The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-06-12


Alec woolicott owes much Of his
fame to bad notice, which he
wrote for the Times. It began q
feud with the Shuberts. The pa
per, backing Woollcott, showed its
defiance to the Shuberts by giving
him q by-line, an almost unheard OF
thing on the Times. Wollcott signed
everything thereafter, and still re-
members Lee Shubert in his pray
ers.
James Gordon Bennett, the elder,
was ball Of fire in the early days.
He always reported the whip
pings he suffered, and once he came
out In print demanding that Horace
Greeley be hanged.
The younger Bennett, who for
sock N. Y. for Paris in later years,
kept his staff jittery with sudden
dismissals. Every time he sum-
moned biggie to Paris, the latter
would come home jobless. One man,
thinking he was doomed anyway,
went girling and liquoring around
Paris and Ignored Bennett. This
made such hit with the old boy
that the rebel survives to this day
on The Sun.
Staffers Of PM have a sympathizer
in Publisher Ingersoll, If he feels
as he once did. Ingersoll threw up
his first reporting Job In rage and
disguest when his city desk used
data he had pledged his word Ito
his source wouldn't be printed.
Ambrose Bierce, the West Coast
correspondent who vanished on an
assignment in Mexico, was the fast
est copy-maker Of his day. He wrote
with the speed that the late Floyd
Gibbons flashed in his speech.
Bierce used pencil because "the
ink boiled and the pen got red
hot"
Gibbons made his name before
the Chi-Trib sent him to cover the
first World War. He clicked cover
ing the "siege Of Cameron Dam,
Wisconsin" 1t was the story Of q
farmer cunning against the posse
to prevent lumber interests from
floating logs through his land.
The first sob-sister made her ap-
pearance locally in 1895. She got
sticky over the plight of Maria
Barberi, on trial for shooting one
Domencio Cataldo into his grave.
The man had told her "only pigs
marry" And the first femme
columnist hereabouts was Marguer-
lite Marshall New York's first,
and only, lady city editor was Laura
Vitray, who ran the staff for the
departed Graphic.
Lots Of smart kids landed on the
dailies: Elsie cCormack was writ
ing Q weekly column for San Fran
cisco sheet at the age of IL
Charming Pollock was rapping shows
for q Washington daily at 16 :.
and Walter Lippmann whisked
through Harvard in three years.
The news letter, which has sprung
up lately, was the form Of most Of
Americas first newspapers. James
Campbell, established one Of the
first. He was fired as Boston post
master for running q sideline, and
retaliated by refusing 10 send his
sheet through the malls. --.,. .a
Two great Journalists were han
dicapped with bad eyesight. Charles
A. Dana, famous editor Of The
Sun, had TO leave Harvard because
his defective vision made reading
and writing painful And Jos.
Pulitzer, who came from Hungary
to enlist In the Union Army, died
blind after founding two q our
greatest papers.
Once It was worth your while to
be drama critic, since there was a
chance you might marry a star.
Adolph Klauber Of the Times mar
ried Jane Cowl: and James Whit
taker, the News first drama as
sassin, married Ina Claire.
q. B. Shaw was the first notable
to revolt against the monkey suit