Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-06

Younger and the James boys about his
trip out there to see them. and convinced
them that what he wanted to do was to
put the truth about them before the pub
lie. Being made to understand the object
OF his visit, Jesse James gave Curtis the
most vivid interview anybody had ever
had with him. Having. accomplished his
purpose, the reporter returned to the
nearest telegraph station and wired his
beat to the paper. He kept faith with
the men who had taken him at his word,
however. and did not reveal any of the
secrets of the rendezvous of the deSpera-
does, and he did not tell the detectives
who We're searching for them the location
of their hiding place. The entire gang
was captured shortly thereafter. how
ever. and years later Curtis visited Cole
Younger in prison. Younger remembered
him perfectly. but refused to speak to
him.
Through government influence Curtis
was allowed to accompany Custer in sew
eral of his campaigns against the Sioux
The rule against allowing civilians to
accompany the troops was very strict,
and Curtis had to be appointed quarter
termaster's clerk to obtain his object.
He was the only correspondent on the
scene.
Illness Saved His Life.
He went through several campaigns-in
fact. all but the last and fatal one, termi-
mating with the battle of the Little Big
Horn. being prevented from starting on this
one by illness. While with Clusters forces
when an attack was to be made, he had
to ride alongside the troopers or. be left
behind on the prairie, the prey of any,
stragglipg Indian, and he chose the for
mer. His letters of these campaigns
are, of course. the only ones written from
the scene. and are invaluable. :
OF all the countries Of which Mr.. Curtis
wrote, he was most interested in those. OF
Latin America, and he made many trips
to Mexico, Cuba. the West Indies and the
countries of Central and South America.
In his career Mr.. Curtis interviewed
nearly every crowned head in Europe, the
presidents of all the great republics. and
was well acquainted with Pope Leo KILL
He also knew and had interviewed the
present Pope Plus X.
Mr.. Curtis was regarded as one of the
most methodical of men. To the average
man the task he accomplished each day,
would seem zimpossible-that of turning
out news letter of from 800 to 5000
words. He did this every day beginning
with 1888. when he made a life contract
newspaper publisher. Seldom was it in
all the subsequent years that letter
from him failed to appear in the papers
that had the right to his output.
Systematic in Work.
During his early life he formed the
habit of systematizing his work so that
he accomplished each day with ease the
writing Of a letter full of information,
never lacking in interest and usually on
a different subject.
His chief asset in this work was his &C
quaintance, which was worldwide and
gave him facilities for getting hold of ac-
curate information denied to most. a
series Of scrap-books containing all his
previous letters and most complete col
lection of clippings and data various
sorts We're of course Indispensable. but
the majority of his articles and the best
came from people in the form of inter-
views. He took copious notes or none at
all, as the occasion required.
His letters were planned in advance as
a rule, and for week before the actual
writing of one material for 1T was gath
cred i'm various forms and condensed
and arranged. 1t was then dictated to a
secretary. and the writing of one took
only about an hour and "a half. Secre-
tary and typewriter accompanied him
everywhere. and the letter was turned
out each day in hotel or tent, and on
train or boat when necessary.
Before leaving on a trip it was neces-
sary to provide letters ahead. sometimes
to the number of thirty, and often two
letters a day for month were turned
out Then while on the ocean and dur
ing the time required for the return trip
of the mail there was no gap. Headed
toward home at the end of long trip
one every other day would be the aver
age Half the year he stayed i'm Wash
ineton and the other half he trave, ed to
the ends of the earth. Some letters had