Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-27
Hannibal Hamlin.
SOME INTERESTING REMrSIscEScEs.

SOME INTERESTING REMrNIscEScEs
To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:
You asked me to write something about Han
nibal Hamlin's early life, which told you /
could not well do without reference to my own:
SO the reader will, have no doubt, make al
lowance for any apparent egotism. Before me
is bound volume of the Jefersonian, the first
number of which bears the date, Paris. Maine.
Tuesday, May 4, 1880" with what | remember
was then, TO me, a most important announce
ment: Printed and publisbed nv Uanlin and
King
That was the style of the partnership of two
lads-1 am not going to tell you how old. but I
am sure that one of them was several wears
under age, while the other was not much
older. One was named after the famous war
rior who crossed the Alps with bis army some
years ago, and the other, as my beloved friend
Judge Macarthur would tell you, was named
specially for one of Shakespeares characters.
who was assured that there are more things in
heaven and earth than are dreamed of in his
philosophy. But their names are of little mo-
ment compared with the immense responsible
lty now devolving on them, TO keep the great
public informed by weekly circulation OF five
hundred copies of their paper, of what was 90
Ing on throughout the world The senior part
ner was city boy" that is, he was born, L
believe, and grew to manhood on Paris Hill. Z"
the capital of Oxford county, and noted Mace
of not less, probably, than one or two hun
dred inhabitants, while the Junior sprung
from the ground, or we may better say
from rough farm near the foot of ''Streaked
mountain, miles in the country and same
town. Hannibafs family ranked among the
arlstocracy of 1.-The city" his father being a
tine old physician, as / remember him. of the
Daniel Webster build and mien; but in those
days we did not have any aristocracy in the
country, where they wore coarse clothes and
ieveied forests for burnt land, on which TO
70 NM fav he. .o,&, I
personal allusion) on Sundays when the folks
were at church. Years before this newspaper
enterprise i used often to meet Hannibal
among the boys when went to 1.-The city, III
mean Paris Hilr0. and hardly need add
that L remember him as bright,
Wlde-awake lad. ever in the lead and
full of exnberant fun. I do not think
he wore a ''swRliow-tail' coat at that time.
and maybe not any overcoat, because know
he was DdyEl-hearte1. as he has been ever
since. toward his friends. His father owned a
farm below the hill, but do not think Hanni-
bal did much work on it, although saw him
sometimes driving the cows to and from pas
ture- He went to Hebron academy at one
period, and have nice poem he wrote about
1t, as bis alma mater. not many years ago he,
fortunately. never having been to college.
Promising that / went into the Office
of the Jefersonidn with view to pur-
chasing the establishment after learning the
trade, when had worked only about one wear
as the youngest apprentice, Hannibal came to
me one day, saying. TO my surprise. that in
connection with the foreman of the Office. he
had bought the concern, but that the latter was
sick OF his bargain. and he asked me if / would
take the foremans place. / at once assented
and the foreman was let off on agreeing to work
for us without pay two weeks, which he did.
not, however. In the best of temper and the
junior partner Immediately thereafter Jumped
from printers devil" to foreman of the Office
n n nd hi
apprentice. Henry Carter, who afterward stud
led law, was some years editor of the
Portland advertiser, and is now on
the judicial bench at Haverhill. Mass,
position he has ably held for many years. Our
senior took to the types like ducks to water.
and he was equally soon at home at an old
Ramage or Franklin press, On which We printed
our paper, striking off one side. or two pages |
1t double pull-printing the first and fourth |
pages first. and afterward the second and third.
We mixed the forms with puf-balls, one of us |
applying the ink and the other handling the |
sheets and pulling at the press. think it took |
is about two hours-possibly only one hour /
20 print one side of our large issue
Now. have said that my partner was quick at |
he trade, and he has been quick and lucky in
us achievements ever since. You might saw,
that one day when we were
working at the press, a callow country bow
anne In, full Of wonder and admiration at be-
holding the mysteries of the printing Office.
Wishing to learn the trade. and that he was
ola mot by the junior that prerequisite was
o eat certain quantity of printers ink. which /
re proceeded TO do, when the joke was stopped.
That boy, too, has since become quite dis
being an ingenious inventor and
mechanic, and is still living. There seems TO
ave been something about the Jeft1sonian
ather conducive to longevity, if nothing else
low, have run on at such a rate that I am
fraid you will not find room for little anec-
ote, which will give you from the Aforesaid
Id volume. Somebody came to the Office and
elated it. and Hannibal was SO pleased with il
hat, without stopping to write il out. he went
D the case and set it up. Here il is:
Two Negroes being ont on a hunting excursion one
owed away her two cubs beneath the roots Of tras
port 70 secure them alive. snbo TO stand ar the
.of He bad SS s sn t. enter
hen me old bear, who was not TAR distant hearing
nd while catering the mouth Of the pSee in Nbi
ere her young. Sanbo resolutely seized her by thu
pegssd darEnsss 6sSsd 70 bis eo@psnion
ruggiing to retain his hold replied fcfss
al ot, you and out dDs'nd quick rkat stop dc dark"
1t is proper to remark that at that period o.
'rd county was very strongly democratic. and
Is iair 70 presume that bears in that county
len had longer ''caudal appendages" than az
resent, when the republicans are in a large
ajority. This, however, Is q question for
SCIENTISTS. But all pleasant ties must at some
me be broken, and one day Hannibal came to ]
e, saying he thought it was hardly worthy Of
70 young men like ourselves to give up our {
me to weekly journal with 500 subscribers.
hich, important as il was, might safely be en-, +,
listed to one, with the continued assistance of ]
'seph @. Cole subsequently Judge ON the SUI |
RENE bench) as editor, at 3 shillings (s1. 5O I
eek-which, by the by, paid his board at one ]
the best boarding houses on .sThe Hilr'-and !
proposed either to sell or buy at my pleasure.
ne result sn was that ! bought I'm out.
the law, the state legislature, the speakers
air, the governorship of the state, to the /,
ouse and Senate Of the United States. to the :
ce-President's chair, the mission to spain. (.
q 70 quiet private life, with the popular =
claim wen done. thou good and faithful 4
want, and his boy partner continued the r
!blication of his paper until first JanuaH, a
oS-the last i've years in Portland, having n
nseif assumed the editorship in 1882, and q
rough the mercy Of kind Providence be is :
W here to sign his name 70 this hastily writ :
q sketch. HoRAryo KrSa =
wAszIxorox, February "a, 1889. q