Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1913-04-10

but the cOlOneTs son. mHcheli hhieOs |
now associated with him in the pub
l!eation Of the Ledger, tells some Of |
his fathers stories. A good many
years ago a rival paper in Mexico
and It shall be nameless- annoyed
the colonel good deal by stealing
his news. The Ledger went to
press first, and the opposition paper
had a boy waiting to grab a copy
and sprint back to its office, where
the local items Of interest were
"swIped" with neatness and preci-
sion. Col Bob figured on the thing
for a good while: then he wrote
Iurid story Of a man who was killed
by being thrown from his horse and
dragged to death in Sailing town
ship, Audrain county which was
wholly fanciful, had it "set up" and
one copy of the Ledger printed con-
tanning the story. He took care to
see that that particular copy reached
the rival paper, then pulled the
story out Of thepaper and filled his
regular edition with things that
really had happened. The opposition
paper swallowed the bait. hook, sink
er and all and printed the story OF
terrible accident that had never
happened. After that Colonel Bob
had no more trouble. The rival edi-
tor wouldn't touch news item from
the Ledger office with a 10-foot pole
His HierosIyphlc Handwriting.
One Of the most picturesque things
about Colonel White is his handwrit-
ing. Greeley at his worst never had
anything on the Ledger's editor. He
dashes off copy at top speed, and 1t
is then handed to his young woman
assistant to be interpreted. Mr..
White himself is entirely unable to
decipher his own handwriting after
1t gets "cold." There is a tradition
in Mexico which they will tell you
with sly smile that the front door
of the Ledger office was left open
one summer day and chicken wan
dered in. Walking through a pud-
die of ink it then walked up and
down a sheet Of paper which had
fallen to the floor. The foreman
came in minute later. picked up
/ the sheet with the chicken tracks
and set up a powerful and convincing
!, editorial.
It is probably not true that the
courthouse clock In Mexico is set
by Colonel Bob's movements, but
| It might we'll be- Despite his dyna,
: mic haste-to see him striding along
the streets one would suppose that
his time was woth at least $4,000
an hour-the editor of the Ledger Is
clockllke in the regularity of his
+ movements. He is up every morn
t ing at 6, exercises for fifteen min
3 utes, jumps into cold bath, dresses
$ and hurries downtown to read hii
mail. He is in his office by Z; la
r er in the morning there is regular
}, route which he makes with the ut
e most precision. At II o'clock he i
S at the Hotel where he sees hi
t friends and discusses what is goini
d on in the outside world, but particu
Q lraly in Mexico. Colonel Bob has
s theory that the people in Mexico ar
n more interested in what is happen
ing around the corner than in the In
e. activity of Congress; in conse-
quence his paper is filled with locf
Re news. At quarter of ~ Mr., Whit
N goes to luncheon;, at five minutes a
TO ter he is back in the Ledger offic'
lie At 2:30 he goes home and rests an
lie reads for a couple of hours and lool
after his private business which gro
1t more important every year.
as Colonel Whites paper has bee
n something of school of journalism
ic in its time. Among the men wi
ss have learned the newspaper bushes
of on the Ledger are Charles H. Gra
er ty, now editor and owner of the Bt
nd timore Sun; Homer Bassford, mana
ut ing editor of the st. Louis Time
Wallace Bassford, private secreta
he to Champ Clark; James L. Edward
err night city editor of the st. Lot
'or Republic; Lee Mitchell Hodges
A the Philadelphia North America
he Jouett Shouse of Kinsley. Kan,
int Gently elected to the State Senat
a W. G. Hutton, now on the st. Lot
ere Republic; Joe Cauthorn, now w
ed the Circulation Department of
uld Los Angeles (Cali) Times; Je
led Crews, now with the Postoffice
Ier- partment, and his son, L. NJ. VIII
ore who is now his partner.
est Every summer he takes a va
on. ton, going to his old home at Sou
ing ampton, Long Island, N. ", for
hat, weeks and the people of Mexico
Bob almost as much fun in reading
lop- the colonel's vacations as he
" a in taking them. There was one 4
be GUS trip abroad number Of ye
lies ago, in which Colonel Bob ACHE
the some fame by seeing Paris in
lot days. And he didn't overlook
at thing, either. He left his suit
der at Cherbourg, in order not to vi
day any time in carrying 1t about.
do one overcoat pocket nightshirt
ults thrust and into the other a cha
road of linen and thus accoutered the
now onel did the French capital.
has But, after all, for real solid Ell
ment and comfort in life"Bob"W
dis comes back to Mexico. There are
ur. friends and his interests,
there he finds his real fun. For
aper 81 Colonel Bob will assure you
1t of running a country newspaper is !
/ lit fun than anything which has yet
hem. devised.
5. WE TOLD YOU so
and here thew are: All the late