The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-05-07
NUMBER S31.
A Good Appointment.
l"Gath" IN Chicago Tribune.l

Il Among the names sent in to the
Senate by Gen. Grant for consulates
was that of Frank Chenowith, fol
Canton. China. "A gentleman from
Kansas, Mr.. Wilder, was telling me
some pleasing and remarkable facts
: about Mr., or rather, Colonel Chene-
S with, last night, which / reproduce to
show the romance of small appoint
u Inent:
a Two years before the war broke
ont. Wilder-a dauntless, truthful,
{ high-blooded young man, from Mass
{ achuseas, but westernized in Wiscon-
2 sin-crOssed the Missouri river from
+ the Kansas side, and established in
. St Joseph a weekly antislavery news
paper called the Free Democrat. He
had been publishing this paper but 3
short time, in the midst of abuse and
danger, day by day, when young
Chenowith, a Virginian, appeared and
, said
81 believe in the principles you sd-
: vocate, Mr. Wilder, and / want to be
: a newspaper man to help them on -
| would like to buy an interest in your
paper"
, Said Webb Wilder, always speak
, ing from the shoulder:
''We two proprietors are working
at the case, practical printers. 1t
takes all our own labor to get up the
paper, without regard to the daily
terror of our lives. j would not ad-
wise you to risk your money hsre.'
! Young Chenowith replied:
''If you will let me put up my mon
ey, | will go to the case and learn to
set type with the rest of YOU"
He gave in his fifteen hundred or
two thousand dollars, and went to the
case. Those three made the paper
jump. 1t used all real or specious
arguments to set the border afiape,a and
the personal gallantry of every man
gave their utterances character
Even jefferson Thompson, the mayor,
respected these young men, and, as far
as he could, covered them With bis
eyis.
One winter afternoon a secret friend
stole to the Office and told those three
that an indictment had been issued
that day against them all. To pub
lish newspaper against slavery was
contrary to the laws of Missouri, and
punishable with long imprisonment.
Chenowith and Tracy were Southern
ers, Wilder was a Yankee.
"Clear out at once" they said to the
latter ''cross the river Immediately
and strike free soil %
Wilder hastend to the river, which
was full of ice. and made its perileus
passage in little skiff. Chenowith
and Tracy followed the same day
Their office was seized then and they
lost every penny they possessed In the
world. Within ten weeks Wilder ss-
tablished the Conservative at Leayen-
worth, Chenowith entered the Nor
thern army at the firing OF the first
gun, He was on the staffs of Grant
and Sherman, was personal pretegs
and tavorite with both, and at the end
OF the war found himself broker IN
health though still quite young man.
One Of his old partners heard of q
school superintendendency open In
Worcester, Massachusetts,. Cher
with applied to General Grant for Q
letter Recommendation for the same,
1t was freely, generously, excellently
written, and it got him the place He
remained there till about year ago,
when he found his health failing. A
Inilder climate was necessary. He re-
turned to Richmond, Virginia, and
''iirst family" OF that Old Dominion as
he was, KEEP: himself and family afoat
by serving milk to the people of the
city. In this his wife bravely assisted
him.
1t is life eventful as this, inspired
by conviction and sustained by person
al courage which we in the North will
lind it hard to find parallel for, which
has sent Mr. Chenowith to China with
a salary of 8, 700 year as an agent
for the government which he has Illus
trated so spiritedly. lfall our oonsuls
had rendered like services, we might
say:
IS -Abou Ben Adhein, may his tribe increase
The present School Law of Massa-
authorizes the School Com
mittee to furnish a child with school
books at the expense of the town or
city, whose parent or guardian neg
lects to provide for the same, charging
the price OF the books to the parens
or guardian of the child; but if the
parent or guardian be unable to pay,
II part of the whole cost of the books
may be remitted. The Boston Trav-
eller saws this law is found to work
very badly. 1t humiliates q child to
he OBLIGED to use a book with a pla-