The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-02
MANY sided PULITZER BY one WHO KNEW HIM
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BY JAMES B. TOWNSEND.

BY JAMES B. TOWNSEND.
Return at once to office, Joseph |
Pulitzer has bought the paper" This |
was the telegram that I received May |
1, 1883, while attending the funeral
Of relative in Rutland, VT, for
which sad duty l had been excused |
for three days from my editorial work
on The New York World under the
late William Henry Hurlbert by the
then managing editor, John Gilmer
Speed, who, too, has joined the ma
jorty.
The summons was so abrupt and so
unlike the comparatively easy-going
slower methods of the journalism OF
that day that it startled me- re-
allied at once that while the words
were Speeds, the impulse that direct
ed the sending of the telegram was
another's, and on my journey on q
night train to New York | tried to
recall what had heard of this Joseph
/ Pulitzer, and to paint a mental pic
/ ture of what manner of man he was.
/ 1t was not long before | learned.
On arrival at the old World building
/ on Park Row. in New York City-then
only recently erected hardly knew
/ the place to be the same as that L
had left, after some years service,
only three days earlier 1t seemed AZ
! if cyclone had entered the building,
completely disarranging everything,
and had passed away, leaving con
( fusion worse COMPOUNDED.
The atmosphere of the entire build
ing was one of excitement and sus-
pense, men were hurrying to and fro,
all with tense faces, messenger boys
we're wildly leaving in droves, and
nothing was as it had been. Joining
the other members of the old editorial
staff, who were huddled together in
one corner of the sitting room-all
with anxious and excited expressions
i timidly asked what was the mat
var
you will know soon enough, young
man." replied Mr. Speed. THE new
boss will see you in five minutes -
and, with an upward glance and
deprecatory gesture he added, After
us the deluge-prebare to meet thy
fate"
1t was not long before my audience
with the new chief came and ] was
summoned into his presence. Well 10
| recollect the tall, spare form, neatly
clothed in a frock coat and gray trous-
ers, the thin straggly reddish beard,
the tangled mass of reddish hair, and
the incisive glance through the near
sighted eyeglasses that seemed TO
take my measure in an instant and
pierced into my timid soul.
80 this is Mr.. T." said Mr.. Pulit-
ger well, sir, you've heard that /
am the new chief of this newspaper;
have already introduced new meth
ods-new ways propose to galvani@e
this force; are you willing to aid me
! Your salary will remain the same,
and you will follow the same line Of
work with suggestions as to change
and improvement under Major Han
cock, who will be managing editor
, after Mr.. Speed leaves"
To my faltering assurance-for
felt as if the breath had left me, from
the rapidity and vigor of Mr.. Pulit-
zers utterances-that | would will
ingly remain a member of the staff
he simply nodded and said, Good, |
like you, get to work. That was all.
That was the beginning of nearly
ten years active service for and with
Joseph Pulitzer and of warm friend
ship which lasted until his death
although one which of late years
could not cultivate on my part, owing
to the exigencies of business life, his
blindness, and long absence from New
York
J The manner of my first acquaint
, ance with and real knowledge al
Joseph Pulitzer has been described,
to indicate the mans tremendous, and
, almost unique, quickness of action
and force of character and tempera-
ment. He was, during his active bust
ness career, in very truth a human
dynamo" In my long journalistic life
and consequent wide acquaintance
often intimate acquaintance-with the
more prominent men o. the period,
the brainiest that have known were
James McCosh, the late president Of
Princeton, Robert G. Iugersoll and
Joseph Pulitzer.
These all were men not only Of sur
passing intellect but OF force, but mr.
Pulitzer added to the intellectually
of DR.. McCosh and the wide cultiva
ton and ow'edge of Ingersoll, all
of which qualities he himself pos
sessed On alertness of mind and body