Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in St. Paul Part 7

The first Republican state convention after the state was admitted into the Union was held in the hall of the house of representatives.

The state was not divided into congressional districts at that time and Col. Aldrich and William Windom were named as the candidates for representatives in congress. Col. Aldrich did not pretend to be much of an orator, and in his speech of acceptance he stated that while he was not endowed with as much oratorical ability as some of his a.s.sociates on the ticket, yet he could work as hard as any one, and he promised that he would sweat at least a barrel in his efforts to promote the success of the ticket.

Aromory hall, on Third street, between Cedar and Minnesota, was built in 1859, and was used by the Pioneer Guards up to the breaking out of the war. The annual ball of the Pioneer Guards was the swell affair of the social whirl, and it was antic.i.p.ated with as much interest by the Four Hundred as the charity ball is to-day. The Pioneer Guards disbanded shortly after the war broke out, and many of its members were officers in the Union army, although two or three of them stole away and joined the Confederate forces, one of them serving on Lee's staff during the entire war. Col. Wilkin Col. King, Col. Farrell, Capt. Coates, Capt. Van Slyke, Capt. Western, Lieut. Zernberg and Lieut. Tuttle were early in the fray, while a number of others followed as the war progressed.

It was not until the winter of 1866-67 that St. Paul could boast of a genuine opera house. The old opera house fronting on Wabasha street, on the ground that is now occupied by the Grand block, was finished that winter and opened with a grand entertainment given by local talent. The boxes and a number of seats in the parquet were sold at auction, the highest bidder being a man by the name of Philbrick, who paid $72 for a seat in the parquet. This man Philbrick was a visitor in St. Paul, and had a retinue of seven or eight people with him. It was whispered around that he was some kind of a royal personage, and when he paid $72 for a seat at the opening of the opera house people were sure that he was at least a duke. He disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared. It was learned afterward that this mysterious person was Coal Oil Johnny out on a lark. The first regular company to occupy this theater was the Macfarland Dramatic company, with Emily Melville as the chief attraction. This little theater could seat about 1,000 people, and its seating capacity was taxed many a time long before the Grand opera house in the rear was constructed. Wendell Philips, Henry Ward Beecher, Theodore Tilton, Frederick Dougla.s.s and many others have addressed large audiences from the stage of this old opera house. An amusing incident occurred while Frederick Dougla.s.s was in St. Paul. Nearly every seat in the house had been sold long before the lecture was to commence, and when Mr. Dougla.s.s commenced speaking there was standing room only. A couple of enthusiastic Republicans found standing room in one of the small upper boxes, and directly in front of them was a well-known Democratic politician by the name of W.H. Sh.e.l.ley. Mr. Sh.e.l.ley had at one time been quite prominent in local Republican circles, but when Andrew Johnson made his famous swing around the circle Sh.e.l.ley got an idea that the proper thing to do was to swing around with him. Consequently the Republicans who stood up behind Mr. Sh.e.l.ley thought they would have a little amus.e.m.e.nt at his expense. Every time Mr. Dougla.s.s made a point worthy of applause these ungenerous Republicans would make a great demonstration, and as the audience could not see them and could only see the huge outline of Mr. Sh.e.l.ley they concluded that he was thoroughly enjoying the lecture and had probably come back to the Republican fold. Mr. Sh.e.l.ley stood it until the lecture was about half over, when he left the opera house in disgust. Mr. Sh.e.l.ley was a candidate for the position of collector of customs of the port of St.

Paul and his name had been sent to the senate by President Johnson, but as that body was largely Republican his nomination lacked confirmation.

About the time of the great Heenan and Sayers prize fight in England a number of local sports arranged to have a mock engagement at the Athenaeum. There was no kneitoscopic method of reproducing a fight at that time, but it was planned to imitate the great fight as closely as possible. James J. Hill was to imitate Sayers and Theodore Borup the Benecia boy. They were provided with seconds, surgeons and all the attendants necessary for properly staging the melee. It was prearranged that Theodore, in the sixth or seventh round, was to knock Hill out, but as the battle progressed, Theodore made a false pa.s.s and Hill could not desist from taking advantage of it, and the prearranged plan was reversed by Hill knocking Theodore out. And Hill has kept right on taking advantage of the false movements of his adversaries, and is now knocking them out with more adroitness than he did forty years ago.

PRINTERS AND EDITORS OF TERRITORIAL DAYS.

CAPT.E.Y. Sh.e.l.lEY THE PIONEER PRINTER OF MINNESOTA--A LARGE NUMBER OF PRINTERS IN THE CIVIL WAR--FEW OF. THE OLD TIMERS LEFT.

TERRITORIAL PRINTERS.

