The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-03-21

III an editor and pioneer of east
~ ern Montana, died at his home
in Miles City few days ago at the
age of 81.
Colonel Gordon was born of Irish
parentage in the city of New York
in 1843 and received his education
in the public schools of that city
His early affiliations were all in the
line that had in later years engross
ed his time and services, having spent
his boyhood days in carrying news
papers. In those days before the era
of the perfecting press, the biggest
of the New York dailies had no bet
ter equipment than is now found in
the country offices and the uptown"
editions were put on the press about
O'Clock in the morning so that the
papers might be delivered to the car
riers and the long four or five miles
to the points of distribution covered
by the slow horsecar transportation,
in time for the patrons to get the
paper at breakfast, and to do this
the carrier boys had to report about
8 o'clock, and if the paper was late
they were permitted to curl up and |
go to sleep in any nook or corner of
the grimy old offices, until such time
as the papers were ready to be count |
ed out to them, warm and wet from
the press, to be folded. These were
the days of expert human folders,
who by dexterous manipulation of
the limp sheet, made it respond like
thing of life to every motion. Every
office had it's champion and balloons
full of vaporous "guff" were expend
ed daily in their service, but there
were no contests" as is the fashion
now. No one thought of making up
a match" of make-believe paper
folding. 1t was the real thing that
counted and when that was on there
was no time for play.
In 1858 the scene was shifted to
the then incipient metropolis of st.
Paul. Sammy" as his mother call
ed him, was through with school and
to be ready for life's bat
tie. He had brother who had To-
Gated in st. Paul and it was quite nat
ural that the transplanting of the
shoot of the family tree
should be where the elder brother
could look after it, so st. Paul it was.
of a trip, too, in those
days, for boy whose travelling ex-
periences up to that time were cir
by the ferries and street
car lines of the big city. At st.
Paul he found employment in dry
goods store as errand boy.
This employment lasted until the
war broke out in 1861 when young
Gordon returned to his native city
Ind soon found employment in the
office of the Independent, which
under the joint editorship
If Henry Ward Beecher and Theo-
lore Tilton, was then beginning to
assume national Importance. In this
position he remained for three years,
Turing which time he enjoyed the
acquaintance not only of the
wo great men whose names have
,een mentioned, but of others equal
y prominent, who were contributors
O the paper, among whom were Hor-
.ce Greeley, William Lloyd Garrison,
Wendell Phillips and other leaders in
he great abolition army of the day.
In 1854 Colonel Gordon obtained
he position of quartermaster's clerk
t Fort Abercrombie, on the Red
liver Of the North, at that time the
xtreme outpost of the western from
Ter, in North Dakota. Here for a
ear and then transfer to the office
f the chief quartermaster at st.
'aul, which employment lasted until
he fall of 1865.
In April, 1886, he entered the en-
10y of Amherst H. Wilder of st.
aul as confidential clerk-which po-
tion he retained for IA years, with
onstantly increasing responsibilities
8 Mr.. Wilder's business expanded,
finally in the transplanting
{ Mr. Gordon to Montana soil. In
881 he came to Miles City on bust
ess mission for Mr.. Wilder, who
len had large interests there, and
tier concluding his mission, which
coupled about six months, he de-
ded to link his fate with the new
ty on the Yellowstone. From Sep
mber, 1881, until the summer of
s83 he was a member of the firm
Broadwater, Hubbel & Co. The
rm closed out that summer, and in
e September following Sam form