Evening star., 1914-08-16

&SWSA Grafton Of brilliant men was on the field;
like the Adamscs James Madison,
John Marshall, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr.
1t year Of events which popped up thick and fast
Thomas Jefferson Republican, President of the United
States, having Just entered rumphany upon his second
term, with Clinton the Fcdcralist Vice President. 1t
the first time that Vice President had ever been
voted for such, and the first in which inaugural
ton had taken place at Washington The American navy
busy knocking the spots out of the pirates along the
Barbary Coast with Stephen Decatur prominent there
he is in the history Of American ducng Early in that
year also Alexander Hamilton exSecrctary Of the Treas
ury shot to death the heights OF Wechawken by
Vice President Of the United States busy
full Of personal and political anmoses. Nobody knew
exactly where he stood but each felt that the future Of the
young republic rested mainly upon him.
One Of those who took this responsibility most seriously
to heart William Coleman editor Of the New York
Evening Post the mouhpiece Of the vanqushed Federal
lists The Evening Post institution, not merely
newspaper Editor Coleman regarded himself also
institution second only to his paper, and he robbed his
eyeids of sleep in his frantic efforts the country
from the peril of Jcfcrsonian democracy. There
sort of halo about his desk for the paper had been founded
by the lamentcd Hamilton then sleeping nearby in Trinity
churchyard, and it Hamilton himself who had picked
Coleman as the first editor.
And Coleman had come to be conspicuous lesser
light in the glare Of brilliant generation He Bos-
tonian by birth and temperament dyed-in-thc-wool
Federalst and an editorial writer OF type that finds
outlet for its activities mainly in encyclopedias and month
ly reviews of world politics. But things happily
different in his day. and people read what he wrote.
Coleman had begun life lawyer in Massachusetts,.
Through the fobearance Of the editor Of his village paper
he succeeded in having burning articles from his pen
printed in the Greenfield Gazette This proved his undo
ing; for it eventually made him an editor Shays Re
belon NOV remembered only by school chdren) had
something do with it, for it the tide that he took
the flood and rolled into local fame-aso into the Massa
chusetts Legislature The step the Big Town.
In 1904, at the of twenty eight he loaded his trunk
upon a stagecoach and migrated to New York. He
still lawyer and curious fact that he began life in
the metropolis the law partner of Aaron Burr who
destined be the slayer of Coemans friend and bene-
factor, Alexander Hamilton.
The editorial speciality of the young Fcdcraist emigrant
from Massachusetts consisted mainly in his eagcness
jump into the midst Of any intellectual that he chanced
to He not personally beigerent; but he did like
to mix up with other editors at long range He
over-brlan himself and often suffered grievousy the
hands of his contemporaries; fact that did mellow
his temperament By the time 1904 along he had his
office boy trained to add vitro and casc potash every
time he reflcd the editorial inkwel
In that year of grace he became entanged with one
James Cheetham editor of the American Citizen and
Coleman scwcd the American language so rccklessy
his editorial pages that ended in his being
challenged by Chcetham The duel fought; for
both arrested and bound keep the peace
Local rumor whispered-unusy doubt-that the edi
tor of the Evening Post had something do with the ac
tvity of the minons of the law Some said it loud.
One of these was Captain Thompson, the bluff harbor
very little for the Evening Post its editor We un-
fortunately know little about this man; but it is certain
that he was man who spoke his mind and held him
self ready to answer for his impulsivencss.
There is an unveried report that the duel that