Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-12

The picture shown herewith IS
likeness of the Courier Boys il
1865, at the close CT the war, and this
Is evident by an inspection Of thi
clothing of some OF them, one O
whom, Thomas Eichelberger is seer
wearing the army trousers as he hat
but short time before returned from
the firing line. The picture was OBJ
tanned through the courtesy CT Judge
Frank W. Eichelberger Of the district
court, into whose possession it came
at the death of his brothers widow
recently in Chicago The recollec
items brought out in the mind Of Judge
Eichelberger will also recall the. Cid
days to few of the old guard that
are still about and remember the OF.
ttmwa of that period. S"" %-".
In reminiscent tone the letter by
Judge Eicheberger depicts character
traits of some of those pictured and
alludes to the period when Ottumwa
was in its swaddling clothes in man
ner full of interest to the average
reader. The description with the pic
ture is the work of the we'll known
judge and will be found of interest
especially since the readers have been
given taste for the past days of -Ot-:
tumwa through the pleasing efforts OF
w. H. (Billy) Caldwell Of Topeka
Kan. The letter OF Judge Eichelberger
follows: @-% d III Ill @sg4 80 a,.-2l f~y
Dear Courier:--The4 accompanying
of the: Courier boys WAS
taken in 1866, and is good picture of
the entire force of the daily at the,
time of its infancy. 1t has been in the
possession of the widow of my brother
Tom until her death short time ago.
when her brother sent it to me. IL
thought yon would be interested. in
knowing how the baby looked. and
sent 1t to you. The central figure sit
ting down is James (Jimmie) Norris,
the editor at that time. His rugged
but kindly features are we'll portray
ed. He was known to everyone at
that time and loved by all. He was
a little disposed to take matters easy
and scarcely ever exerted himself to
getsup editorials \ but when he did
awaken he WEE a powerful writer.
It was just at the close of the war,
and the passions4aroused by it; were
still at red heat; and once in awhile
the old gentleman got after the
rebels and 'copperheads' ina vigorous
style. These editorials were copied
extensively in ( other papers, and
placed the little daily in the front
rank. r., Ee i
I&' In Seventh IOWA.
"The young, green looking boy on
the lower left was my brother Tom,
who was just out of the, army. He
had joined the Seventh Iowa when he
was seventeen years of age and was
captured at the battle Of Belmont in
the early part of the war and held al
prisoner for year, going through all
he prisons from Memphis to Ander
sonyiller and Libby When exchanged
he was made lieutenant of his COM
9any although but IS years of age. At
he expiration of his service he was
appointed adjutant OF regiment re-
,ruited from southern prisoners at
Rock Island to fight Indians on the
plains. A good share of his duties out
here was getting Tom Potter out OF
he guard house, and the warm friend
ship, there engendered lasted during
heir lives, and when my brother died
at Des Moines Potter who was then
general manager of the Burlington
'oad, furnished special train to take
he body and relatives to Bloomfield
where Tom was buried.
A Main Spoke.
AT the time this picture was taken
le had just returned from the plains |
and started on the Courier as local
editor, afterwards making brilliant
ecord as newspaper man and espec-
ally as paragraphist achieving ma
ional reputation in this line. The
zig jolly wholesome man at the right |
tanding, is Bill Caldwell as he then
ooked. Everybody knew him and he
NEW everybody. He was foreman
link. At any rate he was one of the
main spokes in the wheel, and has
ince delighted thousands of readers
With his racy,a rollicking, reminis-
ences of old times in Ottumwa.
F-5 {. A Little History.
"The ether men I knew at the time,
nut cannot now recall their names.
hey were compositors before the
ays of the linotype when every type
ras set singly in a stick and dumped
n q galley. There We're no power
resses but the powerful arm of one
# the men pulled the lever of the
Id hand press. The Office was in a
title frame house at the corner of
second and Market streets where the
Waiting room of the street railway
low is. There We're no editorial