The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-03-21

An Interesting Lot of "Reminiscences
of Washington journalism.


An Interesting Lot of "Reminiscences
of washington journalism.
Mr.. l.. w. Ward is one of the oldest
citizens of Washington and probably the
Oldest printer. He has long since retired
from active service, however, and now
leads quiet life. uninterrupted by the ex-
element and hard work of getting a
newspaper out on time. He lives OH the
savings of well-spent industrious life
and he has a fund OF interesting stories to
tell Of his acquaintance with distinguished
men who moulded the history of the
years that are gone by.
81 learned my trade on the old Wash
ington tnion," said Mr.. Ward to CRIrtc
reporter yesterday, land was connected
with that famous sheet for many years
when II was the
ORGAN OF THE ADMINISTRATION.
In those days there was no such institu-
ton as a Government printing office, and
the printing of public documents was one
Of the luscious plums that fell from the
hands of the man who happened to be
living in the White House. The organ of
the Administration, of course, got the
work to do, and as the Union was at that
time the organ we of course got the
work.
THE Office of the paper was in what is
now the Imperial Hotel, next to the Ma
tional Theatre. Many famous men con-
tributed to the columns of the paper, and
| have vivid recollection of them. The
editorial rooms used to be the meeting
place of the politicians of that day, and
they would drop in almost any evening to
talk over the situation and the outlook.
PRESIDENT PIERCE
used to come to the Office frequently, and
| got to be quite well acquainted with
him. He used to write for til paper and
walk down from the White House in the
evening to correct his proofs. He gave
me a copy Of "Lippincotts Gazetteer"
with an Inscription by himself on the
front page. still keep il as Il souvenir of
the old days.
Roger A. Pryor, now Judge in New
York, was at one time an editor on the
V,,ion. He was very hot-headed man,
and was always in trouble with some one.
FATHER RrTcnIE,
when he was the editor, used to be q hard
worker; the first man down IN the after
noon, and the last to 20 at night. His
writing was almost indecipherable, and
there were only few, a very few, not
more than four printers in the Office, who
| could read his manuscript.
III left the linton and went to Philadel-
| phia to work for John w. Forney's Press,
| lish the Chronicle as the official organ Of
| President Lincoln i came with him
| While in Philadelphia read proof, and
| my copy holder was a bright young Eel
| low named
| JOHN RUSSELL YOUNG.
| He had been the devil, but had been pro
noted. He at last got position as a re
| porter, and when the war came he mad,
Q hit as correspondent, and every one
| knows the rest.
| well, as ] was saying, Forney came tc
| Washington and established the Chronicle
The employees of that paper had an ex
| perience such as very few men ever have
| The war was going on, and as we, Of
| course, represented the Administration
we were supposed to print the fullest de
tails, and also to outline the policy Of tn,
Administration. Many q time after mid
night, when the paper was almost in type
has Forney driven down from the Whit
House in q cab with his hands full o
| proofs and
| KILLED COLUMN AFTER COLUMN
of matter by order of the President. Ther
we would have to set the paper up again
and IL was nearly always daylight wher
we were allowed to 90 home. There wa
agreat deal of grumbling on account o
this, and more than once the men wer
on the point Of refusing to go to work a
such late hour. We had good fore
man, however. and he always managed t,
patch up the differences in time TO get TIN
paper out. Fornoy's editorials did no
always go in as he wrote them, and man,
time the revised proof would come bacl
corrected in the bold, round hand o
Abraham Lincoln."