The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1889-03-09
WrtneH FOR The -4rkdnsau Traveller.
SEEING GEORGE D. PRENTICE.
BT rRof. ,. 4. Ellie.

The most popular editor. with the masses, that
the south has ever had, ever will have possibly
was George d. Prentice, poet, wit, and founder and
editor of the Louisville Journal, now Courier
Journal Ills style of writing plain, pointed
and full of humor that its every paragraph went
impressvely home to the common mind, causing
all who read after him to contract actual love
for the writer, not excepting his political enemies
even These last didn't like his views, of course
still for all that, they liked his style and read after
him with more or less of pleasure
AS a man Mr.. Prentice what might be
termed decidedly eccentric. Tie not overly
companOnable, particularly to strangers, and he
dressed with degree of plainness that stood
almost next door to inexcusable neglect. His
personal friends were not in great number, though
TO these he was true, pleasant and plain in every
respect. They liked him for his almost child like
simplicity, and he liked them-there was never
any "put on" about it he of the same metal
through and through.
OF the people who knew Mr.. Prentice personally
outside of his immediate circle of personal friends
the number was comparatively small, for, as
rule, he kept rather close to his Office, and In his
earlier days of hardest work on his paper, he
seldom went out among the people. But every
body knew of him, and all were interested in
everything with which his name was associated.
| well remember somewhat amusing little
affair that once came off, the which cut no small
figure in illustration of the popularity of George
ID. Prentice with the masses. 1t was away back
early in the ffties, when the Ohio and Mississippi
Railroad was building from st. Louis TO Cincin-
natl The Jacksonville railroad had but lately
been finished through to Indianapolis and the Ohio
and Mississippi had just reached its crossing of the
former at the then very little village of Seymour
in Indiana. One day, at this time, half dozen
young newspaper men went up from Louisville to
Seymour on kind of "spludge," as we say, to
see the railroad. Among them was Mr.. A. C.
Norton, afterwards editor of the Kentucky Turf
Register, and now, think connected with some
government office at Washington, Mr. A. NJ. Han
cock, afterwards editor of the New Albany Tribune
and later United States Minister to Malaga, and
others including this writer, who was then q staff
employe on the Louisville Courier. Refreshments"
were taken along, and a consequence our crowd
reached Seymour with good deal of gentlemanly
mellowness aboard-enough to engender ample
qualifications for the attraction of no little attention
a suddenly appearing delegation. The Sey-
INQUIRIES knew we were from Louisville, but who
we were and what we were after, appeared to be
involving them in ever much puzzling contem-
plation Noting this state OF affairs, q member of
our crowd got citizen aside and solved the
problem by whispering to him that 1t was George
ID. Prentice and his staff, and Norton being the
Oldest man among us, was pointed out as Prentice.
He was too young for Prentice by many years, but