Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-06

II, the author of the sketch NO. 4,
ray No. 6, and T. Milburn, No. Z.
Tom, really I can't place him as we'll
as can Frank. 1t seems to me,
| though, that Tom was the local editor
of the new young daily Courier. l
can See him just as plainly as though
l were looking at him nearly half
century aegean see his every action
and smile. He was good natured,
| though he had a sort Caesarian style
| of wrapping his overcoat about his
splendid form and buttoning it up
close under his chin, and as suddenly
Jerking It all open and standing up to
the old black desk while he jotted
down an item. No. is that Of Nick D.
|Musselman, who was the foreman Of
the Courier when the daily was born.
He was one Of Gods noblemen-an
Irishman who never shirked, and who
was full OF good humor; he was short
and rather spare in build. The only
time I ever got real provoked at him
was one day when we had full page
'poster on the old Washington hand
press that we were doing in colors-a
poster announcing a political meeting,
nuu Iue1t VIZ Aoo p1OhAioSO AOi eAA"'
VERY afternoon. There wasn't another
soul in Ottumwa who could work
colored job on hand press to vie
with old Nick. He had recently bought
ten acre tract of ground out back OF
Blake's pasture and had some chick
ems, a cow and calf, and horse and
shay He had erected comfortable
dwelling for his family and would walk
in and out mornings and evenings,
while his horse was used on the
ground. Two or three days before the
time we were working on the poster
Nick came in and reported to us that
somebody had stolen his calf. On this
occasion, just while he was lifting one
line out of the form singular. isn't 1t,
that l can right now see that line,
s'Hon. E. l.. Burton'') calf bawled out
on the street.
Nick actually pied that line Of dis
play wood type and rushed to a win
dow, then back, crushed his hat on
his head, almost screaming as he
tumbled down stairs: ,,"That's my
calf" Sure enough it was. 1t took a
lawsuit to recover it, and we didn't
get out the poster until too late, con-
sequently lost the job and with 1t my
expense in going to Keokuk to borrow
wood border from the Gate City to
embellish the job. Nick was first-class
printer in those days, but his truck
patch was too alluring and he quit the
business after short time as one OF
my partners in the ownership Of the
Courier, He and General Phil H. Sher-
idan we're born under. the same roof
that covered double log house, in one
end of which lived the Musselmans
and in the other the Sheridans. The
Courier files will show you several
columns of "reminiscences of the gen.
eral and his family that Nick set up
directly from case, that are very in
teresting and would make hit if you
would reproduce them.
No. 4 is the nearest approach that
I ever attempted as a dude. I might
say, in passing, that that tuft Of hair
on my chin was planted and nurtured
while was in the army-that my
chin has never been bare from the
first intimation of a sprout, and my
wife says that I'm now too old to risk
exposure. No. is William c. Holden,
who was jour. like myself, on the
Courier. It was he and Nick and my
self who formed the partnership that
bought the Courier from Mr.. Norris
under the title, Musselman, Caldwell &
Holden. Neither of us had a cent, red
or any other color, but / told you in
one of my former letters how we &C.
complished the feat. Holden married
Louise, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. VIM.
j. Ross. Bill, as we always called him
(and to preserve our individuality I
was always called Billie) was ambi-
tious to become a noted editor, and if
'scrawly handwriting was an indica-
ton, he certainly possessed it-Horace
Greeley's chirography was as copper
plate in comparison, and you know
Horace never could read his own writ
ing after it had set. Holden was the
last of the trio to let go Of his share,
which he sold to Major Hamilton.
Musselman let 60 first. selling to Gen.
Jno. M. Hedrick, to whom also sold.
1 do not just now remember what
Nick got for his third interest, but be-
lieve it was the same as got, $1,000.
Holden, think, got the same-so that
- OF ho% -