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Show CHAPTER XLXVIII. A TALK WITH JOURNALISTS. From Leadville to Buena Vista I fell in company with a party of newspaper men, and gathered the following stories: Colonel John Arkins, now general manager of the Rocky Mountain News, was at one time foreman of the composing-room of the Tribune. Major Henry Ward, now Inspector of Indian Agencies, was at that time, say from 1875 to 1878, managing editor of the Tribune, and. Mr. Thomas F. Dawson, now editor of the Denver Times, was city editor. They were a pleasant, companionable set of men, but none of them were then considered as rolling in the lap of luxury. It may be that they were " hard up." Be that as it may, Arkins and Dawson found it desirable, along in July of 1877, to take a vacation, notwithstanding the disagreeable fact that they must leave additional work to the already over-worked Major Ward. Middle Park-land of frosty nights, sunshiny days, mountain trout, and, oh, horrors! mountain lions and grizzly bears, must be the place at which they should seek that quiet and recreation which their weary brains demanded. Well, they went. How they found the capital with which to start the expedition, it is not the province of this historian to record; neither shall the story of the extensive tour, the fishing and hunting exploits, be repeated. A tradition has, however, come down to the present time illustrating the fondness of newspaper men, as well as of ordinary mortals, for practical jokes, and 229 |