New-York tribune., 1907-07-28
THE STORY OF THE MAN.

While my visit to those offices IN the ST
James Building had proved watel-haul, did
not lose interest In their proprietor. I myself
on one Kansas City occasion had paid fifteen
dollars per month for an office and thought
was doing well. A man who owned two
offices, and paid an annual twenty thousand
dollars for one Of them. was bound to live
somewhat in my memory. Besides, the gen
tleman in question, III q business sense ar least
had solved the problem hitherto confined to
Sir Boyle Roche's bird, 'of being in two places
at once" New York and Boston, and this IN
vested him with additional respect
1t was ln my mind 10 look G. +. King up.
would make a character study of him and his
methods at the earliest opportunity. In my
trade of story writing, had found that locked
in the stomach of every mans personality Is
romance. There should be one in the forcefm
case Of g. f. Klng-a romance vivid and strlk
ing-a romance the more engaging because ap
unmlngled story Of success
In the equipment of every metropolitan daily
is what is known to the outside world as the
Obituary Department" and to newspaper
inner circles as the "MOrgue.' IN the "MOrgue'
are filed from day to day all clippings and
printed data relating TO the worlds mighty,
from President Roosevelt to the Pope in Rome.
This is 10 the end that, when one Of these great
folk dies, the paper may compact his past from
his crade-days into memoir, and enlarge more
or less regretfully thereon throughout divers
grievlng columns. Also, the "Morgue" In it's
collections includes leading names of business
and science, well those OF potentates po-
liticaI.
Aware Of these things. called at a news
paper Office where am known and loved and
asked for the envelopes devoted to &c. +.
King" They were many, a fair armful in
truth; evidently Mr.. King had left his impress
upon his times.
By a thorough ransack OF these "Morgue" en-
velopes 1 acquired the following knowledge:
c. F. King was born upon a North Carolina
plantation, in Rockingham County, In 1867.
His people were not rich, as were few of North
Carolina in years closely following the Civil
War. There were nine Of the King children,
two younger and six older than the present
corporation magnate.
C. T. King was seven years of age when his
father died. and the poor circumstances Of the
household were promptly rendered poorer still
by a rascally executor who robbed bare the
small estate and fed. 1t on the plantation
of his grandfather that the subject Of my In
quiry lived. following his fathers death, until
he attained the age Of twelve. During that
quintette Of years he attended country school
the only seminary he saw the inside of
a pupil
At the age Of twelve young King, feeling a
crowdlng need of doing something towards his
own support, became a book agent and wan
dered hither and yOn in North Carolina, selling
the life of Christ" shakespeare" and The
Worlds Wonders" He was so successful that
at the age of fifteen one finds him engaged by
the Southern Methodist Publishing Company,
of Nashville, to sell its publications.
Mr.. King continued a book agent until he
reached the age of seventeen, at which time
he became associated with n newspaper pub
lished at Charlotte in the State of North Caro-
lima. lie later became a general newspaper
correspondent, representing n long string Of
papers in the South East and West, and some
of the hveliest newspaper copy sent out over
the wires In those days carried his signature.
The last negro uprising seen in the South was
best reported in the "copy" Of c. F. King. His
ringing Of alarm bells. and his description of
the Hornets Nest Rihemen. as wept over and
cuGG 60 by sisters. s@.eethearts wives and
mothers, the gallant corps departed by special
Taa to gssl that sssyIs g Y 'pspFEsstl9n were