River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-23

Kerr isn't likely to do that. He's
interested, | suppose, but how?"
Wen get busy today" Wright said
decisively. "A few pointed questions
on the front page may bring them out
! from under cover"
In the conference which ensued the
two men discussed every possible
| phase of the question, yet they never
| dreamed that it was part of the stock
yards scheme. What aroused sCspi-
cion as much as anything else was
that there was nothing they could find
on which to base suspicion. When
Morrison left it was with the intention
of scrutinizing copy of the proposed
ordinance carefully.
Wright sent a reporter to interview
| Alderman Grunewald, and all other re-
| porters were instructed to find out
what the public thought of it and any
definite facts that could be brought to
| light. The city editor himself took
an hour of to go to the office of Rosen-
| baum & Rosenbaum, who it was
learned had given Grunewald the bill
to present for them.
| The drag net which the News spread
did not seem productive of results cal
culated to bring anything to light Al
! derman Grunewald had introduced it
| at the request Of his good friends
| Rosenbaum & ROsenbaum and knew
nothing about it.
| ROsenDaum & Rosenbaum said that
| the proposed franchise spoke for itself,
| and that the road would prove of in
estimable benefit TO Belmont, since in
| the near future it would be extended
to Corona, and all the people of that
| little town and the villages along the
line would do their shopping in Bel
mont. The incorporators were Chica-
go men with plenty Of capital back Of
| them
Wright telegraphed a Chicago news
agency 10 find out who the incorporar
tors were. At his suggestion the city
! editor tried to get Kerr at Esmeralda
Springs by telephone, but was uusuc-
cessful
Only one clue was found hich of
Itself was suspicious, and it was not
/
noon. The courthouse reporter had
! dropped into the county surveyors of
| flee, and talked about surveying in
| general and the work in Belmont coul-
! ty in particular. Was anything going
on just then? This elected the reply
that the spring was not far enough
| advanced for the usual work, but that
/ hn dc hod no
out. What were they doing? They
were seeing how they could save their
tracks alorg the river and rearrang-
! ing the quarantine tracks for Texas
cattle which were by themselves to
the east of the main yards. This was
all the courthouse man brought back
to the office, but it was duly presented
to Wright by the city editor.
That afternoon Belmont rubbed it's
eyes as 1t looked at the front page of
| the News. In the last column under
an extended head was story about
the proposed car line down Maple ave-
nue.. 1t was not replete with facts and
| figures, but 1t asked a great many
questions and contained several inter
/
property owners along Maple avenue
/ who had consented to the line and
then been pledged to secrecy until the
matter was made public by the intro
duction of the bill in the council. knew
nothing more than that Rosenbaum &c
Rosenbaum had secured their consent
The Chicago news agency did not
/ GO ytrha I'M Of Il
| til too late for use on that day
Sam Hayes bought a paper on the
street, read the story, and rushed for
telephone He paid two dollars and
thirty cents for the privilege. one
could not call 1t pleasure, Of talking
with Kerr at Esmerelda Springs. He
read the paper to the boss, the front
page story and the trenchant short
editorial in inquiry. Kerr asked that
he be connected with Gilbert. but al
ready the judge was trying to get Els
meralda Springs, having seen the
| News just a few minutes after HAYES.
| Their conversation was short. Kerr
| knew the facts, and it was mainly
| discussion Of how the Banner should
| boss decided his paper should insist
that the News was trying to knock
| the town The attack was to be unon
| the News, thus diverting attention
| from Tx real issue. This command
properly phrased, was dropped into
the eager ear of Deacon Winthrow.
and he proceeded to write a scathing
editorial holding up to scorn the pa
| per which would try to barricade the
path of the car of progress. The dea-
con felt proud of his editorial when
| he read it in the proof, anu was
| warmed with q self-satisfcd glow to
think that he had thought Of it. He
still lived in the age of personal Jour
nalism and to lambast the other fell
low personally was part of his edito
rial creed.
Before the paper came OUT. Wright
| telephoned Gloria that ne would be I'M
able to drive with her but that he
would call in the evening. They had
reached the point in their fast friend
ship where she was not unwilling to
pout and let him know how disapooint-
| ed she was.
1t was four o'clock when Morrison
arrived at the News Office with copy
of the proposes franchise AS he
| threw it on the table in Wrights pri-
waite Office he exclaimed:
IF that goes through, the company
can do anything according to its pro-
vision except commit murder