Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20

Painter. He educated at Oberlin Col
lege. Ohio. He succeeded his father in the
lumber business at West Chester in 1857,
when only twenty years old At the begin
| ming of the war he came to Washington as
the correspondent of the Philadelphia In
quirer and had charge of corps of CORE
sp2ndents in the field. Notable achieve
ments marked his career CORE
! SpCndent.
His Bull Run Story.
Painter was a good newspaper man. and
always enterprising and determined in
what he undertook" said an old Washing
ton correspondent today. He was the first to
give news to the north of the reverses of
the federal forces at the first battle Of
| Bull Run. He came to Washington for the
| Philadelphia Inquirer. and went at once to
| the front. When the federal forces were
! defeated and driven heller SHELTER back
| upon Washington, he was so far to the
! front that he was cut off from retreat and
| was captured. but by pretending to be an
| assistant In the hospital he managed to
| avoid being placed in confinement. and
after night he caught horse which had
been shot in the hip and controying a
| rope bride, he managed to ride back to
Washington, getting here 2 or 3 o'clock in
the morning He then got into a freight
train and worked his way to Philadelphia
When he arrived there no one had vet
heard of the defeat, and he gave them the
first news in bulletins. which the Inquirer
issued as fast as he could write them The
people did not believe the news. and for
time there was danger of the Inquirer Of
flee being mobbed After that experience
Painter returned to Washington, and was a
Washington correspondent for twenty-five
years. His acquaintance with public men
was very large"
SaEaciOus rs o Correspondent. :
General Boynton. in the Century for Oc-
tober. 1891. paid the following tribute to
Mr.. Painters energy and sagacity as a cor
respondent:
THE Washington press contingent was
also flying force for field service, and
upon the occasions of great battles in the
region about Washington some Of Its mem
bers were always upon the field in the ser
vice Of their journals. The work of MANY
of them as war correspondents stands ont
as the best and most brilliant of their ca
reers.
Among the latter there was one who en-
5oyed the confidence of Secretary Stanton.
that unbending man of iron purpose to a
ccsree greater than that attained by most
OF those In the highest civil and military
positions. This was the war correspondent
of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mr.. q. n
FAINTER He had under his direction in ali
tee eastern armies probably larger force
any other journal.
He early secured the confidence of Mr..
Stanton He was constantly along the
front In all times OF active movement. and
by use of the skillful methods of obtaining
news and reaching correct conclusions
known to those well versed in the work
of reliable correspondence, he often be-
came Informed of the intentions and nova
mtnts Of the enemy before these were un-
folded at headquarters in the field and
transmitted to Washington
by several remarkable successes of this
kind he established himself in the conf
dence of Mr.. Stanton. and thereafter the
use of military telegraph lines and Of the
Secretary's cipher were open to him There |
was probably no other man in the field and |
no other man in Washington in any depart |
ment of public life In whose statements the |
Secretary placed more implicit reliance and |
by whose information he was more fire. |
quenty guided. |
'On one occasion. after Mr. Painter had |
partly secured this standing at the War De- |
partment his relations were put to a test |
which for the moment seemed to end them. |
He sent dispatch from the Virginia front |
Immediately after the battle Of Chantilly |
that Lees army would shortly invade Mary |
land.
Secretary Seward insisted that Mr.. STAN
ton should arrest the author of the dis
patch. as 1t was evidently intended for eff
feet abroad. and was therefore reasonable
Mr.. Stanton sent for Mr.. Painter. explained
the situation and said he must stay in
The Secretary of War could
not believe the report since none of the
officers Of the army had even surmised that
such d movement of Lees army as Mr..
Painter had announced. and still insisted
upon, was IN progress. The latter there |
upon started an assistant to Edwards Fer
ry on the upper Potomac, with instructions
to watch for the head Of the rebel column
at that ford. and when it crossed to teIe- |
graph him, in care of the Secretary Of
War. The next day a dispatch came. that
the rebels were crossing the Potomac and |
thus the War Department received the fret |
positive news of the invasion of MARYLAND
previous to the battle of Antietam.
After the war he was the corresnondep.
for the Inquirer and other papers, incIud-
ing the New York Sun and New York
Tribune.
Relations With Politician,
He was an intense republican. When
Fremont was nominated in 1856 he carried
A howitzer on a high hill in West Chester
and fired presidential salute. He attend
ed every republican national convention
from 1856 to 1896. inclusive. He also at |
ended every democratic convention. He
frequently held a proxy on the republican
national committee.
He was a close friend of Secretary STAN
ton, Senator Ben Wade, Roscoe Conkling |
rhaddeus Stevens and other leading repub-sI
leans in the last forty years. When Conk-
ing went to Ohio In 1850 to stump Ohio and
train as Mr. Conkling's friend. At Conk-
fngs request he stuck close to him all the | :
time they were at Garfield's home at Mem
.or, so that he might be a witness of every
thing said and done.
Business Interests.
For years he was the trusted friend of | :
Thomas A. Scott. president of the PennsyI- 9
rania railroad. He planned. organized and | I
built the New York. Philadelphia and Nor
folk railroad in Delaware. which Is now a |
part Of the Pennsylvania system and con-
structed and owned the New York, Phiia-