Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-12-18


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From the 81 Louis Rspsbliess. Dee Is.
language cannot convey the poignant
sense Of sorrow w feel In realizing that Ma
thauicl Paschall ID dead. He expired few
minutes before o'clock yesterday morn>
ing.
For two or three years Mr.. Psschalls
health had been failing, and hts fricnds had
watched with painful sollc;tude the inroads
upon . constitution naturally robust, but
Impaired By the severe duties imposed BY
his calling In life. or late the weight Of
years and their attendant disabilities bad
compelled in great measure his withdrawal
from the moro active labors Of journalism
but H. Qualities Of his mind which %
meafiy distineuishsd him ssasinsd IN oil
their sigos 10 the last, and be was in posses
sion Of his full intellect up TO the moment
when he expired. His end IVES psaceful,
and in the couesmplatien Of death he chow.
ed no pang.
.Ths bseinain Of his career was humble,
| for be had not the aid Of wealth and
commanding social influence to give him
promise In youth but from poss printer
boy he made bic way not 70 brilliant odSeial
| dislinction, (lor he was without ambition 70
shine N psblic statioss,) yet 70 . position
where he taught aud Influenced the opin>
ions Of tens Of thousands, and when bis cd
vice Was not despised by some Of the most
conspicuous aad honored men in the land.
He has been called, mot isaptly, the ''Nsetes
Of the Western Press" being the Oldest cd.
itor in the vest
MIR. Paschall WAS native Of Knoxville
Tenn, born April 4, 1902. lie came to St.
Louis inotherlsss boy Of not quite twelve
years. Ills father vas poor, and the lad.
having, from The taste Of knowledge he had
received 1t villags school town, shown an
aptitude for learning, Was put on g an sp-
prspt:cs to learn the trade Of printer under
Joseph Charles the pioneer publisher oil
the west, who had 10 1908 established q
small weekly called the Hissouvi Gdzette,
but the namc Of which vas afterwards
changed to Inc Nissouri Republican. St.
Louis in those days contained population
Of not more than 500, and with an assessed
property valuation Of considerably less than
81 100000. The young printer soon mas.
tered the intricacies Of the pr nting business
and found time 10 devote to his studies
which no pursl cd With avidity, the appetite
for knowledge growing with what il fed on
Not content with doing what was required
Of him IN the mechanical part Of the paper
he cultivated an ambition to become . %;
tes, end hsfore HE ePpssuticeehip had ex'
pired he composed articles on general sub
jccts for insertion in the paper. HE useful
ness vas appreciated, and in due time HI
and Edward ChaSlsss, the latter con Of thu
original founder, became % proprictors il
the publication Of the Rspublicas. Il VA
q about this period, 1897, that Geosg,
Knapp embarked in the printing business
40 an apprentice in the Same Cfiice, and 4
was part Of his duty 70 ''ink the forms
while NJ. Pssshall worked the hand>prssi
whom the small weekly edition vas to b,
thrown OF Mr.. Paschall, in bic editorials
devoted great interest to the further
anee Of every enterprise calculated Il
benefit the city and the then new Stat,
Of Missouri. He forssaw that great com
incrcial metropoliscould bs built up hsre, and
he laborcd diligently and patiently to point
out the means Of achieving that greatness
In 1887, having been prosperous and secur
cd pecuniary competence, Mt. Paschall
with his partner, sold the Republican, which
by that time. had grown TO be good sized
daily. TO Chambers, Harris & Knapp.
few years afterwards, however, having be-
come involved, he again entered the field Of
journalism aud commenced, in CO partner
ship with Chas. q. Ramsey, the publication
Of the Nc,r Era, the style Of the firm bcin,
, Paschali h Ramsey. This was in the yea
1870. In 1912 Mr. Paschall was urged by
his irierds u become candidate for the OF
flee Of clerk Of the Court Of Common Pleas
3 and, after much persuasion, consented I,
s run. and was elected. This was the onl,
public Office he ever held In lS43 he wa
invited to return to the R{pubiican, and 4
that tine time ned his editorial conncc
ton with this paper. as the associate Of Col
: A. u. Chambers. Col. G. had an unlimited
I confidence il Mr.. PaschalI, and was in TN
$ habit Of submitting the most importan
: articles to the revision Of his associate
! before putting them in type.
Upon the death Of Col. Chambers, in Nav
1854, Mr.. Paschlll became chief editor, ant
firm that time had . proprietary interest Il
the Republican, when the firm bccam
|. George Knapp 4 Co. George Knapp, N
Psschall and John Knapp
In 1852, Mr.. Paschall was married i,
Springfield, Ill.,. TO Mrs. Martha 4. Edgar
the widow Of Gev. Edgar. Mrs. Pascha
.. died about seven years since, leaving lam
lily Of four daughters and two sons