The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-05-16
Copyright by A. Q. McClurg d Co, 1919

III the conference WHICH 6HotSu INC |
two men discussed every possible |
phase of the question, yet they never
dreamed that it was part of the stock
yards scheme. What aroused sCspl- |
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 a copy OF the proposed
ordinance carefully.
Wright sent a reporter to interview
Alderman Grunewald. and all other re-
porters We're 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
so 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
Rosenbaum & 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 near future it would be extended
to Corona, and all the people of that
| little town and the villages along the
| lin IL CHI
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 Esmeralda
Springs by telephone, but was unsuc-
cessful
| 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 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
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 story about
the proposed car line down Maple ave
nue.. 1t was not replete with facts anC
figures, but it asked 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
, 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 un
til too late for use on that. day.
t Sam Hayes bought paper On thu
street. read the story, and rushed TO
, telephone He paid two dollars ant
= thirty cents for the privilege, on
i could not call it pleasure. of talk;n,
. with Kerr at Esmerelda Springs. HI
: read the paper to the boss, the from
l page story and the trenchant shor
i editorial in inquiry. Kerr asked tina
he be connected with Gilbert. but al
: ready the Judge was trying to get Els
3 meralda Springs, having seen tn
8 News just few minutes after Hayes
! Their conversation was short. Ker
knew the facts, and it was mainly
! discussion of how the Banner shoul,
Y treat the matter in the morning. III
a boss decided his paper should insis
+ that the News was trying to knocl
the town. The attack was to be upol
t the News, thus diverting attention
from the real issue. This command
I properly phrased, was dropped int
/ the eager ear of Deacon Winthrop
and he proceeded to write scarhin
t editorial holding up to scorn the ps
/ per which would try to barricade tn
t path of the car of progress. The des
con felt proud of his editorial whe
he read it in the proof. and wa
9 warmed with a self-satisfied glow t
i think that he had thought of it. H
still lived in the age OF personal joul
9 nalism and to lambast the other fe
low personally was part Of his edit<