The herald., 1897-01-14
Los Angeles, January IL.
M'CULLAGH AS A SHORTHANDER

MCULLAGH AS A SHORTHANDER
To the Editor of the Los Angeles Her
aid My fraternal feelings were very
ruGely shocked yesterday morning. on
reading the dispatch from ST. Louis Civ
ing all account of the strangely uncer-
emonious death of Joseph b. McCullagh,
the distinguished editor of the Globe
Democrat of that city. My memory at
once carried me back to the time when
Little Mack" and myself were almost
daily associates in Cincinnati as short
hand reporters. he on the Commercial
and l on the Gazette. 1t was during
the war of southern secession. He was
quite young, but ambitious to ra X first
class as a stenographer. while l was a
pioneer photographic writer and au-
thor, and better known than he. So we
had many tilt as to who wrote the
fastest, and made the most correct
transcripts, when we reported the same
speakers at the same time. But although
he was of Irish parentage, he never got
out of humor, for. if ] must acknowledge
it, he very soon got to be my master in
speed and quickness in transcribing.
Those were trying times for newspa-
per reporters-from 1861 to 1866 and on
through reconstruction times. There
were but few of us, and speech making
was the order of the day, (andtrans-
cribing the order of the night. We were
sent hither and thither, all over the
country, to every prominent place, where
ever distinguished statesman, lawyer.
or preacher. was 20 talk on the rebellion,
the right of secession, and the process
of reconstruction.
One such mission comes distinctly to
mind. of rather peculiar character which
may interest some of the many young
shorthanders of today. Hon. c. L. VAL
q
Dayton. O., who was from the beginning
of the war sympathizer with the south.
and contended that they had the right
to secede from the northern states He
was bold thinker and a forcible speak
er. and when it began to look doubtful
whether the north would succeed in
suppressing the rebellion, such speak
ers as he were regarded as enemies to
the government, and were watched and
denounced. He was strong leader in
the Democratic party, and was nomi-
mated for governor during the war. He
was announced to open the campaign
III a speech at Vernon, and there was
tremendous assemblage to hear him,
in the fair grounds, ard of course there
were two reporters there to take down
every word he says" We were there on
time; selected our seats on the plat
form, drew forth our note books. sharp
ened our pencils. ard talked of the whis-
perings heard about us, as to whether
the speech should be allowed to be re-
ported. We did not dream of refusal
at first, when voices from the crowd
began to reach our ears. mo reporters
wanted here" Away with the report
ers, Down with them" we did begin
to lock- about; but it was not to find a
way of exit; 1t was to see our protector.
IN the person of Mr. Vallandingham. He
at once sprung to the front O.. the plat
form, and with his hands raised, and his
stentorian voice, said: Friends of mine,
and all friends of free speech. keep quiet;
be seated; let the reporters be as free
to take notes, and to publish them, as
l am to speak to YOU" And that was
the end of it,
AS the result of the speech, however.
Vallandlngham was arrested, tried be-
fore General Burnside in Cincinnati. on
the charge of reasonable speech. and
banished to Canada. where he remained
during his candidacy for governor, ard
to the close of the war.
A few years ago. after a long separa-
tion, I met Mr.. McCullagh in his office
in st. Louis. He had grown to be large,
portly gentleman; remembered our re-
portorial experiences with pleasure at
tributed most of his success as news
paper man to his shorthand. and to his
early associations with Murat Halsted
on the Commercial.
ELIAS LONGLEY.
South Pasadena, January 9Th.