Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-09-16
Hon. Lyman ID. Stickney.
MEssRs. PorASDt

MEssRe. IOLAND'
| have not yet seen in your paper a notice
of the death of this gentleman, at Jackson
vile, Florida, on the ID of August. Judge
Stckncy was native of Berlin, and he OBJ
tanned all the education the common school
few terms in Washington County Grammar
School, and the newspaper could afford. For
ty years ago the father was an important man
with the printers, being the only one in this
vicinity who manufactured leather suitable
for printers balls OF course the publisher
Of the WatchmaR was one Of his customers,
and in fact the families were related, so the
Wdtchman became the family paper. From
that paper | have no doubt the son gained
his politics, (of the Wing type, and finally
Free Soil) taste for newspaper literature,
and an ambition to make himself useful to the
public. At manhood, he migrated to Indi.
ana, there studied aud practiccd lawdor some
time, and also entered upon an editorial ca
reer which was only briefly interrupted until
his death lie was an associate with Prem
tiss in the Louisville Journal, and subsequent
ly edited and published newspaper at Mem
phis, Tenn. Here he remained until he was
invited by Hon. John Bell to become editor
in chief of the Nashville Wig His service
there continued until few years before the
rebellion, when Mr. Stickney removed to New
Orleans. There he made the acquaintance
Of the late Maunsil White, who advised him
to undertake an experiment on large scale,
for the production of tropical fruits by free
labor. For this purpose on Mr.. Whites adj
vice, he selected a township in Florida, lying
ON the Gulf Of Mexico, about one hundred
and fifty miles northwest of Key West Mr..
SGckney presented his scheme to the author
tiles of Florida, who received it with favor,
sold the land to him at cheap rate, and
promised sympathy and protection in the I'M
dertaking. Mr.. Stickney entered upon the
land just before the war, and at the outbreak
was engaged in clearing it and selling the
timber to the United States for the forts near
Key West This excited the wrath of the
rebels, who made descent upon his panta-
ton He escaped just in time, and the rebs.
proved their intentions by hanging coffin
over his door and marking it q" Lyman d.
Stickney." This defeated the scheme, for,
during the war, no payments could be made
to Florida, and thus necessarily Mr. Stckney
failed to execute his part of the contract
Hoping still for ultimate success, Mr.. Stick.
ney repaired to Washington with other gen.
tlemen from Florida, and with the favor Of
several Senators and Representatives, he pre-
scented to President Lincoln very important
and | thought practicable scheme for securing
Florida at once as a Union State The Pres.
ident listened with favor, but thought the
time had not then quite come Shortly after
President Lincoln manifested his estimate Of
Judge Stickney and his two associates from
Florida, by appointing them all to Offices in
Florida, which they were to enter upon as
soon as our troops had control. In the mean.
time Judge Stickney remained at Washington
making himself useful in various ways and
one way was the contribution, to the Agricul.
tural Department, fan important and inter-
esting article on the soil, climate and produc-
tions of Florida. Florida had become his
hobby, and up to the time of his death he was
engaged in preparing history of that State.
Judge Stickney was good writer and an es-
Unable gentleman. The newspapers put his
age at twenty-eight, but it must have been
forty-eight or fifty-eight. E.P, W.