St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-01
BY T. NJ. NEwSoN.
Article Ky.
CRowDING EVENTS.

article Ky.
CROWDING EVENTS.
The events of 1S49 crowd upon us rapidly,
for some of the men most prominent in our
past history, came to Saint Paul during this
| year, and some of the most stirring events
transpired. Among other things, was the
consolidation of the Chronicle, published by
Mr.. Hughes, and the Register, by Mclean &
Owens. These papers, jointly, ceased to ex-
ist in 1851, and then came into life the
MialneSotjans, as a Wing organ.
THE OLDEST PRINTER.
Capt. E. Y. Shelly, probably the oldest
| printer now working at his trade in the state
of Minnesota, was the foreman in the office
of the Chronicle and Register. Mr.. Shelly has
| stuck to the ''casen for thirty-five years. He
has "locRed" himself up in his profession,
and has nearly run off an edition" Of a
purely printers life. He is the ''type'' Of
an unrelenting "compositor." has turned
the "period' when he could not very con-
veniently engage in any other business, and
as the oldest printer, he has no ''paralleln
in the state. He has set up many ''para-
graph" 'revised his proof" and is nearly
ready "to go to press" Mr.. Shelly is quiet
| industrious gentleman, quite retiring in his
disposition, yet social in his nature. He
| plods on in the even tenor of his way, and
has, we think, passed the mile stone Of fifty
five years.
MAJOR NATHANIEL MLEAN,
Major Mclean was born in New Jersey, in
1887; was a brother Of Judge Mclean, of
the United States supreme court; learned the
printers trade at Cincinnati; in 1907 pub
| lished paper at Lebanon; was q member Of
the Ohio legislature in 1910, for three ses-
sons; an officer in the war of 1912; came to
st. Paul in 1S49, at the age of sixty years, to
engage in the newspaper business; in No
vember, 1S49, was appointed Sioux agent at
Fort Smelling; held the office four years !;
| elected commissioner of Ramsey county in
the year 1855, and died of a cancer in 1871,
aged 81 years. Mclean township was named
after him. He was tall, slender gentle
man, little lame, rapid talker; truthful,
| honest, good man.
JOHN P. OWENS
was born in Ohio, 1918, of Welsh descent;
worked on farm in early life; attended
| college at Cincinnati for several years, and
then learned the printing business; became a
partner with Maj. Mclean in the publication
of the Chronicle and Register; came to st. Paul
| in 1S49; was editor of the 1Hilnesotdn for
seven years; was appointed quartermaster of
| the Ninth Minnesota regiment in 1862
mustered out in 1865 breveted colonel; APP
pointed register of the land office at Taylors
Falls in 1869, which office he now holds, and
has held ever since his appointment.
MR.. OWENS PERSONALLY.
All the early settlers could easily recognize
J. P. Owens in a crowd of men, for he was a
man deeply interested in politics, and made
this a speciality. He was an aggressive
writer; a strong partizan; and whenever a
primary meeting was held, he was always
there. He gravitated as naturally into poll
tics as a duck does into water. He was
among the first, indeed we may say, he was
the very first, Wing editor in the state, and
even after the Wing party had been dead
and buried, Owens held on to the corpse; but
early drftcd into the Republican ranks, and
after Fremont was nominated for President,
did good service for the party The writer
had occasion to measure editorial lances with
Mr.. Owens great many times, but politically
we agreed. He was a political tactitian, and
used his power to good advantage when he
could.
CHAMPAGNE VS.. WATER.
Asa illustration of his peculiar methods
to circumvent political opponent, Gas in
one sense at that time we were) at a party
given in honor of the Legislature, at ND
Raugh's ice cream saloon on Third street,
our empty glass standing at our plate, was
filled with champagne three times, and was
found empty three times. As we repre-
scented the temperance element in the legis-
I ~. -,
having drank the liquor, when the fact was,
We never touched it, but some of our polit-
ical enemies did, and thus by this little
trick, it was intended to injure our influence
with that portion of the legislature which
did not approve of spirituous liquors, but il
failed.
Owens gloated over the act, and if we re-
member correctly, charged us of disposing OF
the sparkling wine, in his paper the next
morning. We don't say that he drank the
champagne, which rightfully belonged to US,
but we do say, he was party to the joke.
Those were days of personal epithets, in
stead of argument, and as the Times, which
was edited by the writer, and the 1Nanesotia's,
edited by Owens, were rivals, of course some
very hot words were used, and the public had
come to believe that we were personal and
deadly enemies. Meeting in an ice cream
saloon one evening, we took a seat at the
same table with Mr.. Owens, and were quiet
i ly disposing of our cooling beverage, u
when mutual friend popped in upon us, and
exclaimed:
''Why, my God what are you doing herep
"Only cooling of, - we replied.
''The ID you are; why, supposed you
never spoke to each other, and would smash
each others faces the moment you met, and
yet here you are munching ice cream to
gether."
Mr.. Owens is man about &c years old