In fact with the exception of the services of an office boy, McMichael and Richard were The Stage.
Between them they wrote the editorials, criticisms, the London and Paris special correspondence, solicited the advertisements, and frequently assisted in the wrapping and mailing of the copies sent to their extremely limited list of subscribers.

During this time, however, Richard was establishing himself as a star reporter on The Press, and was already known as a clever news-gatherer and interviewer.
It was in reply to a letter that Richard wrote to Robert Louis Stevenson enclosing an interview he had had with Walt Whitman, that Stevenson wrote the following letter--which my brother always regarded as one of his greatest treasures: Why, thank you so much for your frank, agreeable and natural letter.
It is certainly very pleasant that all you young fellows should enjoy my work and get some good out of it and it was very kind in you to write and tell me so.

The tale of the suicide is excellently droll, and your letter, you may be sure, will be preserved.

If you are to escape unhurt out of your present business you must be very careful, and you must find in your heart much constancy.

The swiftly done work of the journalist and the cheap finish and ready made methods to which it leads, you must try to counteract in private by writing with the most considerate slowness and on the most ambitious models.