The Portland daily press., 1872-03-05
"JOaquin'' and ssBret.v

The Springfield (Mass.) Republican winds
up sharp critique upon the poem Of Cincin-
natus (Joaquin) Miller with this language:
''No doubt, when the truth is known about
this wild hunter, he will prove to be a Cali
fornia printer, masquerading in silk serape
with bars of gold,' and sharp enough to make
money at it."
The Yankee critic is making pretty cute
Yankee guess at Joaquin p About dozen
years ago, on the Golden Era newspaper, in
San Francisco, Miller was taking his first les
sons in Bohemian" craft under the auspices
Of Brooks & Lawrence, who about the same
time had Bret Harte in their composition
room at "case;;' the latter had tried his hand
at learning to be compositor at Eureka, in
Humboldt county, California, and as soon as
he tslearned the boxes" started for San
Francisco, and got "sit" as ''two-thirder''
on the Era. At that time Miller had ''thea-
tire on the brain" and was an attache in some
minor capacity at Tom Maguire's Opera
House. He vibrated between the theatre
and printing Office till the opening of the re-
bellion, when Joe Lane employed him to edit
a secession sheet at Salem, Oregon, called
The Arena. The Provost Marshal soon
brought this paper to grief, and Joaquin
may have "taken to the woods about that
time, for he appears no more upon the sur
face till we hear of his practicing law in Can
yon City, in Grant county, Oregon, where he
was elected County Judge, on the Democratic
ticket, in 1866. In the meantime he married
a lady who used to be a regular contributor
to the Golden Era, under the nom de plume
of "Minna MYRTLE" Their marital relations
have been lately discovered, as is well known.
The story of his weirdlikc and mountain
life excites hearty guffaw among the old
LII 81 kb.
and the old jours of the Era, who were well
acquainted with his chirography and shadow.
His mountain experience must have been
mainly on the stage road between Red Bluff
and Jacksonville-unless, mayhap, he might
have been one of the ''heroes" of the "Rogue
river war;" which occurred about his time in
Southern Oregon. The writer in the Orer-
land, in setting forth his career in London,
describes him as having been almost as impe-
cunious as Chatterton. There is some mis-
take about this necessary condition, as less
than three years ago, at Canyon City, he as
sumed to WELD considerable property; and
about that time, in conversation about
band of cattle selling at 81, 200, he expressed
regret at not hearing of the stock being for
sale, as he had the money lying idle in Sa-
lem," etc.
We are 10th to spoil the mystery about
Joaquin" alias Cincinnatus Miller; but the
truth of history compels the conclusion that,
having failed as an actor, and at first as a
Bohemian" he has sought fame by road
that has already reached notoriety, and for
which he seems adapted without the adven-
titious aid of his attempted literary impos-
ture.
Speaking of the Golden Era-in those days
when he first tried his '"prentice ham" at
quill-driving, he was associated with a corps
on the paper, fair per cent. of whom, with
himself, are making noise in the world,
which may end in fortune, and perhaps fame.
Bret Harte proving better writer than type
sticker, (the foreman termed him an lawful
botchr') was transferred to the editorial
room-from thence, promoted into mint
clerkship, where he had leisure and salary
just the combination to evolve the ''soft effla-
ton of celestial fire. The celebrated Mark
Twain was then a fellow writer with the two
preceding-not overlooking Mrs. Hosmer,
who then earned her bread on the paper, and
now has an Atlantic reputation among novel
writers. We rehearse these "reminiscences of
Miller in Justice to the school of literary as
sociations and labor wherein he received his
training-which has made a couple of leading
poets from 'jour print" and his stage
struck 'pardnerp 1t would be no bad idea,
while Miller is the 'go," for some one at San
Francisco to overhaul the Golden Era and re-
vive quantity of his earlier lucubrations.-
Kalama Beacon.