The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14

board to pay also. I admit that after
that kind appreciation of me by Gov
ernor Holden, that I bore in my hear
a sense of gratitude and kindness tol
him in spite of his indefenslble, de-
plorable, disgraceful conduct before
and later. At that time-in the early
part of 1S69-as in 1868 and 1867
the big lawyers and others hungering
for office and fat salaries, were jump
ing over the Democratic fence into the
black Republican blooming pastures
like fine young colts, and away they
scampered and kicked and grazed and
grew sleek and fat. 1t would be in
structive to the present young genera
ton, as 1T would have been to the one
Just passed, if some one had gathered
the names of all the deSerters for grut
III North Carolina between 1868 and
1872, and had printed them in the
newspapers. The record is long and
most shameful and distressing. A
gentleman from Alabama said to me a
year or two since, that his State mad
but little of such assertions among
men of prominence and talents. North
Carolina was desperately afflicted. L
never heard of but one man of county
or State reputation, who, in a tune OF
storm and stress, went over TO the
black Republican robber gang, VINO
did not secure a good, fat place ana
begins to strut and occupy at once.
Rev. William, L. PelI.
The first man of Importance to be-
gin Journalism at Raleigh after the
war whom L recall, was Rev. william
F.. Pell. of the North Carolina Metho-
dist Conference. / knew him well. lie
was of astute mind, was good man
ager and would have made most
deXterouS, consummate politician IL ne
had been of that class. He had a clear
mind. of considerable force, and was
endowed with something of wisdom
and foresight perhaps. He was great
ly devoted to his church he had long
served with zeal and fidelity, and was
for several years-perhaps f1ve-edi-
tor of it's organ, the Raleigh Chris
tian Advocate He lacked broad
culture. and his style was dffuse,
owing to his need of proper training
when Young. Like my able, admir-
able friend--one of the purest and
truest and most honorable of all North
Carolinians-the late Chief Justice and
ey-JJnited States Senator. Augustus s.
Merrimon, Mr.. Pell required an UNI
usual number of words to convey his
meaning When Mr.. Pell started the
Raleigh Sentinel" which did n most
important and valuable service for
North Carolina, it was a
very critical, dark period in
it's almost tragic history. He
was a very adroit and judicious party
editor then. He succeeded excellent
~, helped the State, accumulated
which was very remarkable for
those times, was regarded as an i'm
political factor, and about the
close Of 1868. sold his paper to Hon.
Josiah Turner. of Hillsboro. Mr..
PelFs health began to fail, and he
died suddenly, but I do not recall the
year. He was assisted for some time
by the late Major Seaton Gales, who
had edited for several years the old
Raleigh Register" having succeeded
MS father Mr.. Weston r. Gales. who
mad died suddenly in Petersburg, Va.
This was about 1S50-'55, l suppose.
rhe Register was bought by Mr..
John w. Syme, of Petersburg, Va, a
gentleman of education and talents
whom / knew WELL and an editor Of
'epute in his native State, who remov-
ed to Raleigh with his family, and
conducted his paper for two or three
years-possibly longer.
Josiah Turner
Hon. Josiah Turner has been so Of
ten referred to recently it is hardly
necessary for me to write at much
length concerning him. This | have
done heretofore. He had no newspa-
per training, and knew really but lit
tie about it. Major Gales was his first
assistant, and about March 1, 1859, l
succeeded him as his eyes had COM
pletely failed him for the time. Dur
ing some five and a half years, | was
at different times connected with him,
doing most of the work, including all
duties as manager or superintendent
of a daily paper-such as proot-read-
ing (fifteen to seventeen long col
clipping, examining CORE
spondence, preparing copy for others,
editing generally, and writing upon an
average two long columns, bourgeois
type, each day, and sometimes even
three. in a large folio page. Mr..
Turner was a most genial, delightful
&C mpanion, and a fine owner of pa
per to work for or to be associated
" it'll as editor. He gave to me the en-
tire get-up of the daily, making al
ways any changes / thought necessary.
| worked very hard, and at one time.
l.: addition to eight hours of work
Oh the production of the paper. / re-
ported the proceedings in the Senate
for the Sentinel, and during one entire
for which I did not re-
ceive a penny extra, but saved MI.
Turner SIS a week. 1t was done vol
on my part. and at my own
.nggestion. In 1872. during the Gov
errors campaign between my good
friend, Judge A. S. Merrimon, the
candidate for Governor.
and Governor Caldwell, the Radical
candidate for reelection, my actual
hours of work (not play) were for
months some ten or twelve hours daily.
After the State campaign began the
three months Greeley campaign for
the Presidency. ] believe l worked
several hours more. / was younger
then than now, tougher, and with
more vitality. but my friend, the eX-
cellent DIR. Wis. Royster, told me il L
did not hold up. / would suffer from
L serious collapse or would take up
my abode with DR.. Grissom in the
Asylum. In 1904, within few days
OF my seventy-sixth year, | rejoice to
be able to record that | have not as
yet suffered from either of these pain
full calamities. but / have been care
tul not to work since for sixteen hours
lGily for months, or for one day even.
[ then, in the Greeley campaign, Of
the same year, went to bed at u
O'Clock at night and was called at 6
o'clock, having slept not more than
five hours. / took breakfast at 6:30
o'clock. This is the way the old
fashioned Journalists put in work
when the occasion demanded it, and
f.... ;e-l,S e. ~.1l-e