Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-11-19
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THE PASSING OF MARSHALL
McCI IRE

Inc death of Marshall Mcclure, who
passed away on the 18th inst, re-
moves another prominent character
from this state, and one who has &C.
cupied some unique positions in the
history of North Dakota. Eccentric
In way he was, nevertheless a good
newspaper man. Meteoric in nature,
however, he failed to establish him
self, or had no desire to become a.
permanent fixture anywhere He was
of rowing disposition and his early
life was spent in railroading. His
boyhood home was in Cedar Springs,
Mich, but the public schools had little
attraction for him. As a boy he was
full of business" and the money he
earned as peanut butcher and
"neWsy" on the G.. R. & +. Ry., made
him the envy of all his early associ-
ates. He became an expert telegraph
er and at an early age developed a
nose for news" and became a con-
tributor. of news items for the Michi-
gan back woods press. In territorial
days back in, 1878 Mr.. Mcclure, after
having a varied experience in rail-
roading all over the country, landed
in Fargo broke and, as he used to say,
glad of it." Here his newspaper ex-
perience stood him to the good and
he was given a position on the old
Republican. The next year he estab-.
hshed the Alert at Jamestown which
enterprise he managed until attacked
by the Colorado mining fever. He
married his first wife at jamestown
and for several years prior to 1885
with varying success and failure, pur-
sued mining, railroading and journal
ism in the southwest. He returned In
1885, for a visit and in 1889 estab-
1ished the tMinot Weekly Optic. He
was also for a short time on Devils
Lake paper and all will remember the
Politician which had a brief career
in Fargo in 1904,
I'm Territorial days and at nearly
every convention and session of the
legislature since statehood, Mr.. Nc
Clure was a familiar figure and at the
time Of the first legislature in Bis
marcls, 1885, when the attempt was
being made to remove the capital
from Bismarck back to South Dakota,
and when Alex Mckenzie was leading
nrfh no
superior numbers, it was Marshall
Mcclure who was used as a spy, con-
cealed, stretched out like a piece of
ccrdwood beneath a table in the old
Sheridan house dining room, where a
we'll guarded and secret caucus was
being held by the South Dakota lead
ers and plans we're being mapped out
and figures and amounts were being
named for the final struggle the fol-
lowing day. This boom along with
other disclosures of a damaging ma
ture caused such CONSERVATION in the
enemy's camp, that the cause OF re-
. moval was weakened beyond recovery
Mcclure, though small in stature,
had a constitution of iron and he was
almost immune to physical exhaustion.
He was loyal friend and had few
enemies. He was sympathetic and
. generous and from boyhood up was a
liberal contributor to every case OF
( worthy charity that presented itself.
A character sketch of his life would
be- "a romance Of une0ceHed interest.
He was about SIS years old and leaves
a wife and one son, Marshall Mcclure,
jr. who is also exhibiting newspaper
instinct. Tt seems that death oc.
Cured ait st Joseph's hospital, ST.
Paul, where he was being treated for
heart disease, which had assumed an
5accute form only a few weeks ago
The body was taken to Minot fol
burial. Il. $Es
MS - So Ss
The neWsy, breezy appearance oi
the Grand Forks Press Is accounted
for ID a degree, when it Is taken ifite
consideration that tScotties formerly
OF the Herald stan, has joined the
force on the democratic organ.
$50 @s