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


sights of the afternoon and night was
the turning of the wheel by n couple
of stout negro men. The Daily OBJ
server, the other daily paper, with
Col. w. l.. Saunders and p. NJ. Hale
as editors and Peter NJ Wilson as city
editor, w. p. Bachelor succeeding
him. Edward G. Woodson was one
of the notable city editors. and l re-
member that for two days aNI his
death l got up the city news for both
the papers. After Capt. Ashe bought
the News the office was in rear of the
Citizens National Bank, where the
Southern freight office now is, and
later upon consolidation of the News
with the Observer, the office OF the old
! Raleigh Standard. which had been
! built by Governor Holden, about 1870
was occupied, this being the one the
News and Observer still occupies IT
was Captain Ashe who consolidated
the News and the Observer, and | had
the pleasure OF seeing my name APP
pear on the fourth page as local edi-
tor. Capt. AShe was always q bril-
liant writer, having q large grasp OF
affairs and a wide acquaintance with
public men and with the world gener-
ally, having travelled much abroad in
his earlier life and having had inter-
eSting and valuable experience as a
/ Confederate officer, and in legal and
! political life. 1t was about this time
| that Capt. Ashe, then chairman of the
/ Democratic State Committee presided
over the only open-afr State conven-
ton | ever knew to be held in North
/ Carolina. 1T was held at the south
front of the capitol in 1880, the plat
form being built around the statue OF
Washington, and 1t was a sight to see
the people, delegates and visitors, who
literally packed that part of the
square clear out to the high iron fence
and beyond it on the sidewalk and
even in the street. Very few of the
public men who then figured as lead
ers and speakers are now living, ana
It would be a sad task to recall their
names
In those days Captain Ashe and my
self got out the paper, and to be sure
It required hustling. He wrote the
editorials and looked after the CORE
spondence from the various parts Of
the State and also read the editorials
Of the then relatively few newspapers
1t was NV duty to get up the city
news. including that of all the State
deDartmentS. courts. etc: to make UP
The State news. from the newspapers,
and to edit the Geographic news. The
kilograms We're then sent from the
Western Union Telegraph office. the
only one mere, ana were on paper VI
the thinnest kind, known as "fiimsy,
being written with stylus This stuff
had to be cut up. headed and other
wise prepared, and q nice job 1T was
handling it. Down in the basement
the darkieS turned the press, the type
In the forms being sent down to them
through chute. Sometimes the form
was not we'll locked and in such case
the tyne went into "pi' as the print
ers call it. meaning that two pages
would have to bet set up and re-read
which meant work until nearly 7
o'clock in the morning. Mr.. James
Iredell McRee was later added to the
staff of the paper, and aided in edi.
torial work and in looking after cor
respondence. etc. During the time
when Capatin Ashe was postmaster
Mr.. McRee was the editorial writer.
In those days the object was to
condense the news, especially city
news, as much as possible and the
newspaper man of today, who is bent
upon making what he calls a good