ations, hints upon which a bright
telegraph editor could raise an edifice with a semblance of truth, but
the blue pencil generally got in its work before the dispatch reached
the operator. I had two stamps made; one "O. K. for transmission," and
the other, "REJECTED, file, do not return." Number one went on all
messages for transmission and number two on all others. As I gaze at
these relics now I see that number two has been used much more than its
companion.

I had made it a rule that each paper maintaining a correspondent in
Tampa was to furnish me with a copy of every edition of the paper. As a
result, in a few days I had a mail that was stupendous. A clerk was on
hand who read these papers, marking all things bearing a Tampa date
line. Then I would read them and woe betide the correspondent whose
paper contained contraband news from Tampa. Off went his head and his
permit was recalled for a certain time as a punishment.

There never has been a line of sentinels so strong but that some one
could break through, and there was undoubtedly some leakage from Tampa,
but to see news of actual importance from there was like hunting for a
needle in a haystack. The mails carried out some, but even then the
correspondents suffered. Two incidents may not be amiss.

One young chap whose keenness ran away with his judgment, brought me a
stack of copy one night, almost every word of which was contraband. The
blue pencil got in its work in great shape and then the "rejected" stamp
put its seal of disapproval on the message and it was filed away with
many others, that "were not dead, but sleeping." Mr. Correspondent
muttered something about "a cussed red-headed censor who wasn't the pope
and could be beaten" and walked away. I thought no more of the matter
until about seven days thereafter when my clerk gave me a marked copy of
the correspondent's paper, and there, big as life, under a Tampa date
line was the rejected dispatch. He had left my office and mailed his
story to a friend living up in Georgia, and it was telegraphed by him
from there. You see, Georgia was beyond my jurisdiction. He had surely
made a "scoop;" he had sown the wind and that night he reaped the
whirlwind, because I promptly suspended him from correspondents'
privileges, and forbade him the use of the wires. General Greely upheld
me in this as in all other cases and for ten days I allowed him to
ruminate over his offence, while his paper was cussing him out f