St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-30
BY t. NJ. NEwsoN.
Article Ky.
CRowDING EVENTS.

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 q
Owens. These papers, jointly, ceased to ex-
list in 1851, and then came into life the
Nt,enesOtian, 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 ''case'' for thirty-five years. He
has ''locked" himself up in his profession,
and has nearly run off an edition" of a
purely printers life. He is the 'type" Of
an unrelenting E'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 ''paralleP'
in the state. He has set up many para
graph, ''revised his proof and is nearly
ready ''to 90 to press" Mr.. Shelly is quiet,
industrious gentleman, quite retiring IN MS
disposition, yet social in his nature. be
plods on in the even tenor of his way, and
has, we think, passed the mile stone Of fifty
five years.
MAJOR NATHANIEL M'LEAN.
Major Mclean was born in New Jersey, in
1887; was brother of Judge Mclean, OF
the United States supreme court; learned the
printers trade at Cincinnati; in 1907 pub
lished paper at Lebanon; was member OF
the Ohio Legislature in 1910, for three SEES
sions; 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 lS49 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 III 1871,
aged "a years. Mclean township was named
after him. He was a 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 a 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 HinmeSOtiGn 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 1862 which Office he now holds, and
has held ever since his appointment.
MIR. OWENS PERSONALLY.
All the early settlers could easily recognize
j. P. Owens in q crowd of men, for he was a
,l,,i int cd i, do
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 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 drifted 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 a great many times. but politically
We agreed. He was political tactitian, and
used his power to good advantage when he
could.
CHAMPAGNE VS.. WATER.
AS an illustration of his peculiar methods
one sense at that time we were}, at party
given in honor of the legislature, at Mr..
Raugh's ice cream saloon on Third street,
our empty glass standing at our plate, was
filed with champagne three times, and was
found empty three times. As we repre-
scented the temperance element in the legis-
lature at this time, it was charged upon us as
having drank the liquor when the fact was,
+S,,, hut ol:+
lcal enemies did, and thus by this little
trick, it was intended to iniure our influence
with that portion of the legislature which
did not approve of spirituous liquors, but ii
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
read of argument and as the Times, which
was edited by the writer, and the MianeSotjan,
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
" disposing of our cooling beverage, -
when a mutual friend popped in upon us, and
exclaimed:
''Why, my God what are you doing here?''
sOnly cooling off, ~ we replied.
''The ID you are; why, l supposed you
never spoke to each other, and would smash
each others faces the moment you met, and
vet here you are munching ice cream to-
gether.''
Mr.. Owens is a man about &C years old.
He is tall and slender; stoops a little and
walks little lame. He looks like a
battle SCARED veteran, who, having fought
many good fight, as he has, now rests upon
his laurels. Some years ago he wrote a
i'Political History of Minnesota" but for
some reason the manuscript was never pub
lished. He is now quietly enjoying the re-
pose of rural life on the st. Croix.
NJ. N. KELLOGG.
Mr. Kellogg was born in New York state,
in 1922; enlisted in the army in 1915; went
to Mexico in 1S47; was in the war one year,
Or until 1S4S; removed to Jefferson barracks
that winter, and in the spring of 1S49 came
10 Fort Smelling, and from thence, the same
year. moved to st. Paul, where he has re-
sided ever since, or 80 years. He was in the
Sixth regiment band as a clarionet player
was in the army five years, and discharged
in 1850. Engaged in the drug business with
Mr. Hitchcock in 1850, and the firm built
brick store corner of Cedar and Third streets
The seventy-eight foot lot upon which this
store stood, cost $500; now worth about
$40, 900.
In 1853 he entered into a partnership Will
j. W Bond: ran the business up to 1857,
when he sold to Bond, and in 1858 bought
out the stock of toys and notions owned by
B. Presley. He continued that business un.
til 1882, when he was obliged to relinquish il
l.. Of fba taiIura of bic a1-a