Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-01-24
THE FIGHTING EDITOR.
Recent Death of Highly Important
FtGncttOnarU of a Paris Paper.

Recent Death of Highly Important
FssncstOnary of a Paris Paper.
(London News.
There has recently died in Paris man
named Antoine Thomassin, who for many
years filled responsible situations as man
ager to liberal newspapers, and in that
capacity spent no small portion OF his
time in prison. Yet he was not strictly
speaking a martyr; and had no claim to
compensation from his party when it
came to power; this he knew, and he
never asked for compensation. He was
quite content with the honorable COM
petency he had amassed by going to jail
and fighting duels; for he belonged to
that small band of broad-shouldered,
thick-mustached, hard gritted men whom
the curious press laws of the second en-
pire had called into being as ceramics re-
sp0a,sa6les of different journals His
name used to be printed every day at the
foot of the newspaper which he served,
and he was supposed to have exercised q
supervision over every line which it con-
tanned. He also signed occasional articles
to which 1t was desired to give special
prominence as embodying the opinions,
not of the writer only, but OF the whole
editorial staff.
By virtue of law passed in 1851 by two
rather obscure deputies, MN. Tinguy and
Laboulie, all articles published in politi-
cal papers had to bear signatures. and the
effect of this law, intended to make jour
nalists cautions was simply to obliged
men like Antoine Thomassin to commit d
great deal of quite unblushlng perjury
Thomassin could neither read nor write.
He had been twenty years in the army,
and had retired as sergent-majOr OF dra-
goons. His utter deficiency in all clerkly
knowledge was held to be one Of his best
qualifications for the literary posts which
he filled, as editors had learned by exper-
fence that it was troublesome to have a
0eramt blessed with enough education to
acquire an interest in the writings Of the
paper which he represented. Such GER
ants were apt to take their functions an
Sc euC, and to offer advice more thought
full than welcome Themassin was above
this foible; he had been taught with in
finite pains to scrawl his name in large
splay hand, and that was all he knew or
wished to know about the letters Cadmus
gave" Nevertheless, when prosecutions
were instituted against his employers;
when the huissuier of the correctional
court used to come to the newspaper Of
| flee with the stamped paper conveying
an invitation to the responsible manager
| to present himself before the public pro-
secutor, Themassin, would put on his
best frock coat, which he l,uttoned up to
his chin, and bravely set off to the palace
of justice He was familiar figure there
and the procureurs, judges, and advocats
used all to grin when they saw him.
The press laws had become farce long
before they had ceased to be applied, and
he must have been very wooden-faced
Judge, indeed, who could have preserved
his gravity when Thomassian stood us in
court to say: "CeSt MOI QX'G ecrst Get 0rti-
que." His own demeanor, while under
going judgment, was always perfect.
He stood with head erect and eyes front,
as if he were waiting to be shot
BY sentence of court martial. Sometimes
the judges would roast him little by
asking whether he had well weighed the
had emitted on politics; but Thomassin
was always equal to such emergencies,
and used to answer by solemn mods.
There was no getting anything out of him
except plain statements as to his name,
age and profession. When he had cried
with respectful distinctness, 81 am Ia
journalist" he spoke no more, but took
refuge in wags of the head. 1t was fine
to see him bow and retire when he had
got his sentence of three months impris-
onment. If the people at. the back of the
court asked him, GLOW much, and what
for?" as he went by, he replied: "Three
months for writing disrespectfully of the
senate" and strobe back to his office
looking calmly contented with what had
happened.