The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-21

sharing his lodgings for a week" He
was not idle a day after his arrival. but
plunged at once into the business OF
writing to eastern papers upon Kansas
affairs. His journal shows that he gath
cred a vast fund of information imme-
diately, and that he had even n a
hension of the conditions existing in the
Territory. He wrote for many papers
during the stirring times which fol-
lowed; among them, the Boston Trav-
eller, of which he was the regular cor
respondent: the Tribune, Times, and
Herald, of New York; the Worcester
Spy, Concord Monitor, Cleveland Lead
er, Chicago Tribune. Missouri Democrat,
An~ti-Slavery Standard, and Boston
Commonwealth.
Colonel Hinton was charmed with the
courage and disinterestedness of John
Brown. He saw in JOhn Brown one Of
those men SO rare in the history of the
world-one who cast everything away
but that which he could use for the
benefit of humanity. This example Of
lofty and unself1Sh patriotism found a
esponse in the heart of the young man
who had crossed the Atlantic to enjoy
the liberal institutions established here
in America by the later generations of
his ace. 1t acted up on him as a
powerful stimulant to exertion and
emulation, and the inspiration re-
manned with him all through life. John
Brown invited him to 20 to Harper's
Ferry, and business engagements previ-
ously entered into are perhaps the only
causes which prevented his having been
in the army Of the first invasion"
whose ranks he made at the time OF
attack a persistent and dangerous effort
to reach. The majority of those who did
go We're the associates and intimate
friends of Hinton-and a man was hung
for him by the V~irginians!
After the civil war began, Hinton,
early in 1862, was appointed and must
cred first lieutenant (adjutant) to re-
cruit and command colored soldiers. be-
ing the first SO 9nn0infa6 in the Tinted
States. He served in the union army
three years and four months. When he
was mustered out, in November, 1865,
he bore the rank of brevet colonel, and
was acting inspector general of the
Freedmen's bureau. In the cary months
of the struggle for the union he was
sent south from Washington on impor-
tant secret service work, for doing
which he received the personal thank
of President Lincoln.
In addition to his labors as a jour
nalist, he has written extensively and
well in other fields. In 1858 he wrote
with James Redpath a guide book to
Kansas ana Pixies Peak. In 1860 he
wrote and published the Lives of
William H. Seward and Abraham Lin
coin. In 1866 he brought out his THE
Army of the Border" a history of the
Price lie of 1854. In 1874 he published,
in a series of brief biographies, Eng
lish Radical Leaders," While in San
Francisco he prepared and published
Gin 1879 a handbook of Arizona. In col
liberation with Colonel Frank A. Burr,
he has written a Life of General Philip
Henry Sheridan. And though so occu-
pied in these fields, he found time to
contribute to monthly periodicals ex-
tenSive and articles on
literary, historical, economic, and
scientific subjects. Some of the maya
zines to which he contributed are as fol-
lows: Continental. Atlantic, Scribner's
North American, Forum, National Re-
view, Frank Leslie's Monthly, and The
C-hautauquan. In his list we must in
clude The Victoria Magazine, West
minister and Others, both of English and
French periodicals.
The greatest work written by Colonel
Hinton is John Brown and His Men.
This he published in 1894, and it is in
many respects the leading biography of
the men who went to Harper's Ferry.
No other writer had SO intimate an
Colonel Hinton In no other work can
SO complete an account of their lives
and achievements be found.
Another charming and valuable work
for which we are indebted to Colonel
Hinton is the Poems of Richard Realf
This was published in 1898.
Colonel Hinton has held many official
positions. Among them we n ention the
following.
Reporter constitutional convention,
1858, L-eavenworth. Reporter court of
impeachment. Kansas, 1852 Lieutenant,
captain and brevet lieutenant colonel
(~volunteers) union army. Commission
er of emigration in Europe, 1867. In
spector United States consulates in
Europe. Special agent of President
Grant to Vienna, 1873. Special agent
treasury n state departments on the
frontier and in Mexico, 1888. Irrigation
engineer United States geological sur
vey. 1SS9-90. Special agent in charge
of agriculture, April, 1890.
to May, 1892, of the United States ar
tesian and underflow Investigation, an6
of the irrigation inquiry In these lat
ter capacities he has written nine vol
these reports are accepted as the high |
est authority in the work they cover. In |