The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-04-08

to our mutton and Mocha" AS an indica-
ton of our literary taste, Col. Battle, the
editor, kindly permitted US to select our
first "copy." Tt began with the above
quotation. We have not rolled far during
these many years; and, though grown up
to be "moss- back Democrat" we have
gathered but little "moss.'
Mugginsvile was really portion of
Shreveport-the suburban district-and
while it had no distinctive corporate gov
eminent or trade center, it had a separate
'sloca habitation and name" But since
that time Muggnsville has been obliterated
as we'll as many other landmarks familiar
to those TYPO" days of our youth. The
Gazette and its venerable editor, Colonel
Henry John Gray Battle, has long since
passed away. When we and our brother,
John NJ. Scanland, entered the Caddo Ga
zette office sixty one years ago as appren-
tees, the staff consisted of that estimable,
kind hearted and universally beloved gen.
tleman, Colonel H. J. G. Battle, the editor
and proprietor: Fountain P. Austin, assist
ant editor; William Wyndham, foreman
and Richard Stanley Carnes, compositor.
The contemporaries of the Caddo Gazette
were the South Western, Wing and later
a Native American paper, published by l..
billiard g. Company, and the Shreveport
Democrat, published by Dr.. Matthew Estes,
who was also our contemporary in the mat
ter of residence, as he, too, lived in Mug
ginsvile The staff of the South Western
consisted of Lewis billiard, L. billiard, Jr.,
William G.. and Thomas billiard; John
Kenney, compositor; Thomas A. Steele,
apprentice and "Generar' Hopkins roller
boy The Democrat staff consisted of DR..
Matthew Estes, editor; Enoch Mason, as
sistant editor; James DeBow, foreman ;
James W. Lee and Charles Cornell, COM
postors and William Singletary, appren-
tice. The three journals have passed out
Of existence, and of their entire editorial
and mechanical force only the two appren-
tees of the Gazette survive-the writer and
his brother, J. M. Scanland, now editor of
the Vermilion News, in Abbeville, this
State.
sixty-one years brings many changes.
When we visit Shreveport nowadays
we are forcibly reminded of its wonderful
progress during the past six decades. On
streets where we with other "bare- foot boys
at play" could while away an hour or more
in game of marbles, with little or no in
terruption from traffic, we must now double
quick across street under the argus-ey ed
surveillance of a policeman with a "big
stick to prevent our jay waking and be-
ing run over by a street car or a speed
limit automobile. Indeed, times have
changed, and as we now poke along where
once we literally split the wind to see a dog
fight or witness the arrival at the levee Of
a popular steamboat with 'the latest news
from New Orleans (from three to five days
old) we sadly realize that the exuberance
of youth is no longer ours, and that we
too, have changed no little during the
speeding years, and that we are almost q
stranger in bustling city where once we
knew every man, woman and child, black
and white, and as carrier for the Gazette
delivered it every Saturday morning te
nearly every place of business and resi-.
dence south of Texas Street.