OMAHA ILLUSTRATED 1JJ2J2.
Kalinin ry 12ft. 1000.
How M Quad Started
In Newspaper Work
"When I first know Charles B. Lewis, who rdlior. 'Stranger camo In last night loft It
Hlj'iih himself '.M Quad' and Is tliu creator on my dewk and walked out.' '
01 Mr. and Mrs. Bowsur, tho various mom- " 'Send him to ii,u when ho coihuh In
bom ot tho Llmu Klin club and tho 'Arl- again,' mild Mr. Qulnby.
zona Kicker's' editor," said Ilobort llarr, "Next night tho stranger appeared with
tho novollHt, tho oilier day, "ho waa writ- another Htory.
Ing about all IIrho people of Ills brain for ""'Mr. Qulnby wants to ceo you Bald tho
the Detroit Fioo Press, und bosldua waa city editor.
contributing oxtoiislvel to aliuo.it overy " "Oh, yew,' said the stranger. 'Had a let-
depurtnient of tho paper, from tho editorial tor from Qulnby and ho hired mo to write
pngo to tho local coIuiiiiih. HIh work up- for tho paper, but I've never seen him yet
peaied In every Inane, dally, Sunday und Hopo lu liked what 1 wrote.'
weekly. Homo or It waa humorous, hoiiio "That waH how M. Quad und Mr. Qulnby
pathetic, hoiiio picturesque, while hoiiio waa met the llrit time. Next day a room and a
just plain copy,' and there waH a tiemen- desk were provided for Quad and for yearn
dons lot of It. h" wan the original and only 'Detroit Free
"Vet, despite tho variety and volume of I'ress man.'
bin work, Lewis uaod to pend leas tlmo ',,,' ' Kiiiiiuhn IIIJiiIi.
In tho olllco than any other man on tho "Olio of Quad's best known characters In
pni or. Each intinber ot tho ataff had a "'her days waa 'llljiih,' tho Janitor at tho
loom to lilinaolf and ho could work In per- central police coutt In Detroit. Unlike
feci aecliiHlou If ho weio aciialtlvo to thu most of tho people Lewis wrote about, 'IHJalt
piosunco ot olhuis. M Quail waa more had a lloab and blood existence and wan a
hoi slllvo lu tbla remiect than alni(.nt any- real court attendant. Ho was u fat, ruther
on., else 1 bavo ever known, and did not stupid chap, who often said funny things
like to ho around tho place at all when tho without knowing It, und whoso odd person
lull forco waa ul work. It waa hla praa- allty appealed to Quad. Ho seldom Haiti tr
t.ce, therefore, to appear promptly at noon, "tl tho things Quad described, and at llrst
Just aa everybody else waa going to lunch, wuh much put out tccuu.su ot tho notoriety
I wiw then a now mini mi tho paper and my which had auddenly bjoii thfust upon him
loom was Juat across the corridor from hla. l-ator ho becuiuo reconciled, largely, I fancy,
I hooii learned that M Quad'a key would becaiifo many strunge.-s In Detroit used to
bo heard turning In tho lock of his door- K" to tho police- court and ask to seo him
Invariably on tho stroke of 11!; that I'or a ' tlmo tho visltoru who wanted to seo
solid hour uiler that tlmo ho would work MJah became too iiuineroiiH for tho con-
llko a ateain engine; that on tho suoko venlenco of tlio court, and ho waa trans-
of 1 ho would begin to preparo for do- forred to it wtatlon near tho periphery of
pniiuio and llvo inlnuteH later would shut tho town, where ho couldn't to found easily,
up tils room for the day and go away. 1" tlmo llij.ih camo to bellovo that he was
"Quad and ui)nolf became very good really aa funny as Quad iimdti him out to bo
frlimla after u bit, and for somo reason hu '"' undoubtedly used to halt bellevo that ho
didn't mind having mo present when ho had been tho making of tho writer,
wim at work. I admired him Intensely then, "I" these old dujs, whenever any part
us I do now, anil 1 lined to go In and watch of tho paper got dull, Quad lued to bo nuked
him put up tho copy. Ho hud a dally do- to liven It up u bit. Hla contributions bear-
piirlnioiit entitled 'Currency' to make, and "K on tho civil war, then recent, and In
IhU waa always his llrst tank. Ho would which ho had played u pa.-t, wero com-
bi'glu by glancing hastily over half a ilo.en monly known In tho olllco as 'thrillers,' and
of his favorite exchanges, occasionally cut- properly so. They-used to tlirlll Mr. Qulnby
