Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-05
The Late Maj. F. s. Heiskell.

City.
The Late Maj. f. s. Heiskell.
The death of his venerable Ten
nesseean, the pioneer of Tennessee
journalism, at Rogersville, on the
29th ult., recalls the following in ter
esting sketch of the deceased, from
an address before the State Press
Association, at Knoxville, in 1878,
by Col. Moses White:
The Knoxville Register, the one
which became an institution of Knox
vile, was established in August,
1916, by F. S. Heiskell and Hu.
Brown. The paper, together with
its enterprising founders and its
long line of worthy proprietors and
able editors, demand more than a
passing notice. Of it's first editors,
Heiskell was the active man in poi
litical matters, and Brown was the
literary and miscellaneous editor.
Major Heiskell was born
in Hagerstown, Md, but while
he was yet an infant, his
father moved to Shenandoah
Bounty, Va. There young Heiskell
grew up and acquired limited edu-
cation, working after he was old
enough, on the farm the greater part
of the year, and attending a sub
scription school during the winter
season. He was installed as print
er's devil in 1910, serving as an APP
prentice three years or more, when,
after short respite, he moved to
Knoxville, reaching there Christmas
day, 1914. He obtained situation as
journeyman printer on Wilson's Ga
zette, then the only paper published
in East Tennessee. HUI Brown was
engaged in teaching a Latin school
in Knoxville. Heiskell & Brown,
under the advice and patronage of
several of the leading men of Knox
villo, determined to establish q press,
and after the necessary preparations
and delay, commenced the publica-
ton of the Register in July, 1916.
HUI Brown, the partner and brother
in law of Heiskell, was a finished
scholar and chaste and elegant
writer-modest and retiring in his
habits, and averse to the turmoil and
strife incident to political life.
He was born in Jonesboro, Tenn,
and was the son of Joseph Brown, of
that place, a most exemplary Christi
ian gentleman. Brown made the
miscellaneous department of the
Register very attractive feature of
the paper. The political departs
ment of The Register indicates moths
ing out of the ordinary routine of
newspaper matter from the date of
it's establishment up to the time of
Jacksons candidacy for the PRESS
dency. With that event, however,
commenced struggle which, for
acrimony as well as ability on the
part of the newspapers throughout
the country, has never been sur
passed; if indeed it has ever been
equaled. The bitterness and vitu-
peration INDUCED in by the friends
of General jackson on the one side,
and those of John Quincy Adams on
the other, is without parallel in the
history of American politics, and is
within the recollection of many now
living. My own estimate of the bits
terness and ability which chars
acterized those contents is
formed no less from
what 1 have heard detailed by the
active participants in those stirring
scenes, than from the contents of
these old papers The Register with
much ability and with arden zeal was
one of the first, if not the first, paper
in Tennessee, to espouse the cause of
Old Hiskory. The defeat of jack
son in his first race added tenfold to
the bitterness of his friends, and the
supporters or Adams catching the
contagion, the contest was renewed
in 1928 with unprecedented ardor
and fierceness. Throughout all this
stormy period the Register bore a
conspicuous and controlling part in
supporting the cause of the iron>
willed statesman and patriot. In the
Presidential contest of 1886 the Reg
lister supported HUI. l. White.
About this time the Register
passed into the hands of that
sterling gentleman and chaste
writer, W. B. A. Ram
sey, and his excellent and upright
partner. Robt. Craighead. HUI.
Brown had severed his connection
with the Register in 1929, to accept
professorship in East Tennessee
University. After he retired from
the editorship, the whole duties,
both as political and literary editor,
devolved upon Maj. Heiskell, and
under his individual control the pa
per fully sustained the high charac
ter which the two editors had jointly
made for it. Maj. Heiskell, after
the sale of the Register, retired to a
farm, ten miles below Knoxville,
where he unremittingly engaged in
agricultural pursuits, only leaving
his farm once, in 1847, in response
| to the call of his admiring fell w.
citizens, to serve them in the Senate
of the State. He assumed q bold,
independent stand as candidate,
eschewing all the tricks and by
paths of the demagogue, was elected.
and made an able and useful member
of the Senate.
/ PERSONALi TO MEN ONLY