Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-29
oLD-TlME REPORTERS
Col. Mccain Tells Stories Of J. Hamp-
ton Moore, Robert NJ. Sturgeon,
. Edward C. Rowland and Others
In Harrisburg and Homestead
Rr GEORGE Nnx Mccain

ID 0BERT NJ. STURGEON. of York. was
| ~ in town last week. lie was Bob
| Sturgeon in the old days nt Harrisburg.
That was thirty-fve years ago. when he
was legislative reporter for the Harrisburg
| Call p. = ..
Bob Sturgeon has been everything from
| cub reporter to editor in chief and for
years past has been identified in an editorial
| capacity with York newspapers. Mr. Stur-
gcou is ono of the three living survivors of
the corps of Legislative correspondents of
the session of 1885.
Joseph Gilbert then represented the As
soratcd Press and Thomas NJ. Coleman,
who sometimes tried to mask his identity
under the signature of "Namcloc." which
| was simply his proper name spelt back
ward was the PUBLIC LEDGER correspond
| cnt
Edward G.. Rowland was correspondent
| for the Philadelphia Press. ETe was one of
brilliant family whose last survivor. Il
! brother, Harry Rowland. of New York. died
| within the last couple of years. Rowland
| left Philadelphia to become a Washington
| correspondent and was afterward political
writer on several of the New York news
papers.
William Rodcarmel. general correspondent
was known to newspaper people everywhere
| as 1.-THE man with a hundred newspapers. -
wealthy supplying newspapers in the state
and over the country with Harrisburg news,
lie was aftcrward postmaster of Harris
burg under Cleveland
a. Il. WatrouS, of the Philadelphia News,
and George Wclshons. Of tho Pittsburgh
Times. were also in Harrisburg during that
session. They were two of the most bril-
liant writer's have ever known. Strangely
enough fate dccrecd them the same regret
t.,lIa bah l.. Va
rous in New York and Welshons in Har-
rsburg
Thomas NJ. Jones. of Harrisburg. who
died within the last two years. was the
dean of that exceptionally able body of men.
Fl. j. Stackpole was just then entering
upon a career that was destined to give him
a state wide reputation as newspaper man
and capitalist. Like Rodcarmel. he was a
general newspaper correspondent. As years
went by he established permanent newspaper
connections aud ultimately purchased the
Harrisburg Telegraph which is today the
most ably edited and influential evening
newspaper in central Pennsylvania
In those days the I.Ochic Hotel was the
rallyihg point for the correspondents. Here
the legislators met and newspaper men fore
gathered nightly.
DICHARD PATTERSON. father of
JUuRP 'lOHH VI. Patterson, server HIS
first term in tho Legislature at the session
of 1887. I recall that he was another of
the Philadclphians who lived at the Lochiel
when he was in Harrisburg. He represented
the Fifteenth ward then, and one of his
colleagues was nr. J. W. Walk afterward
largely interested in certain charities.
The elder Patterson. although born in
ireland, did not arrive in this country until
few years after the Civil War. a lad of
eighteen. yet he betrayed in his speech only
the slightest touch of that rich mellow brogue
that marks every true son of the Emerald
Isle.
He was a fairly large maG with iron
gray mustache and rather rugged features.
He was a good ta!hcr not as fluent as
Wesley Thomas or polished as John f.
Faunce. but q man who spoke directly to the
point.
He was rather blunt and outspoken at
times. as I recall, which leads me to be-
lieve that the urbanty and winning quail
ties which have counted for so much in
the career of his distinguished son were
perhaps an inheritance from the distaff side
l do, recall that when Dick" Patterson
spoke it was without cIrcumlocution
THE strike at Homestead recalls with vivid
distinctness that other famous strike
twenty seven years ago that made Home
stead famous throughout the civilized world
1t was in 1892. Andrew f. Watrous. whom
| have mentioned above j. Hampton Moore.
f. c. Rowland and myself were among the
newspaper correspondents on the ground
from Philadelphia.
The striking mill men were largely Eng
lish and Irish ] went alone from Pitts
burgh, and the instant | stepped from the
train at Homestead was met by a committee
of strikers, who demanded to know nay busi-
ness.
Every arriving stranger was questioned.
The men were' on the lookout for strike
breakers | was compelled to show the palms
of my hands and they were closely scanned
for callouses and small cuts, the honor badge
of an ironworker. AS | started uptown l
discovered that | was being followed by
little crowd of strikers, who were still sus-
picious of my intentions.
Everything was in whrl of excitement
for the men were also expecting visit from
the Pnkertons.
AS ] entered a restaurant for lunch a
crowd gathered around the door. An indi-
vidual under suspicion had no business at
that time in Homestead. | walked to the
rear of the restaurant. passed through the
| kitchen to the back yard and into an alley
and thence by side street to the bank of
the MOnongahea river. ! paid a man 50 to
row me to the other side, where got a train
| to Pittsburgh.
General George Il. Snowden. of Philade-
| phia. was then major general commanding
| the National Guard. Three days later the
| Third Brigade, commanded by General ].
| z. s. Goblin, camped on the hills above the
| strike torn little city and peace was gradu-
| ally restored
TT WAS on this memorable occasion that J.
l. Hampton Moore first displayed that ten
| dency to cOncliate difficulties which has led
! to much of his success in political life.
Sitting on hillside above the silent mills
| one afternoon, Moore and Watrous fell into
| discussion of the Homestead situation
| Moore insisted that something should be done
| to end the bOodshedband strife. He tried
to induce WatrOus to accompany him on a
| mission to interview Hugh O'Donnell, the