The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-04
Beginning of journalism
In Topeka
Bit of Early Newspaperdom in
The Capital City
By ]. c.. WOOD
Before Topeka
A Bit of Early Newspaperdom in
The Capital City
(Before The Topeka Press Club.)

In December, 1869, Colonel Prouty,
of Prouty, Davis & Crane, owners and
publishers of the Daily Common
wealth, rendered me the position OF
city editor. 1 told him I had no news
paper experience, nor as writer, ex-
cept essay writing in school and col
lege. However, the contract was closed
and 1 went to work.
There were no telephones then; nor
wireless, and no typewriters. News, If
obtained, had to be gone after and
personally solicited.
The city editor was all editors at
that time. from dog fight to report
ing a decision of the circuit court of
the United States, Justice Miller of the
supreme court presiding. At a sitting
in the old courthouse, corner of
Fourth and Kansas avenue, he handed
down an opinion involving the Kansas
Pacific railroad company and which
had attracted much public interest. L
was present and heard him read the
opinion, and at its close I asked him
for the manuscript for publication.
"Oh. you cannot read my writing, =
said he. 1 took the manuscript and
repeated the first few lines, where
vised proof in his room at the left
house at o'clock that evening. He
thought to change one word. but fin
ally said, Let it go at that" The next
morning upon seeing the report he
said: 1T is the finest publication of
an opinion 1 have ever had"
At first the Commonwealth had no
Associated Press franchise. the morn
ing franchise being owned exclusively
by F. P Baker of the Daily Record.
As a substitute for Geographic news,
postal card items, extracts from cor
respondence, were edited as specials
to the Commonwealth. The St. Louis
here
at 8 o'clock a. M, was clipped for i'm
portart news outside Kansas. Finally,
we made an arrangement to have the
first copy of the press of the Daily
Record-the scissors gave us plenty of
current news. These sources of tele-
graphic news obtained until the Asso-
ciated Press franchise was purchased
by the Commonwealth company. The
report was taken in longhand by two
young women who were adopts only in
catching the consonants, thus neces-
stating careful editing. Type was set
wholly by hand and many proofs were
very bad-often being compelled to
throw out whole galleys in order to
reach the press on time.
The Franco-PruSSian war report
was edited on a map of Europe, Spe-
cial attention being given to the spell
ing of the names of places in the war
zone. The Germans hereabouts fire.
curate photography of German names
Colonel Prouty was favorable to the
French and one day after some dis
cussion on the final result of the con-
fiict. not as a prophet. but in a burst
of enthusiasm, l retorted-
The Germans will capture Paris
and dictate the terms of peace in the
palace at Versailles"
When the news care of the taking
of Paris. Fred Poppendick sent two
kegs of beer to the office which were
duly consumed-but the paper came
out on time the next morning.
Crossed Pontoon Bridge.
When l came to Topeka 1 crossed
from the Kansas Pacific depot on the
pontoon bridge. This was succeeded
by a King arch bridge. and this by a
high truss Five cents was the toll for
a foot passenger This charge for
getting into Topeka rankled in the
minds of the business men. Morti-
mer Cook was president of the bridge
company and j. B. McAfee, director