The Republican journal., 1900-02-15
Letter from Major Sidney Herbert.
Some Interesting Telegraphic and Journ al
istic Reminiscences.

like myself, ''a trained journalist" that
The Republican Journal is always read by
me with the greatest interest. and its
many rare excellencies fully enjoyed and
appreciated 1 have long considered it
the best weekly newspaper of its class in
the United States. 1t clearly proves,
what have always claimed, that man
of brains mixed with discretion and good
common sense, can give permanancy and
prosperity to newspaper. l knew The
Journal some fifty years ago, when [
made my first visit to Belfast, and it's up
ward and onward progress has been most
gratifying to me as a Maine man, himself
a veteran editor.
But am off the track, for started in to
tell you that the last issue (Feb. 1st) has
| fairly overwhelmed me. ''Our George
on the press meeting in Bangor, brought
tears to my old eyes. All! what emotions,
what recollections, were awakened of that
city between two hills where l was born,
Dec. 10, 1882, in the ''Old DR.. Rich
house, just at the top of State street
hill, upper lower corner of Broadway. 1t
seems SO strange that the venerable Ban
gor House should still be hotel of such
popularity. Nearly fifty years ago com,
menced my journalistic career in Bangor
as city editor of the Evening Mercury,
then published by Samuel P. Dinsmore,
Esq Under the editorial name of ''Sid-
ney Herbert | have, on account of severe
wounds received during the civil war in
the Union army, spent twenty five years
in Southern journalism, and with all my
other engagements have had a position
on the staff of the Savannah Morning
News for nearly that entire period. |
mention this in order to tell you that
your very interesting article on ''Back
Numbers, one Of which my failing
health tells me | may soon be, contains
an error in regard to my old associate on
the News, the lamented Col. VIM. T.
| Thompson. He shed "the traditional
blue claw hammer coat with brass but
tons long before You met him. But how
well do | remember my several meetings
with Daniel Webster in Boston and New
York, aud how the blue claw hammer
coat and brass buttons impressed my then
| young imagination as much as the famous
wearer.
Your reference to the several Charles A.
Pilsburys recalls my own experience. |
| | Il ~ j
Samuel H. Lancey, and our mails We're
sometimes badly mixed, and in self-de-
fence | signed myself S. Herbert Lancey.
Like your case, | am now the only sur
vivor of the five Samuel II. Lanceys of
forty years ago.
Your reference to the Pike Brothers
calls to mind the great army of GRAINED
journalists that Maine has given to the
country at large. The Brooks brothers,
the Haskells, Col. Smith, and others of the
earlier ones-how we'll do l remember
them. While was editing the Southern
Cultivator, of Atlanta Ga, some dozen
years ago. met good old Daniel bennett,
the able agricultural editor of the New
Orleans Picayune, for fifty years a noted
journalist, whose brother, bank cashier
in Bangor, | had known in my boyhood.
All over the South | have found Maine
men foremost in the journalistic profess
sion; yet few of them, like bennett and
myself, had reached the half century mile
| stone of service.
But my purpose in this rambling epistle
! hastily penned, is to correct the kennebec
Journal statement that William F. Nor
rill was augusta S first telegrapher, as [
claim that honor for myself. When James
/ Eddy of Ithica, n. Y, built the first tele-
graph line to Bangor, more than fifty
years ago, became interested in the new
enterprise, and later on was made private
secretary to Hon. F. 0. j. Smith of
Portland, a member of Congress who,
with Prof. S. I. B. Morse and Postmaster
General Amos Kendall, owned the Morse
patent. l opened many offices and put
them in running order, the most import
ant one, | remember, being that at
| .
bookstore on Water St., think. as water
often covered it during freshets.
MIR. Morrill, could not have been the
first operator, as | certainly established
the office and conducted it until the legis-
lature adjourned. l then formed the ac-
quaintance of ex-senator j. w. Brad
bury, that ''grand old man," as was said
of Gladstone, James G. Blaine, Melville
W. Fuller, Samuel Coney, Rev. DR.. Tap
pan and other distinguished citizens. l
do not rememb Der who took charge of
the office when l returned home 1t may
have been Mr.. Morrill,. l also established
the office at Castine after Mr.. Hook had
completed the line from Bangor Later
on visited the Belfast and Rockland Off
ces on an inspecting tour. | am, think,
the oldest surviving telegrapher born in
Maine, for was ''in it as soon as the
telegraph gained foothold under Super
intendent Eddy in my native State.
Well, | shall have to "take water'
little, as the dreaded "Headline Man.