The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-11
MORE NEWSPAPER
"REMINISCENCES
j. Newton Mind Recalls the Hustlers Of the Old
Days in the Twin Cities.

When picked up my journal a
week or two ago and found there remi-
n1scences Of early newsgatherers in Min
neapolis with, the pictures of Colonel
King, '"Tom" King, J. NJ l.. Dashiell and
myself fool of recollection came over
me, and the realization was forced upon
me that of the four pictured I am the
only survivor. Then I began to run over
the names of the men who were here when
entered the newspaper life of the twin
cities, and was impressed by how few Of
the men active then are either living or
actively engaged in newspaper work.
belonged to younger generation than
the rest of them when I began daily
newspaper work on the Pioneer in Janu-
airy, 1872, before / had come to my eigh-
teenth birthday, but it wasn't long before
the discrepancy in ages counted for moth
ing and I was one of the regular toilers,
and have been without interruption ever
since. TO illustrate what changes have
taken place let me enumerate. The staff
OF the Pioneer then consisted of Colonel
Paulding, Louis E. Fisher, of blessed
memory, Captain J. D. Wood, Alex. John
son and s. B. Woolworth l became the
extra man to report the legislature and
after that went back to the case until
sented. OF this staff Of the Pioneer, Cap
tain Wood is the only survivor, and he
| has been out Of newspaper work for
good many years. Later came David
Blakely as editor in chief and nominal
owner. He, too. is dead.
In the Press Office there were J.. A.,
Wheelock, Charles Yale, 'Dick" Rich
ards, S. G. Williams, and soon after, Mart
Williams, most beloved of his fraternity.
Mr.: Wheelock is still grinding out his
full quota Of "copy," although even in
| those days he was regarded, because Of
his studious and Industrious habits and
tendency to asthma, as marked for an
early grave Mr.. Richards has been out
OF service and in feeble health for num-
Der OF years. S. G. Williams is still a
special advertising agent in New York
| and the rest are gone.
so fas as l can recall the staff of the
Dlspatch was made up Of H. P. Hall and
Richard MacNamee. Perhaps I haven't
MacNamee's first name right He has
been dead so long that it would not be
strange if I have mixed his name with
that Of his son, who is still active in the
affairs of st. Paul. The same may be
said of H. P. Hall, who is quite as
active as when I first knew him. He
had way Of going down Third street
not infrequently, particularly in law sup
PIGMENT time, carrying galley of type,
winch was my despair, good as were
my youthful legs. 81.
| In Minneapolis, there was the Evening
News, of which Frank Mead has told you
with George K. Shaw as editor and J. M
! l.. Dashiell as pretty much all the rest Of
| the staff Dashiell died soon after his
connection with the Minneapolis papers.
On the Tribune there was succession
Of editors following Hugh Greene, among
them w. A. Croffutt Clifford THOMPSON
his brother Mortimer Thompson, bettei
known as "Doest1cks," and thesusual loca
staff Of one man, which included Charlie,
Johnson, Frank Mead, Ed Stevens, and,
think, for short time, even Doc Ames
who returned to Minneapolis with som
fame as Journalist acquired in Sal
francisco: AS remember, the genia
doctor did not hesitate to spread that sam
fame. About this time, in 1872, Their
worked on the paper G. G. Buell., who fol
lowed Croffut to New York, and has beel
for a number of years one of the editor
of the Century Magazine. Colonel Plum
mer belongs to this period, too. Mortime
Thompson has been dead some years, blu
Clifford Thompson is connected with trad
journalism in New York and the where
abouts of the others is we'll known or ha
been told by Frank Mead. Jacob Ston
was the business manager of the Tribune
and Mr.. Shaw had way Of referring t.
him as ''Yacob."
But I started out to correct some state
ments made by Mr.. Mead. It was in jun
of 1872, that I came to Minnea polls, to b,
what we then called local on the Times
an evening paper. Frank Mead was tn
editor, and it seemed to me then hi
career was full Of promise, for he was
vigorous writer, had settled down to har|
} work, and had begun to make a reputa
ton for himself. Plipy Bartlett, who nov
represents a New York financial paper IL
| hnc how
never been able to determine in my owl
mind what was responsible for the dennis
Of the paper. It was in the granger period
and Ignatius Donnelly was the apostl
Of the new political cult. Frank Mea
supported Donnelly. Colonel King wa
the financial godfather of almost every
thing in the way of newspapers in Mime
apolis in those days, and I never knew
whether it was his disgust with Frank
support of Donnelly or his unwillingnes
to indorse any more OF the notes of Pin,
Bartlett that resulted in the suspension
of the Times, and I cared less because
had been ''let out" by Mr.. Bartlett, large
ly, have always thought, for referring t
Thomas Lowry in the vernacular of tn
time as "Tom' Lowry. I found ready en-
ployment on The Pioneer and then Of
The Press, where I remained until tn
consolidation Of the two papers in tn
spring Of 1875. Frank Mead had meantim
gone west to Mandan, which will accoun
for his lack of familiarity with some o
the events which am about to recite
The consolidation of the two mornin
papers in st. Paul was brought about b.
the advent Of David Blakeley. TIL
Pioneer had always been stalwart demo
cratic paper. Colonel King was ambi
tious to go to congress and he bought tn
, Pioneer from the Paulding estate, installe
David Blakeley as the nominal owner, an
the very visible editor, and made tn
paper republican sheet. When Colone
Kings hopes Of filling seat in congress
had been dashed by chain Of coinci
dences unnecessary here to relate, he ha
a newspaper on his hands without a feel
of immediate usefulness, for the Press
up the street block, pretty well repre-
scented the republican sentiment in Min
nesota, and the republican machine. o
which Alex Ramsey was the immediat
idol The consolidation Of the two paper
with Mr.. Blakeley and Mr.. Wheelock a
! joint editors was the result. remembe
that the dictum sent out was that tn
: married men on the staff should have tn
preference and the single men take a wall