Former carriers tell 'Tribune Stories'

Former Fort Scott Tribune carriers from 1943-1952 got together during the Fort Scott All-School Reunion held in June. Those pictured are: (back row from left to right) Sam Mason, Lawrence Allen, Fred Campbell, Jr., Kenneth Shelton, Garland Sellers, and Paul Culp; (front row from left to right) Dale Bowers, Don Carrington, Marjorie Bowers Majors, and Robert Dempsey. (Submitted photo)

During the Fort Scott All-School Reunion held last June, there was a gathering of a different crowd -- a gathering of the former carriers of The Fort Scott Tribune from 1943-1952.

Sam Mason, who began delivering papers in 1951, organized the event as a way for friends to get together and tell "Tribune stories."

Ten former carriers -- most from the class of 1948 -- with Mason from the class of 1951 and Paul Culp from the class of 1949, attended the event. Being the youngest of the carriers, Mason was given the nickname "The Kid." Included in the attendance was Margorie Bowers Majors who was the first female carrier in the history of The Tribune, according to local historian Fred Campbell.

"It was good it was something we all had in common," Campbell said. "We could sit around and tell Tribune stories."

Campbell, who carried the paper for three years, and Mason sat down and shared a few of their "Tribune stories."

Campbell said that there were about 20 routes in Fort Scott, other areas of the county received the paper through the mail, in which each carrier had about two hours to deliver the papers. He said they had to work hard because if a carrier missed house on the route, he would receive a "fail" and would be docked 15 cents.

Carriers at that time were paid a penny and a half per paper each week, in addition to 10 percent of their collection as a commission. Mason said that the carriers would not only deliver the papers, but they would also collect subscriptions payments every Saturday.

"Of all the things we learned, we learned to be our own bookkeepers," he said.

Mason said that one of the things he remembers the most is that the people who subscribed to the paper wanted their paper to be on the porch right in front of the door. He said subscribers would call if their paper was not by the front door.

"One of the other things that really counted was you couldn't just throw the paper, you had to put it on the porch by the front door," he said.

While waiting for the paper to be printed, according to Campbell, the carriers would goof around and have some fun. He said they would bury each other in the cardboard boxes left outside the old KG&E building, they would climb on the roof of the building, and they would play in the snow. All things which lead to lasting friendships.

"There was a lot of camaraderie in that," he said.

Campbell said he remembers one subscriber by the name of Mrs. Hawthorn who lived at 316 Judson. He said she had been a house mother for a fraternity at the University of Kansas and she would often want him to stay and chat for a while. He said she would often give him advice on life's issues. He added one year she gave him a gift for Christmas, it was a book on how to be successful in life.

"She passed away soon after, but I still have that book," he said.

Both Mason and Campbell said the customers were interested in knowing the person who delivered their newspaper, however, some were more interested in getting out of paying for the paper.

"You met people that really were interested in your welfare and also you met the people that you learned would cheat you if you weren't careful," Campbell said.

Now with most of the former carriers in their 80s, they remain friends. The fact that 10 of them attended the get-together during the reunion was proof of their lasting bond.

"Here 50 years later in most cases, almost 60 in some, we're still friends," Campbell said. "Some of our fastest friendships were made down in that carrier gang."