Watch Yourself Go ByField, Al. G. (Alfred Griffith)
General
Watch Yourself Go By
Field, Al. G. (Alfred Griffith)
Circus performers -- United States -- Biography; Field, Al. G. (Alfred Griffith), 1848-1921; Wit and humor
Entering the house he found Mr. Thornton there; he had told the family
all. He informed Alfred that he had left an order on Jake Walters, the
town tailor, for a suit of clothes, the material to be selected by the
bearer.
While the clothes were more than acceptable, Alfred was disappointed. He
feared he would not be in a position to pay the Sammy Steele note,
although he was bending every energy, even dunning Harrison for the
fifty cents loaned him at their first meeting.
The next week's issue of the _Brownsville Clipper_ contained a lengthy
article, as follows:
"One of Fayette County's most prominent citizens lost a
pocket-book containing a large amount of money and valuable
papers. The book was lost on the old pike somewhere between the
borough line and Thornton's lane. Fortunately for the loser, one
of the CLIPPER'S most trusted employes traveling on the pike,
found the valuable book. The finder is one who has been trained
under the vigilant eye of the editor of this valuable paper.
Through the influence of the editor of this paper the money was
returned to the owner in less than one hour after its loss was
discovered. The finder was suitably rewarded and will soon be
advanced to a more lucrative position on this paper."
Harrison, in addition to his promised reforms in the editorial columns
of the paper, introduced innovations in the advertising department. The
_Pittsburg Gazette_ was the only daily paper on the _Clipper's_ exchange
list--this fact compels the admission that Pittsburg was a little ahead
of Brownsville in the newspaper field, boasting two papers at the time,
the _Gazette_ and _Post_. Both papers carried display advertisements of
Hostetter's Stomach Bitters and Dr. Jayne's Liver Pills for grown people
and vermifuge for children. Those were the only patent medicines that
advertised at that time.
Harrison, in his illuminating way, wrote to the concerns soliciting
advertising. Dr. Jayne's representative wrote, requesting the weekly
circulation of the _Clipper_ and the localities wherein it was
circulated.
Harrison answered giving advertising rates, with unlimited reading
notices and concluded his letter by advising that "the _Brownsville
Clipper_ goes to Greene, Washington, Westmoreland and Bedford Counties;
it goes to Pittsburg, Cumberland and Washington, and before I took hold
of it the owner had all he could do to keep it from going to h--ll."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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