ting out something that especially attracted oven, despite hla long experience as a newo-
hlui, and then ho would write the rciilrcd P"Pir man. Sometimes Quad waa extremely
number of 'Currency' paragraphs. 1 don't valuable In tho local columns. Ho could
romeinbor Just what his slundurd was, but "lu an IntoriMtlng story out of some-
h.i novor wrote more and ho never wrote, thing that would degenerate into a list of
less- aavo when, Mr hoiiio reason, one or names or worse lu other hands. Hut ho
more paragrapha had been dropped out ot wasn't particularly strong on fucts. I shull
hU contributions of tho previous day. It ovor forgot tho account of a certain llro
tho Htandard waa twelvo und only oloveu from hU pen. It waa ono of tho moat
hud been printed, ho would write, only lurid report over handed over to a city
eleven. If tho number was diminished tho odltor, but It didn't contain tho nainca of
next day by two, on tho following day ho the burned building's owners or tenants or
would write only nine. When tho number word about tho lusurnnco. So a man who
would dwindle too much, Mr. Qulnby, tho had a nose for facts was sent to gather the
editor, would suggest a return to tho old details. Combined, the two reports made
atandard, and then Lewis would bogln all remarkably lino local feature, but after
over ngaln. After ho had Mulshed tho that Lewis wan rarely or never expected to
Currency' copy ho would turn out a 'Dow- uo mo wnuio oi uuy nu biu.,.
Bur or a ,Umo Klin Club' sketch or per
BBBj .
B
M QUAU C. B. LOOMIS From latest I hoto.
ROBERT BARK From Latest Photo.
Imps u seemingly truthful account of nil
amusing local Incident.
"In those old days tho Free Press fairly
bristled with llttlo 'single heads,' two or
three stlcka lu length, telling how somo
Htrauger or citizen hud said or done some
funny thing. iCaiii of thete little sketches
was cheerfully Iccated on some well known
street or square or lu some prominent build
ing, and, though utmost always wholly Imag
inary, the stories wero told with such real
ism that the readers Invariably believed
Wonderful Svxs SiieulitlM.
"While on the Free Preau, Quad acted
as Detroit correspondent for u big Now
York paper, and tho things ho telegraphed
to It wero marvels. Kach had u basis of
fact, as a rule, but tho 'illllng' wns mainly
llctlon. Not often wbb ono ot hla ills
palcheH less than two columns long mid
the telegraph tolls made them pretty ex
pensive to tho New York paper, but they
wore eagerly accepted and printed, and
more would have been taken readily could
ho have furnished them, for they mado clr
rutin t lint iittil nniitiml tint tinttitt 1 1 twi Hitfitfxl
them. In consequence It waa tho general " " . . T
Impression everywhere at that time that "very where tho Kngtlsh language was read.
more truly funny things happened lu De
troit than lu till the rest of tho United
States.
UiiiiiI'n liilriiiliii'llon lu Uiilnliy.
Ono ot tho most remarkable ot these spe
cials appeared the day after the great rail
road, accident at Ashtabula. Tho special
told tho personal experiences of an old
man and his wife who had survived thG
brief. It told how tho condemned murderer, of aubjocta that usually go ure, "Brown eyes, youtig newspaper woman was sent to Inter
on tho night before tho day set tor thu 0r blue; historic atmosphere; any startl.iig view Mia. Catt. Tho young leporter traveled
hanging, bad opened his cell door in his bit of news tho town or city has lately at- out to Long Island where Mrs. Catt lived,
sleep und walked to the end of the corridor forded; flirtations and salads." Places then and was duly Impressed by what she saw
with measured step. tnust, of course, bo provided that these re- and heard. Sho was a violent sulfraglst when
"There bo had guuo through the motions specttvo subjects may bo comfortably dls- sho returned. Her "story" was solemn and
ot mounting u night of steps, had bent his cussed. On a sofa, therefore, will bo at- eulogistic and her city editor didn't like it.
