Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-10-13

Sequentiy the forcc OF the Helena
Herald were out celebrating" the day
and the Office was closed.
II was about IL o'clock, noon, that
Andrew ]. Fisk left his home and went
down own 10 see il there was anything
OF news Importance 10 wire the As
ISOLATED Press. Idly sitting in his Of
flee, talking with some friends, he was
suddenly startled by the appearance Of
dusty, begrimed rancher, who fairly
tunbled from his saddle in front Of
the Herald building, staggered UP the
steps and reeled into Fisk's ONCE. It
was Horace Countryman. A. he Drop
ped into a chair, Fisk sprang to his
side, exclaiminx:
"Countyrman, old friend, what in
Gods name is the mater? What has
happesed ?"
Countryman could not grasp in re-
ply: Clusters command all wiped out
on the Little Big Horn by the Sioux"
Fisk was horror-struck, but grasping
Immediately the vital Importance Of
the news he said:
"Have you told anybody about it,
except us folks here in this Office? ?"
"Not sou" whispered Country
ma7. with a shake OF the head.
Boys" exclaimed Fisk, turning to
IS friends, "not a wcrd Of this on the
street to anyto;y. This is the biggest
scoop Of the ycarw Then turning to
Countryman, he added:
"Come into my private Office and
give me the details as you have them"
A brief conversation ensued, then
Fisk said: "You stay here and III 60
out 20 a restaurant and get you
bite, and also see il | can't scare up
enough Of the force to get out an
extra"
Fisk hurried across the street, and
quickly returned with coffee and sand
wiches. Then he rushed back, from
one saloon to another, and in short
time managed to round up sufficient
number of the composing force
of the Herald to answer his purpose.
These men hastily began to distribute
type and get ready to spread a piece
of news that was calculated to make all
Helena gasp with dismay and horror.
Fisk then hurried into his own pri-
vate Office, where Countryman had re-
vived himself with food, and then clos
ing and locking the door, the news
paper man began 10 take down in long
hand the thrilling recitals OF the battle
as conveyed to Countyman by "Mug-
gins" Taylor. the scout Countryman
dictated rapidly and Huently.
"There was one sentence in partic-
ular that struck me forcibly," said
Fisk, in recounting to me the story.
at was this:
"'Curley, the Crow scout, and the
only person in the battle who escaped
to bring the news, said the firing was
very rapid, and sounded like the snap
ping of the threads in the tearing
Of blanket
AS fast as Fisk was able to dash off
his copy he hurried the pages up to
the composing room, where the foreman
separated them into "takes" which the
compositors rapidly turned into type
Fisk was SO excited that he forgot all
about his duty to the Associated Press,
and then became mindful Of the fact
that he was not even a member Of the
staff Of the Herald. BY the time the
Herald extra was on the street, it
came over Fisk that the important part
of his duty was not yet accomplished,
and he made Decline for the Western
Union Telegraph Office, where the man.
ager, w. E. Frederick, dropped every
thing he was sending over the wires
and gave Fisk clear wiro to Wash
inston to spread the tidings in tho
East.
On the night Of July 4th, Fisk began
to be besieged by kilograms from East
ern newspapers, begging, and in some
instances demanding further news from
the front. James Gordon Bennett of
the New York Herald, soon after mid
night, wired Fisk authority to employ
scouts and get them to the front with
all possible despatch, sparing no ex-
pense, for the full particulars OF the
massacre.
Other papers wired for "just a little
longer story" and Fisk thereupon
wired the Associated Press that he had
already given out all the information
which had been received, and that il