E.Y. Sh.e.l.ly, George W. Moore, John C. Devereux, Martin Williams, H.O. Ba.s.sford, Geo. W. Benedict, Louis E. Fisher, Geo. W. Armstrong, J.J. Noah, M.J. Clum, Samuel J. Albright, David Brock, D.S. Merret, Richard Bradley, A.C. Crowell, Sol Teverbaugh, Edwin Clark, Harry Bingham, William Wilford, Ole Kelson, C.R. Conway, Isaac H. Conway, David Ramaley, M.R. Prendergast, Edward Richards, Francis P. McNamee, E.S. Lightbourn, William Creek, Alex Creek, Marshall Robinson, Jacob T. McCoy, A.J. Underwood, J.B. Chaney, James M. Culver, Frank H. Pratt, A.S. Diamond, Frank Daggett, R.V. Hesselgrave, A.D. Martin, W.G. Jebb, R.F. Slaughter, Thos. Slaughter, William A. Hill, H.P. Coates, A.J. Sterrett, Richard McLagan, Ed. McLagan, Robert Bryan, Jas. Wright, O.G. Miller, J.B.H. Mitch.e.l.l, Chas. R. Stuart, Wm. F. Russell, D.L. Paine, Benj. Drake, J.C. Terry, Thomas Jebb, Francis P. Troxill, J.Q.A. Ward, A.J. Morgan, M.V.B. Young, H.L. Vance, A.M. Carver, W.H. Wheeler, J.M. Dugan, Luke Mulrean, H.H. Young, W.G. Allen, Barrett Smith, Thos. C. Schenck.

Of the above long list of territorial printers the following are the only known survivors: H.O. Ba.s.sford, George W. Benedict, David Brock, John C. Devereux, Barrett Smith, J.B.H. Mitch.e.l.l, David Ramaley, M.R.

Prendergast, Jacob T. McCoy, A.S. Diamond, R.V. Hesselgrave, H.P.

Coates, J.R. Chaney, M.J. Clum.

CAPT. E.Y. Sh.e.l.lY.

Much has been written of the trials and tribulations of the pioneer editors of Minnesota and what they have accomplished in bringing to the attention of the outside world the numerous advantages possessed by this state as a place of permanent location for all cla.s.ses of people, but seldom, if ever, has the nomadic printer, "the man behind the gun," received even partial recognition from the chroniclers of our early history. In the spring of 1849 James M. Goodhue arrived in St. Paul from Lancaster, Wis., with a Washington hand press and a few fonts of type, and he prepared to start a paper at the capital of the new territory of Minnesota. Accompanying him were two young printers, named Ditmarth and Dempsey, they being the first printers to set foot on the site of what was soon destined to be the metropolis of the great Northwest. These two young men quickly tired of their isolation and returned to their former home. They were soon followed by another young man, who had only recently returned from the sunny plains of far-off Mexico, where he had been heroically battling for his country's honor. Capt. E.Y. Sh.e.l.ly was born in Bucks county, Pa., on the 25th of September, 1827. When a mere lad he removed to Philadelphia, where he was instructed in the art preservative, and, on the breaking out of the Mexican war, he laid aside the stick and rule and placed his name on the roster of a company that was forming to take part in the campaign against the Mexicans. He was a.s.signed to the Third United States dragoons and started at once for the scene of hostilities. On arriving at New Orleans the Third dragoons was ordered to report to Gen. Taylor, who was then in the vicinity of Matamoras.

As soon as Gen. Taylor was in readiness he drove the Mexicans across the Rio Grande, and the battles of Palo Alto, Monterey and Buena Vista followed in quick succession, in all of which the American forces were successful against an overwhelming force of Mexicans, the Third dragoons being in all the engagements, and they received special mention for their conspicuous gallantry in defending their position against the terrible onslaught of the Mexican forces under the leadership of Santa Ana. Soon after the battle of Buena Vista, Santa Ana withdrew from Gen. Taylor's front and retreated toward the City of Mexico, in order to a.s.sist in the defense of that city against the American forces under the command of Gen. Scott. Peace was declared in 1848 and the Third dragoons were ordered to Jefferson barracks, St.

Louis, where they were mustered out of the service. Capt. Sh.e.l.ly took pa.s.sage in a steamer for St. Paul, where he arrived in July, 1849, being the first printer to permanently locate in Minnesota. The Pioneer was the first paper printed in St. Paul, but the Register and Chronicle soon followed. Capt. Sh.e.l.ly's first engagement was in the office of the Register, but he soon changed to the Pioneer, and was employed by Mr. Goodhue at the time of his tragic death. When Col.

