Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16

Walachs assistant. acted frequently as
war correspondent
The Star office, then on the southwest cor
ner of Pennsylvania avenue and 18th street,
was the news center of the city. Citizens
gathered there by the hundreds when bat
tie was expected, and waited anxiously and
patiently for the news. Extras were OF
frequent occurrence, and during periods of
stress as the Antietam or Gettysburg cam
paigns and the raid by Early, they came
almost with the regularity of the hours.
Sometimes they were issued on half sheets
and several times they were issued simply
on proof slips They were always welcome
in those dark days when mems hearts and
souls were troubled, and the fate of
great nation, their own nation, hung in the
balance Even crumb of news was wei
come to the man and woman of that period,
although there is a story told of Mr.. Wal
ZACH walking to the Capitol with a friend
one day. and during the walk they were
overtallen by some three extras issued on
all sorts of scraps of paper. The friend
bought each as il came along, but final
ly said to Mr.. Wa!lach: Doug. what I'M
der heaven are those extras coming out
for, there is not d thing in them?'
Mr.. WallaCh's reply was prompt: Not
d thing in them?" he said. there's $50
in them for me every time they come out"
This story ~ probably libel; there should
have been more than $50 in those extras for
Mr.. WallaCh.
There was no mincing Of words by The
Star even before the actual conflict took
place Editorially and otherwise 1t sounded
a trumpet call for the defense of Washing
ton. The city was southern city with
strong southern sympathies, and this pre-
ponGerance of feeling was not changed I'M
til the inauguration of Mr.. Lincoln and the
firing of the shot at Sumter which was
heard around the world. There was much
talk of making Washington the capital of
the confederacy, and protests of the most
vigorous kind were made against any prop
ostion to prepare defenses for the city. 1t
was a bold course then for The Star, two
months before Lincoln's inauguration, to
use this language:
Attempts are being made to wheedle you
out Of the adoption Of means to defend
your lives and property against bands OF
conspirators. by intlmation that your city,
if you remain quiet, may become the seat
of government of southern confederacy-
No intelligent man believes any such alb
surdty. But were it otherwise, is
that any reason why the people of Wash
ington should not prepare to defend them
selves against hordes of lawless ruffians?
Is it crime in people, where their gov
eminent, their lives and their property are
threatened. to arm in self-defense?
The War Began.
The Star covered itself with newspaper
glory through it's local accounts of the sud
den and unexpected arrival Of Mr. Lincoln in
the city on the morning Of February % 1851.
and of the scenes that followed at Wizards
where Mr. Lincoln stopped from then to the
Inauguration. The inauguration ceremonies
were TepOIleu III dn eldDOT dlt hdiiucE, anu
The Stars account with its fullness Of de-
tail, has been the basis on which the his
tory of that event has rested This Is true
also. although in a more local sense, Of the
stories printed telling in detail OF the mus
tering in Of the District troops in April, 1861.
, prior to the muster of any militia organiza-
ton in the country Great pride in the
prompt response of the citizen soldiery to
the call of arms was expressed In those
stories. although there was no hesitation
to give names and details of several cases
where members OF organizations refused to
take the oath of allegiance
The attack on Sumter, in April, and the
| surrender of that place were fully reported
! in The Star, and for the times extremely
liberal use was made of headlines. Follow
| ing those hostile shots. as the lightning fol-
| lows the thunder. there was blazing flash
of patriotic indignation from the loyal
! states. Washington partook largely of this
| feeling, and from that day southern SYM
| pathy was a very small minority here. The
| Star contained the first publication Of the
proclamation of President Lincoln calling
| for $1,000 troops, and its advertising col
| umns were filled with notices Of meetings
| OF military organizations and OF calls for
| organization of new companies. In The
| Star of that day. telling Of the excitement
| here. is the statement:
| 1T is safe to say that the people of this
| city have never been brought up to such
| a feverish state Of excitement by any event
| within the memory Of this generation. at
least, as was the case after the news Of
the commencement OF hostilities at Charles
the announcement on Saturday evening
| of the surrender Of Sumter. The raid upon
| the newspaper Offices for anything later
| from Charleston was terrible indeed, and
| on Saturday afternoon the pressure on The
| Star Office was the most intense we have
| experienced. Not only was the interior of
| the Office jammed and crammed. but the
| street in front OF the office for some dis
| lance was blocked up In all directions by
| the anxious crowd.
Those who got papers were unable to
| make their exit the way they entered, and
| q passageway through the ONCE and 20
out by rear alley was improvised for the.
occasion. Fast as the presses worked, they
/ were quite unable to supply the demands
/ or to thin the crowd Of news seekers. Later
! In the evening" aftas tia working or Of eur