The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-23


two. So was written the story of the
Summerlin battle, which was printed
and out on the streets before the
gunbarrels cooled, two railroad ac-
cidents. several fires and couple of
dynchings-all of which happened
late in the day, or couldn't be OBJ
tanned until almost press time.
Mr.. Carroll never reads his copy,
reading his own stories after they
| are in the paper, but won't admit it.
Like most newspaper men, he re-
CARDS writing as hard work, and
does no more OF it than he has to.
In addition to his typewriter, his
/ journalistic outfit consists of desk
with pigeon-holes and drawers He
keeps books and stationery in the
drawers, and in the pigeon
holes he puts things that he
wants to forget. Whatever he has
that he wants to keep, he puts
somewhere in the open space that
| most people use to write on, and
puts several things on top of it.
When he wants 1T, he burrows till he
finds it. About once in six weeks he
goes away for half day or more,
| and the bookkeeper cleans up by
carefully throwing away everything
that looks like it might be of value
She rarely makes mistake.
Mr.. Bittinger, who made the
weekly Star, as Mr.. Carroll made the
daily, came into the Office in 1897.
For a short time, he had a table in
the Witness editorial room, but soon
wearied of the staircase, and settled
himself at little table in the bust
ness office downstairs. Here for over
ten years he labored. He sat with
his back to the light before a table
4x3 feet. On this he kept books,
paper, documents, copy paper and
stationery. He did his writing In a
little place about a foot square.
Every once in while, he would
go away for little vacation. When
he did SO, his associates would pro-
coed to clean his table off. This they
did by the simple process of turning
it upside down. He never missed
anything, when he returned, but In
week the table would be as crowd
as ever.
But there was no cleaner, nobler
work done on any editorial table.
Mr.. Bittinger believed In making
the world better, and helped the
work the best he knew how in his
own little corner. No man hunted
more diligently for good things to
write of other people, and no man
ever took more genuine pleasure in
writing them. Malicious and un-
kind things, and little sarcasms,
never occurred to him. Unjust at
tacks upon himself he never MOTTO
ed. Coming to his work at time
when the fortunes of Marion county
were at their lowest ebb, he wasted
not even a line in regrets. He set
out to help rebuild. He encouraged
and suggested what was good and
helpful and preached the gospel of
| by week.
Mr.. Bittinger came to his work on
| the Star at an age when mems hands
and eyes became uncertain. In writ
ing, his hand could never keep up
with his thoughts. His copy was
difficult-almost impossible to those
not accustomed to it.
But there was an understanding
between him and his printers. If
| they could start out ON what he
| wrote, they could follow the mean
| ing to the end. He depended on
them and they rarely failed. When
they made mistakes he treated them
with the utmost good nature. In his
Office as we'll as out, his kindness
and goodwill were inexhaustible.
The. present editor was foreman
OF the Office when the paper started,
/ and had edited or helped edit other
/ papers before he came to Ocala. In
the early days OF the Star, he did all
| his work at his cases, Or on the i'm
/ posing stones. Then the linotype
came in and the men who set type
| by hand had to go out The foreman
was given a little desk at the only
window in the composing room that
I didn't have to be taken by some
thing else It was by the only win
/ dow in the north end of the room.
corner. the hottest in summer and
the coolest in winter, and the light
wasn't very good.
There wasn't so much work in the