head us if to receive tho death cap and tached tho number ono; chairs in another Ho was no respecter of persons and espe-
atlerward tho noceo, and then had Jumped cosy corner will bo labeled two, and In a chilly ot women more strong-minded than
Into tho air, strangled, us if actually similar way as many places nro numbered himself. Ho liked gaytty and flippancy ami
hanged, afterward falling down apparently as there are couples expected. In tho bo- fun, mid ho professed to be able to llnd
lifeless. ginning these numbers are drawn fjr, and them In tho miost solemn conclaves ot pro-
"AU this was witnessed, tho dispatch said, tho girl and man that pull out cne, or two, gresalvo women,
by a Jail attendant who was rendered speech- or three will hunt about until they find a "You've desciibtd tho house and never
less with horror by what hu saw. The spu- resting place marked with tho llko number, said a word about the catnip growing In the
clal continued with alio statement thut tho Usually tho hostess acts as mistress of cero- garden," ho said as ho looked over thu
mail believed himself duad on regaining mony. When all have taken their plnccs manuscript, "and you've never mentioned
consciousness and for a long tlniu would sho taps a llttlo bell and announces that the that shu purred but never mind; if you're
not bo convinced otherwise. At tho wind- Urst subject of conversation mi the cards la so much In earnest you needn't chnngo it.
up it was stated that u broad, black mark to claim tho attention. All then begin anil I'll make a nice head for It," and she went
wii3 found round his uuck, as It ho had for tho next five minutes It la chatted about away padded. Her stnto of mind was not
actually been hanged, when ho was taken mightily. At tho end of that tlmo the bell exactly paclllc tho next morning, bowever,
back to his coll. 'Sclentl3,ts may scoff us aKat' rings; the men arise from their seats; when sho picked up the paper to llnd her .
thoy will,' run tho concluding sentence, 'but bl(1 ,ul rovolr to their cunpanlons and pass learned artlclo crowned with tho following
this Is fuct und It Is exciting much com- on to tno settt nuxt to thoir's In number, caption:
mont hero Throughout tho gamo tho women always re- CLKVHH MRS. CATT.
"Tho sto'ry attracted no end ot notice, not Heated in the same places; It la only SHE UVM
only among tho people at large, but also hii that progress. With each change LAil AilV:U KITTENS,
among those who thought themselves think- ot nmct'8 tuo n"1 surest on tho cards Is Magurgeo, In the Philadelphia Times, tel!s
ers. Ono. a professor In Ynlo college, wroto Jaken an" talked about and so the gamo th,8 ono about CoIollcI J(,ck Ci,lnn of Ken
elaborately to show how it was qulto within J8 P'ayei1 mit" l" uitlro circuit Is made, tucky: At tho closo of tho regular racing -tho
scientific possibilities that tho man's ,.c.ry hns " vl8lte'1 nml cl,attcd season In which Ltonatus had won moro
belief in his own execution could actually with every woman In tho room; every woman successive stakes than any other horso on
cause a black mark nround his neck. Of nnB ha'' ,10r ,f"nre ',of opportunity. tll0 Aniorca turf hls ownors, chinn and
course, all tho other papers were scooped , A m" tl"' then fol'OW8 ,lh lh ,Vot Morgan, found themselves possessed, In the
and all tho other correspondents wero se- fa "" of I'nper n"d ',enc' 8 nro B " foun of profits, of the sum of $00,000. or
verely berated by their employers. More- out nnd 110 ,w?mo" vote for the mou that posslb, iGOmo each. n3 to that u1),ln)ort.
over, the sheriff In charge was severely havo BMSlped tho most brilliantly n,,,l the nnt dutall , narrator bol1K llIlcerlai.
