The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-02-01
THD FIGHTING EDITOR.
Recent Death OF an Important Func-
ttonary Of . Paris Paper.
Frosn the London Daily News.


There has recently died in Paris mar
named Antoine Thonlassin. who fo,
; many years filled responsible situation,
~ manager to literal newspapers, an(
III that capacity spent no small portion
Of his time in pri.on. Yet he was not
strictly speaking, martyr, and had III
claim to compensation from his part,
when it came to power; this he knew
and he never asked for COMPENSATION
He was quite content with the hOnOra
bic competency he had alnassetl bN
going to Jail and fighting duels; fo1
he belonged to that small band o
broad -shOuldered, thick nustached
hard gritted men that the curio,,,
press laws Of the Second empire
halt called INTO being as gtr0a!.
,ev,oasibtes Of different journals. His
name used to he printed every day al
the foot Of the newspaper which H.
served, and he was supposed to have On.
ercised . supervision over every line
which It contained. He also signed oc-
casiOnal articles to which it was desired
to give special prominence. as enbOtly-
ing the opinions, not Of one writer only,
but the whole editorial staff.
BY virtue of law passed in 1851 hy
two rather obscure Deputies, N. NJ.
Tinyy and Lah0ulie, allarticles publish
ed in political newspapers had to hear
signatures, and the effect OF this law,
intended to make journals cautious,
was simply to Obiige men like Antoine
ThOmassin to commit u great deal Of
quite unblushing perjury. Tho,uassin
could neither read nor write. He had
been twenty years in the army, and had
retired as Sergeant Major Of dragons.
His deficiency in all clerkly knowledge,
hcl.. to be one Of his be~t qualifications
:or the literary posts which he filled, as
editors hal learned by experience that
it was troublesome to have . !yerunt
blessed with enough education to at
quire an interest III the writings Of the
PAPER which he represented. Such ger
ants were apt to take their functions az
s<rifMr, and to offer advice more
thoughtful than welcome. Thomassin
was above this fOiblc: he had l,een
taught with infinite pains to scr:,wl his
name in u large Splay hand, and that is
all he knew or wished tO know about
1.-The letters Cadrnus gave" Nev"rth"-
less, when prosecutions were instituted
against his employers: when the hlnxsier
Of the Correctional Court use.l to come
to the newspaper Office with the
paper converting an invi-
tatiOn to the responsible manager to
present himself before the public prose-
cutOr, Thomassin would put on his
best fr0ck coat, which he buttOnetl
up to the chin, and br.vely set off to the
palace of justice. He was familiar II =
ure there, and the PrOcurcurs. Juti s.es
Il nd advocates used tonll grin when they
saw him. The press laws had bccOnle Il
farce long before they had ceased tO bc
aDp'ietl, and he must have been very
Judge. indeed, who could
have preserved its gravity when Thon,-
assin stenxl up in court to say: C'fxf
moi uu'a ecrH Get nrtiqMc." Ills own de-
,neanor, while undergoing Judgment,
was alway. perfect. He stNM with head
erect and eyes front, as if he were wait
ing to be shot by the sentence Of court
Sometimes the Judges wOuls!
roast him little by asking whether he
had well weighed the serious import Of
the theories which he had clnittu! on pol
tics: but ThOmassin was always equal
10 such emergencies, and used to answer
I,y solemn nOlls. There WAS no getting
out of him ex>e ept plain state
|llents a. to his name. age and profess
sion. When he cried with respectful
II am journalist" he
.pOke no more, but took refuge in wags
D! the head. 1t waS fine to see him bo"
and retire when he had got his sentence
u: three months imprisonment. Ii the
people ut the back Of the court asked
HIM How much, ana for what::' :ss lie
went ny, he replied: '"Chrec months
lur writing disrc<!"ctf,,lly "f the Srn-
ate,r ana strnlc back to Iii, Office look
ing calmly cui,.rn1cl with Whit a,d