The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-07-06
GIBBONS FOR GOVERNOR

Cromwell Gibbons. well known
Jacksonville lawyer, and also promi-
nent in state military circles, is in the
notion to be governor of Florida. He
has BEEN in the notion before and may
be again; but while We hardly think he
will succeed, he might, and the people
could do a whole lot worse than elect
him.
Gibbons is full Of energy, legal lore
and other good qualities, and we doubt
tnat he has any more bad ones than
the average man. He has way of
obtaining results, the following
will show.
Something over twenty years ago,
the editor of the Star, then a typo
graphical tourist, and Gibbons worked
together on little evening paper in
st. Augustine. Gibbons was the re-
porter and I'VE" was compositor and
proof-reader.
Gibbons was a new arrival from a
northern state-Connecticut, if We re-
member rightly-and was much better
acquainted with northern people than
Floridians. So he came in just right to
visit the hotels-it was in the winter
season and st. Augustine was full of
visitors-and interview the tourists.
He was very faithful and enterprising
in the work, and about his only fault
was that he was rather shy on adjec-
tives, and alluded to almost every one
as prominent people" He used the
expression SO often that the printers
who set his copy nieknamed him "Mr.
Prominent People"
Gibbons had one Of the sure signs
of a great mamie wrote an awful
~sS
then. The printers on the st. Angus
tine paper were mostly country boys,
and so it came to pass that the writer
who had served his time the big
morning papers, had to set most of his
copy. friendship grew up between
the printer and reporter. possibly for
gotten by the successful lawyer and
politician, but always remembered
kindly at this end of the line.
One Sunday evening, Gibbons invit-
ed the printer into his pleasant room
at the Magnolia Hotel and told him
somewhat of his plans for the future
his intention to make Florida his home
and make a high place for himself in
her public affairs. Gibbons was only
doing his work as a reporter in order
to get acquainted with the people. He
didn't need the pitiful little salary the
paper paid him, though he worked fol
1t as faithfully as he has since worked
for larger rewards, and was even ther
studying law in what would have beer
leisure hours to other men.
Gibbons was we'll educated, but some
times he fell down in his spelling. On'
day he had an item about the death O
an old citizen, who died with pneu
monia. Coming in late, and the edi
torial office being crowded with visit
ors, Gibbons trotted into the compos
ing room, in search of a place to write
The only place he could find was tn
corner of an imposing stone. He wa
very tired and in order to raise him
self to the level of the stone, which
was higher than table, he put a cop.
a chair, sat down and begun to write
After writing line or two, he hes
itated, stopped and looked appealingl.
at the printer, who was setting typ
about a yard away. Say" he said
'how do you spell pneumonia?'
why the deuce don't you look il
the dictionary" said the printer, VIII
was somewhat given to teasing Glib
bons.
I'm sitting on it, and I'm too tire
to get up" said Gibbons. Never mind
I'll make him die of something I know
how to SPELL"
The Star isn't nominating any can
didate, but, as aforesaid, it believes tn
people of Florida can do whole 10