The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-29
Newman Also n Traveller.

New man Also n Traveller.
Oliver r. Newman. known among his
newspaper intimates as Peck" is ~
years old. and has gathered his expert
ence in the course of his travels through
out the United States He went to West
Point for one full year. fell down in
mathematics left that institution in 1898
and drilled an Albany company of volun-
teers for the Spanish-American wal.
Then he returned to Des Moines, Iowa
where he was born, and began news
paper work on the Leader, under Henry
X. Jones. present night editor of the
Washington Post. Later he came to
Washington TO work on the Post subse-
quently was taken i'll and went to New
Mexico to recuperate. His next venture
was at Beaumont, Tex. with the Enter
prise. and then the San Antonio Express.
where he and Otto Praeger. present post
master Of Washington. were fellow news
paper men at a salary OF SO a week
each. and each with a wife in the hos
pital at weekly expense of ST. New
man now gets 5000 as Commissioner,
and Praeger 100 as postmaster.
Otto Praeger. Washington's new post
master. like his fellow reporter, New
man. also flunked at school. with the diff
ference that Otto fell down on algebra
This happened on a Friday afternoon.
the San Antonio Evening Light. After
six hard years at that Job he went to tho
Texas University for three years, where
DR.. Houston. now Secretary OF Agricul-
ture. was professor of political economy.
After course Of three years at this uni
versity and a similar period as city clerk,
Mr.. Praeger went to the San Antonio
Express. Mr.. Praeger came to Washing
ton from Texas ten years ago and rep
resented his old paper until Postmaster
Burios"n. his personal friend. selected
him from long list and made him post
master of the National Capital.
Has Had Perilous Career.
Praeger has made a model postmaster
and has established fine reputation as
an executive official. His career as d
public official is in marked contrast
with his love of adventure when a
man, and the marvel is that
he ever lived to reach his present sta
ton.
In 1892 he made the first bicycle trip
ever made through Mexico and narrowly
missed death in a dozen disagreeable
forms. Starting from San Antonio. he;
across the Sierra Madras noun
tains to Mazatlin, on the Pacific. and
back. and then down to the City OF
Mexico
ou this journey 10 inc SaCiIlC. WnfC"1
was undertaken as q piece OF newspaper
enterprise, Praeger crossed desert
stretch Of ninety miles with only two
gourds Of water and three meal cakes
as his entire food supply. Before ne
had covered half the distance Of the
Sierra Mojoda desert, he plunged down
! cliff and broke his wheel. but fortu-
nately broke none OF his bones. with
The result that he had to walk sixty
miles, subsisting on food begged from
an occasional mule pack train that he
met slowly journeying from the Pacific
Coast to the Atlantic seaboerd.
The following year he rode an Eng
high wheel bicycle. with pneu-
matte tires, from San Antonio to the
Fair at Chicago just for the
Iun OF the thing. Since then. having
acquired a family, Praeger has settled
iown to the moro quiet walks of life.
md finds his chief amusement In fish
ms. to which he devoteS all his spare
time when ~ believes III fish win take
Ehe heck