reprl.nan.UMl by the Canadian minister t r " V"'phf"ti j" ,",Cn , iTlZliZ T1,oy "-,tor"e" "'" a Pauro trip In
allowing the cell door to be loft unlocked. 'a,r'y u celebration of their success, and In- the
Hud Quad told mo why he wns nsklng about .!, 3 ,col,Us I,rlz0J aro ,ft.war Ip'1' courso of their peregrinations they reached
!n ' mV. Tapers, either for sealing wax or with which .,, miv f rn,i,n,. ,. vi.in,,,. it ....... v
l III Illy Ol IIIU Jllll, 111 UUVO Will IllUl llllll ... lll,t l..., ,n fnr thn ...w.., . . o v
the cell doors wero always locked and that 1 1,K,lt C B r ' "ro(,reU' to select for the gI hu of bB UlU.reat thcy naturally weio
uio luii uooia iHio uiMja "LKlu men, or some of tho new silver mounted ,ak(1I1 .... fr1ni. n,,, rhirnao Hoard of
no condemned murderer could get out Into Ht,nv.n, Ktmna ihni nnw in i,n it. melius to tlio t,liicat,o Hoaru oi
, . . ... .... snavlllg Straps tnnt seem HOW to bo ill lllgll Trail... nml thorn ....rmlttml In InnU mum t in
tho corridor at night.
favor. For the women u graceful prize Is a 8Wlrl of (nal maelstrom known us tho
"Mr. Lewis had. been on tho pnpor n long ,.Iltahtronl. .i had b...... ini.,rvlnw.ni m
time when I Joined tho Htnff, and wna Uutrolt tholr wny llumo by tht) L.orri,.
known far ami wide aa tho Detroit Free ,,,,,. Tho l()ry waa luUll,11K le83 lliull
Press man. Mm have proba ily heard how u 1,ocunu.lt u rt!lated tllu ai!1Ba.
hu got his Job. Ho was a printer by trade. t,ns ()f ,ho C(1U),U n8 U nt (,0WIl wUl
working somewhere In the wes but not , brl )f Ul(?lr (wror fts , M
n l etrolt. Ono day ho got a letter ask- w UIldep Uw ,co ,n ,ho fr, , wnlor
ng l.lm to go to some p neo Boutli and set f th(j cfcok thuU. st. ,0 l(, thu 8Ur.
IJI'U til u jtiiptir Uii'ir. lit! HPiii uy Biciuii
"Tho sheriff asked mo to help him dls- .,,,. hM(,8Ucl . V thai of " ho a.il h.e 8 01 ,naL "lno'Hlr01 1 K,,"wn. "a . ul"
rove the story and I took him to Quad for g""l.hcna BUch thBt f th ,aUKl,l"h "Wheat Pit." After having bee,, lnt.o, need
dvlco. without explaining that he wns tho U ' ' fovural f '0!4t Pro'idnei.t Ch cago
prov
ndvlco
correspniident. Quad grovely rend the nc- Gl-rtriPC Ahnilt Knt'ihlnc
lirillli. IH llliiiriu "inini mm ivtivi
from tlio minister or justice. Before Amos J. Cuniinlngs was a con
brokers, one of them said, "Colonel Chinn,
I am surprised that a man of your nerve lu
nnd Inclination to gambling docs not take
a flyer hi tho wheat pit. Compared to It
s
boat and tho boat blow up. Ho wns laid
up for some time, but arriving at hla now
place of employment he set up an account
ot the accident, In which pathos, humor nnd
the plctiiresiiue wero happily combined, nnd
signed It '..M. Quad.' An 'em iuid,' us you
may know, Is u bit ot metal of a certain size
use
line,
printers who read his effort should know
It waa the production of n fellow craftsman.
The owner of the paper had sense enough
to print the sketch nnd It was copied f.ir
and wide. Mr. Qulnby of tho Free Press
waa among thoso who gave It circulation.
