Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1913-11-13
By Harry King Totls
Illustrations by Ray Walters
OopyrlrA. By 4 Q. Nsosrs . Co, lOls

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from under cover"
In the conference which ensued the
two men discussed every possible
phase of the question, yet they never
dreamed that 1t was part Of the stock
yards scheme. What aroused suspi.
cion as much as anything else was
that there was nothing they could find
on which to base suspicion. When
Morrison left 1t was with the intention
of scrutinizing copy Of the proposed
ordinance carefully. F
Wright sent a reporter to interview
Alderman Grunewald, and all other re-
porters were instructed to find out
what the public thought of 1t and any
definite facts that could be brought to
light. The city editor himself took
an hour off to go to the Office Of Rosen-
baum & Rosenbaum, who 1t 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 II
at the request of his good friends
Rosenbaum C Rosenbaum and knew
nothing about 1t.
Rosenbaum & 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 1t 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 Chicago news
agency to find out who the incorpora-
tors were At his suggestion the city
editor tried to get Kerr at Esmerafia
Springs by telephone. but was unsuc-
cessful.
Only one clue was found which of
itself was suspicious, and 1t was not
one which could be used that after
noon. The courthouse reporter had
dropped into the county surveyors Of
| fee, and talked about surveying In
general and the work In Belmont coun-
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
the stock-yards company had had men
out. What were they doing? They
were seeing how they could save their
tracks along 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 1t was duly presented
to Wright by the city editor.
That afternoon Belmont rubbed its
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 it asked a great many
questions and contained several inter
views which said nothing. Even the
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 &
Rosenbaum had secured their consent.
The Chicago news agency did not
send what information 1t gathered I'M
til too late for use on that day.
Sam Hayes bought paper on the
street, read the story, and rushed for
a 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 Es-
meralda Springs. having seen the
News just few minutes after Hayes.
Their conversation was short, Kerr
knew the facts, and 1t was mainly a
discussion of how the Banner should
treat the matter In the morning. The
boss decided his paper should insist
that the News was trying to knock
the town. The attack was to be upon
the News, thus diverting attention
from the real issue. This command
properly phrased, was dropped into
the eager ear of Deacon Winthrow
and he proceeded to write scathine
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 wher
he read it in the proof. and wa:
, warmed with self-satisfied glow t.
think that he had thought of it. Hi
still lived in the age of personal jour
J nalism and to lambast the other fel
low personally was part of his edito
rial creed.
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