The Washington herald., 1907-02-10

the paper. gave Wilkie a reputation as
one who kpew how to get a scoop,
and sent the groceryman to the Joliet
PenitentidTy, TO remain for term Of
years
Wilkie is now thirty-seven. Nanderlip
is four years younger. He was farm
er's son and lived near Aurora III. He
wanted TO be a machinist and got place
as an apprentice in the railroad shops
near that town, beginning at s. a week
Before he had risen very high he decided
that a machinists life was not for him,
and somehow saved enough ont Of his
earnings TO pay his way a the University
of Illinois for a year Going back to
the university he studied shorthand, prac-
ticing with chalk on the bench Of a
lathe. He was rapidly becoming a first
class machinist, and one day the fore
man had his wages raised.
The young man threw up his job at
once, on the ground he explained, that
he was afraid that he would not have
the necessary nerve to do so later, after
he had been raised another notch or
two. In this way, he said, he might be
prevented from ever entering a calling
which would be more interesting TO him
than the machinist's trade.
wnI1ie Helped vanderbilt.
VanderIip's first venture in Chicago,
where he went from Aurora, was as ste
nographer for a business house, but he
soon became "a reporter on the Tribune.
He first met Willoie in the office of that
paper. Will1ie liked him and he liked
WIl1ie- one day Vanderlip became de-
spondent over his work and told Wilkie
that he was going to try something else.
Wilkie wouldn't have it; he assured his
friend that he was all right and helped
him over the hard spots.
a little time afterward VanderliD inter
viewed Lyman j. Gage. then bank pres
ident, and got all the facts straight in
the paper next day. This made Gage his
friend and led % the young mans finan-
ciai career, first as editor of the Econo-
mist. OF Chicago, then as Cages private
secretary al Washington, where the latter
was placed at the head Of the Treasury
Department, and next as Assistant Sec
rotary Of the Treasury, from which place
he was graduated into his present job as
one Of Mr.. RockefeIler's bankers.
When Wilkie got ready to leave the Chi
caEO Tribune and take charge Of "A steam
ship and banking agency in London, Van
derlip gave him a dinner. at which he
told how Wilkie had tided him over his
period of encouragement Later when
Chief Hazen. of the Secret Service, got
out. and Wilkie wanted the job, Wander
lip got it for him, through Secretary
Gage.
Both Vanderlip and Wnkie are above
the middle size, both are of striking APP
pearance and each has often been spoken
of as brilliantly successful in his chosen
calling. WiIkie and his men rendered
the country most signal assistance while
the Spanish war was on in the way they
bafled the Spanish spies.
Wikie is said to regard an article he
prepared for the Chicago Tribune on
the jugglers OF India as a most remark
able miscarriage of effort. When IL was
written the newspapers had been printing
many eXTavagant stories about the Jug
gIers. Wilkie didn't believe them, and,
as q take-off. got W a yarn IN which be
asserted that the wonderful things the
jugglers were believed to do were not
done at all.
The spectators. Wilkie said, We're sim
ply hypnotized. and believed they saw a
plant grow in ten minutes, or a boy
climb a rope away up into the clouds,
draw the rope up and then disappear,
when. I'm reality. they saw no plants no
boy no rope, being simply under an IL
lusion To illustrate the story Wilkie
had haif-Jone pictures, purDortins 20 be
from photographs and drawings. showing
what the jugglers' victims really saw and
what they supposed they saw.
I don't know whether It was printed
before or after RudyaUd Kipiing's short
fictitious production. based upon the same
idea but the Wilkie feature" yarn Ger
n J, fraf. rHTr1f O fllrr mora
Iv to auuse and. as Wilkie has often
said with the idea that no one would
be deceived by it. 1t is said that a GER
tain credulous Scottish university pro-
lessor took il all I'm, and incorporated 1t
in a profound work on the occult, al
though 10 one Of real acuteness could fail
to recognize the true nature OF the yarn
by reading it carefully.
Brought Morgan TO Terms.
The late Joseph {. Hendrix, who work
ed himself up from a reporters job
to the presidency Of the old Bank of Com
merce in New York, and made powerful
group Of capitalists come to terms when
that financial institution was consolidated
with the Western National Bank. was d
Missourian by birth and the brother of
Bishop Z. r. Hendrix. Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church
Hendrix began on the Sun in 1873. lie
never had much money, but he bad
worked his way partly through Cornell
University. and his manner OF reporting
pleased doc" Wood, the night city ndi-
tor known as the Great American Con-
denser, in the days when the sun was
only a four-page paper. During Wood S
latter years In that job when his eyes
were failing. he used to have Hendrix
read city copy to him. As Hendrix read
Wood suggested changes. thus editing the
news by proxy.
Il Is not remembered that Hendrix was
ever a frst-class TepOTter-thOugh be
belped on the Beecher trial-and no one
was surprised when he left the newspa-
per shop and went into politics As can
didate for Brooklyn's mayoralty he came
near beating Seth Low. Low put him
into the board of education and Cleveland
made him postmaster of Brooklyn. Then
he went into banking-he came Of bank
ing family, by the way-was president of
The National Association Of Bankers IN 1897,
and in 1903 when it was proposed TO form
the present great National Bank of Com
merce out Of his bank-the Bank of
Commerce-and the Western National,
leaving MN bll u lLlG lltW NtllAblild tlDAli
he turned a trick that surprised all Wall
street
The scheme had been got under way
during his absence IN Europe He didn {
like it. of course. but he made no fuss.
Instead. he took stock of his friends
among the financiers. Then he told the
promoters Of the proposed merger that
he would make no opposition TO their lit
tie plan if they would give him a little
bonus of S250,000 for retiring. They
laughed at him, but a few days later,
finding out they couldn't make the COM
bination without his help offered to ac-
cept his terms. Then he added as con
dition that they put up $4,000 more for
the others who would be thrown cut of
the old bank.