He also wroto to Iewis and asked him to
Join the editorial stuff of the paper
face, of the burning c.irs ami tho dual peril
lire und water that threatened all hnmls,
of their ultimate rescue, of tho scene's about
the wreck ami ot tho kludnegs ot strangers
to them. No other piper had half so ab
sorbing a story of the wreck and the corre
spondents of all the other sheets were
'd by miiitera In 'apaclng out' a short ''r.'Ught up with a round turn by their nian
e. and Lewis signed as ho did so that nlM tll'u,r8 fr n.Uslng the old couple.
' '.'.Lick t.-ou ...... tmi.it nlii. lit tli.t tnri Mill.
There wiih one point about the story that
nine of the fniilt-tludlug editors knew of,
however there wasn't u giiiln of fact In
the whole thing, the old couple ami their
thrilling experiences being ereatl ns of
Quad's Imagination.
"Quad usivl to be constantly on tho look
out for good peg to hang hla long and
u ,tM.,'i ,.,,...,.. I........ i.i.t tmihwi picturesque telegraphic llctlon on, nud on
up slakes nnd hastened to Detroit. On ll.e ocraBlon ho got nil ready to write a
evening utter his arrival a rather ueer '"."' acC',""t T In
looking chap lounged Inlo the olllco and laid ('a,",,la' ,"ot fr rom Detroit. He , I.
a toll of pencil written manuscript on the '"'1",oso 8eo, '.? '" S;111 ' L i'0"
eltv Minor' drsk m'h,K to supply tho details from hla Ortll
'Account of a dog right I saw today . lmBlntlon. Ilut. working thrmigl.
H..I.I O... Mlr,MW...r n.,.l n...,..n.l nl l"1' ' ' ' " ' '" ":
'The city editor rend tho manuscript, and
ns ho rend lie laughed till tho tears ran
dow
In the
odltor.
" 'I mado n find Inst week,' said Mr.
Qulnby, Mil a man who wrote up n steam
boat explosion for a country paper, nnd I
sent for him, but he hasn't come, I guess
Pile city editor rend tho manuscript, and C wns. 't iec.itt Ti e .My after the re- l,",ml m""l0r ,.f a"l,.wo !",n T ' havo hBtlea down to my ofllcu and Detroit Journal: Onco upon a tlmo tho
i;o rend he laughed till tho tears ran " 'J m'p n , , 0 , te,.?s f"1' a T"U n",,ount of"r ""u lc ?,c written It up for my paper," ho replied In a Anglo-Saxon had occasion to take up be
n his cheeks. When Mr. Qulnby resid It le. .L; ai' "'' Z' Z 1 m a low ,uto plny- Fo 0B ,?nK. 'fl la Ue8,rt;1 thal matter-of-fact way. White Man's Burden under circumstance,
ho paper next day ho sent for the city J 9 .j?"' "V ' I"! ,1 " nnl n" the game continue, topics of conversation or whlcb caU80a hIm t0 b,uflh vIoIent
'"It's nil a frightful shame.' he cried. Kresauiat. relates tho Philadelphia Poat ho , . , , P , ' m i
,..i.., in i,i. vnin n,,.i i ,i,,n' ttnB,i ... !""..'. . .L.8. ..t " V" lhll,!lUl.-.al' ..a. roulctto Is for suckling babes, faro a child t
...... ....... .w.w . vua iiiUUUK,iiB eunor oi uio .ew orn sun, ... ...... rnc lrMi, .. .nurry-co-round
you want a denial printed But really you cUUor nnd foUIlllor o lbe Slm na iVr strlpUnKs. Iloro j on can make a for-
shouldn't hayo any such thing done. You i)mjllt!Ilt of the Now York Press club. Uur- tuno n llay lt y(ltl hnvo tho capital to
arc. a man of somo dlgnlty-tho highest of- i,lg his many years of active Journalistic ueKi with and the courage to net. What
flclnl in your county nnd you can t nftord work Mr. cumnilngs' paper was llrst and y()U call gambling nre petty gomes of chance,
to pay any attention to a low down, scoun- foremost In his mind. That la ono reason A man ot yollr a,,nity nna resources should
drolly scribbler llko tho fellow who did this. wny ilu WU8 aiwa)s ut tho top of tho pr- test fortune here."
