The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-22
Editing With a Six-S0oter
Journalism Was Very Strenuous in the Guthrie State Capt
tai in the Early Days
(Kansas City star.)

\AA0Ao00 SASy SS0IsJ
With the final suspension of the
Guthrie State Capital ON March Is.
Oklahoma lost its most individual
pioneer newspaper. Its first issue APP
peared April %, 1889. the day Okla
bona was opened to settlement. and
it's editor and owner from beginning
to end was Frank Hilton Greer, a
man OF aggressive personality, who
came from Winfield, Kan. Always
radically Republican in politics, the
Capital fought its party battles at
white heat. 1t grew from a mere
hand-sheet to a newspaper of metro
.politan size, q property valued at one
time ut 100000 and for a number of
years was the dominant newspaper
in Oklahoma, powerful enough to
make and unmake men in public life.
Greer came to Guthrie with S29 in his
pocket and some secondhand news
paper material which he had bought
with borrowed money.
The suspension Of the Capital be-
came inevitable with the removal of
the state capital from Guthrie-loss
OF business made 1t impossible longer
to publish the Capital in the form Of
q metropolitan newspaper, and to re-
duce its size and it's news service
would have destroyed its prestige in
the state at large. Unable to escape
IDS ~predicament Greer applied the
match and blew up the shop.
The history Of the Capital would
be largely the history Of Oklahoma.
Greer's personality gave vigor to his
editorial writings and they were wide
ly read, however vitrolic their con-
tents and partisan their viewpoint.
1t is said Of him that physically he
never knew q sensation of fear, save
once when he was caught beneath
q circus tent blown down in a lorna
do. He carried his pistols in the
gun" days of Oklahoma and shot It
out with his advertisers, though he
never hit anybody, o was he ever
hit himself. But only bad marksman-
ship caused this miscarriage of bull
lets. He was six feet two inches in
height. weighed 1853 pounds. but had
an angular appearance that caused a
man to say to him, Greer has the
running gear Of a katydid." By 9TH
Of the Cottonwood" the Cottonwood
being q stream that passes through
the town Of Guthrie. Greer was a
good platform speaker, user Of home
ly but convincing phrases, and took
part In all the political campaigns
of his party.
When Guthrie awoke next morning,
after It had been settled in a day by
$4,000 or 10000 fortune hunters. all
living In tents, It was found that the
genuine, double-eyed, quick-action
bad" man from the woolliest regions
of the tanned and sun-wrinkled west
was thicker than coyotes along a cat
tie trail. every mothers son Of them
with o gun in his belt and a bad
weather sign in his eye. The people
had only such government as they or
ganized themselves, the organic act
giving law to the territory not having
passed congress. A lot Of sunken
places, overrun with briars and crab
grass, that still may be found in the
environs Of Guthrie, show how hard
1t was to dodge bullets in these first
fierce days Of Guthrie.
Greer's newspaper was vitrolic be-
You'd the imagination Of newspaper
readers who ponder upon the bible
texts that glorify editorial pages in
these peaceful days. Everything was
called by its true name, which may
have been bad taste, rs we'll as bad
Judgment, yet never in the history OF
the Capital did an editorial apology
appear in its editorial columns. Many
q gun was poked in its editors face,
but mild words or another gun, If
there was time to draw 1t, averted
the impending tragedy.
Not so many years ago Greer look
ed up from his desk one night and
found his nose within an inch Of the
muzzle Of a Colts "46," a most col
icky weapon. Holding the gun was a
man with murder In his eye. In his
other hand was q written apology
which Greer was ordered to sign and
publish next morning. Greer was un-
armed.
"You can shoot every id load out
Of your gun, and still I'll not sign
this apology mol publish It," said
Greer. II have nothing except my
fists, and you can get that kind of
a fight in a second II you'll lay down
your gun. You may kill me, but Ill
guarantee that in 15 minutes you'll
be swinging to a telegraph pole in
front Of this Office. Now, blaze away"
The man gazed at Greer a moment,
lowered his gun and began crying.
They adjusted their trouble, but with
out a newspaper %retraction, and aft
erward became warm friends.
The first recall election in Okla
homa was caused by Greer and his
newspaper. There were four town
site governments at Guthrie In the
first days. Each collected revenues,
though its officers were not under
bond for the proper expenditure Of the
funds. Greer became convinced that
the funds Of one Of the townsite gov
ernments were not being properly
used and demanded In his newspaper
a public accounting by the officials.
There wes no response. The demand
al repeated many times without
bringing forth the desired financial
statement. It was estimated that
about SIG 900 had been collected.
There were no courts that could be
used to compel the officers to make
an accounting. The "City Hall" of
this townsite government was q frame
shack that could be entered 90 easily
by pulling of a board that II was
never thought necessary to lock the
door YAta 0no afternoon Greer and