Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-10-03
COpyrisA. b A c. McCiurE = Co, 1919
Illustrations by Ray Walters

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 1t was with the intention
of scrutinizing a copy of the proposed
ordinance carefully.
, Wright sent a reporter to interview
Alderman G~runewald, 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 off to go to the Office of Rosen-
baum & ~Rosenbaum, who it was
learned had given Grunewald the bill
10 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 1t
at the request of his good friends
R%osenbaum & Rosenbaum and knew
nothing about it.
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 lea 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 rews
agency to find out who the incorpora-
tors were. At his suggestion the city
editor tried to get Kerr at Esmeralda
Springs by telephone, but was unsuc-
c~essful.
Only one clue was found which of
itself was suspicious, and it 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 theil
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 it 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 a story about
the proposed car line down Maple ave
nue.. 1t was not replete with facts ant
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 ant
2 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 no
send what information it gathered I'm
+ til too late for use on that day.
t Sam Hayes bought a paper on thu
street, read the story, and rushed foI
a telephone. He paid two dollars ant
g thirty cents for the privilege, on'
could not call it pleasure, of talkin,
e with Kerr at Esmerelda Springs. H,
read the paper to the boss, the from
d page story and the trenchant shor
. editorial in inquiry. Kerr asked tina
he be connected with Gilbert, but al
ready the Judge was trying to get Els
z meralda Springs, having seen thu
s News just a few minutes after Hayes
Their conversation was short, Ker
knew the facts, and 1t was mainly
discussion Of how the Banner shoul'
treat the matter in the morning. HI
n boss decided his paper should insis
that the News was trying to knocl
the town. The attack was to be upol
the News, thus diverting attention
from the real issue. This command
properly phrased, was dropped int
|. the eager ear of Deacon Winthrop
and he proceeded to write a scarhinI
1 editorial holding up to scorn the pa
l. per which would try to barricade tn
It path of the car of progress. The des
con felt proud of his editorial whe
he read 1t in the proof. and wa
warmed with a ~self-satisfied glow t
Il think that he had thought Of it. H
still lived in the age Of personal joul
s nalism and to lambast the other fe
low personally was part of his edit
ID rial creed.