It would bo sadly Infra dig. Just sny nnth- tension. Ho unconsciously illustrated this "Well, gentlemen," said Chinn, "it I did
Ing and hold your head high.' characteristic at a socal function of thu a you want mo tii I'd feel Just as If I'd '
"The sheriff ngrecd to this, nnd that's ircB3 ciubi Tneru were several uniateur nnd been wnlklng along. Ray Bn adwny. Now
why tho story wns never denied." two or three professional entertainers prea- York City, and that I heard a voice above
I. D. MARSHALL. out, Ono of the latter was reciting a dra- mo say: 'Is that you, Jack Chinn? When
. matlo Incident with marked forco und finished did you como down from Horrodsburg?' nnd
LeilteU GOSSIP Parties elocution. Mr. Cummlngs cat at the head of that I looked up, and, leaning from u third v
the tnblo deep in thought over tho next story window, saw tho faco of nn old Ken
About tho very word gossip there Is to jay's paper. tucky friend of mlno nnd that I snld to him:
many wire a certain smack ot something ..Tj,u murderer crept up to my Jiedside," 'What yen doing up there?' and that ho Bald
Interesting. Of it men nro quite ns con- whispered tho elccutlonlst tremulously. "Ho to mo, 'I'm running a faro bank,' nnd that
scions as women, and, therefore, It Is not a thought I was asleep. But I was awake. Oh, I paid to him, 'Put mo n hundred on tho nco.' -matter
of surprise that the Invitations to awako! Hours passed between each tick of and that ho stuck his head back Into tho
gossip parties which aro now (lying nb ut tno watch under my pillow. He looked Into room nnd In three peconds stuck It out aga n
aro being ncceptinl with alacrity. Iu fact. niy faco nmi raisc,i ns keen knife nbove and said, 'Yeu'vo lort. Send mo tho ni'iiey.'
for Informal affairs during Lent hardly any my heaJi Jll8t a8 no was about to strike I No, gontlemen," tnld Chinn to tho Chicago
Jolllor form of amusement could bo devUe.l. ncartl a low wtilstlo and the desperado leaped brokers, "I play no gamo where I can't see
Thu advance preparations for a gossip from tbo room an(1 disappeared out of th. both the cards nnd tho shullle."
party nro simple enough, and yet. a llttlo wU)lJoWi NoWi Br Whut do you suppose
ingenuity Is required. After t has i been j dd lhon?.. ho askoJ , t,ulnaeroU8 ,onis, InCOll VGllient
i.aiirli.l.uil llirmmh tho In vital lexis that nn . 1HLUI1 Clllk.Hl
- - - .-..r. I hi ill ni . n iTni.il. .11 mr 1. ...f.nipnr.
down trick. Then ho naked me n lot nbout
tho layout of the Jail In which tho con
demned wns Imprisoned.
.Inllyhtif 11 DlNKruiilleil SlH'rlflf.
"I gave him tho Information nnd n day
you've mado another find In tho man who or two Inter tho Now York paper he wroto
wroto that dog fight Btory. Who la ho?' for printed tho most extraordinary special
" 'Haven't the lean Idea,' said the city Jt had had from Quad for a whole year. Io
gossip siiouiu oe cnosen. always allowing Mrs. Carrlo Chapman Catt, president of tho Destiny, who was attondlng to tho check-
nvo mimum m i-utu nuujtu, ui luaminis iNauonni woman Binirago association, is ai- room In person that day, was at once ren-
twelvo points to bo discussed to tho lnur. most as domestic as sho Is clover and pro- dcred suspicious.
These subjects of conversation should then Kresslve. Ono day some years ago, rolates "You aro not very white!" sho objected
be written upon cards which, all In good a Now York paper, when the women suf- sternly. '
time, aro handed nround to the guests, fraglsts were storming tho capltol at AI- This fable leaches how Inconvenient nro
Tho solectlon of the topics should be witty bany la order to change tho fifteenth amend- personal qualms of conscience In racial
and above all, up-to-date. As an Instance nent of the constitution to their liking, a affairs.
4