Robertson Started the Daily Democrat Capt. Sh.e.l.ly was connected with that office, and remained there until the Pioneer and Democrat consolidated. Capt. Sh.e.l.ly was a member of the old Pioneer guards, and when President Lincoln called for men to suppress the rebellion the old patriotism was aroused in him, and he organized, in company with Major Brackett, a company for what was afterward known as Brackett's battalion.

Brackett's battalion consisted of three Minnesota companies, and they were mustered into service in September, 1861. They were ordered to report at Benton barracks, Mo., and were a.s.signed to a regiment known as Curtis horse, but afterward changed to Fifth Iowa cavalry. In February, 1862, the regiment was ordered to Fort Henry, Tenn., and arrived just in time to take an important part in the attack and surrender of Fort Donelson. Brackett's battalion was the only Minnesota force engaged at Fort Donelson, and, although they were not in the thickest of the fight, yet they performed tremendous and exhaustive service in preventing the rebel Gen. Buckner from receiving reinforcements. After the surrender the regiment was kept on continual scout duty, as the country was overrun with bands of guerrillas and the inhabitants nearly all sympathized with them. From Fort Donelson three companies of the regiment went to Savannah, (one of them being Capt. Sh.e.l.ly's) where preparations were being made to meet Gen.

Beauregard, who was only a short distance away. Brackett's company was sent out in the direction of Louisville with orders to see that the roads and bridges were not molested, so that the forces under Gen.

Buell would not be obstructed on the march to reinforce Gen. Grant.

This timely precaution enabled Gen. Buell to arrive at Pittsburg Landing just in time to save Gen. Grant from probable defeat. For three months after this battle Capt. Sh.e.l.ly's company was engaged in protecting the long line of railroad from Columbus, Ky., to Corinth, Miss. On the 25th of August, 1862, Fort Donalson was attacked by the rebels and this regiment was ordered to its relief. This attack of the rebels did not prove to be very serious, but on the 5th of February, 1863, the rebels under Forrest and Wheeler made a third attack on Fort Donelson. They were forced to retire, leaving a large number of their dead on the field, but fortunately none of the men under Capt. Sh.e.l.ly were injured. Nearly the entire spring and summer of 1863 was spent in scouring the country in the vicinity of the Tennessee river, sometimes on guard duty, sometimes on the picket line and often in battle. They were frequently days and nights without food or sleep, but ever kept themselves in readiness for an attack from the wily foes. Opposed to them were the commands of Forest and Wheeler, the very best cavalry officers in the Confederate service. A number of severe actions ended in the battle of Chickamauga, in which the First cavalry took a prominent part. After the battle of Chickamauga the regiment was kept on duty on the dividing line between the two forces. About the 1st of January, 1864, most of Capt. Sh.e.l.ly's company reinlisted and they returned home on a thirty days' furlough. After receiving a number of recruits at Fort Snelling, the command, on the 14th of May, 1864, received orders to report to Gen. Sully at Sioux City, who was preparing to make a final campaign against the rebellious Sioux. On the 28th of June the expedition started on its long and weary march over the plains of the Dakotas toward Montana. It encountered the Indians a number of times, routing them, and continued on its way.

About the middle of August the expedition entered the Bad Lands, and the members were the first white men to traverse that unexplored region. In the fall the battalion returned to Fort Ridgley, where they went into winter quarters, having marched over 3,000 miles since leaving Fort Snelling. Capt. Sh.e.l.ly was mustered out of the service in the spring of 1865, and since that time, until within a few years, has been engaged at his old profession.

Capt. Sh.e.l.ly was almost painfully modest, seldom alluding to the many stirring events with which he had been an active partic.i.p.ant, and it could well be said of him, as Cardinal Wolsey said of himself, that "had he served his G.o.d with half the zeal he has served his country, he would not in his old age have forsaken him." Political preferment and self-a.s.surance keep some men constantly before the public eye, while others, the men of real merit, who have spent the best part of their lives in the service of their country, are often permitted by an ungrateful community to go down to their graves unhonored and unsung.

OTHER PRINTERS IN THE CIVIL WAR.

Capt. Henry C. Coates was foreman of the job department of the Pioneer office. He was an officer in the Pioneer Guards, and when the war broke out was made a lieutenant in the First regiment, was in all the battles of that famous organization up to and including Gettysburg; was commander of the regiment for some time after the battle. After the war he settled in Philadelphia, where he now resides.

Jacob J. Noah at one time set type, with Robert Bonner. He was elected clerk of the supreme court at the first election of state officers; was captain of Company K Second Minnesota regiment, but resigned early in the war and moved to New York City, his former home.

Frank H. Pratt was an officer in the Seventh regiment and served through the war. He published a paper at Taylor's Falls at one time.

After the war he was engaged in the mercantile business in St. Paul.

John C. Devereux was foreman of the old Pioneer and was an officer in the Third regiment, and still resides in the city.

Jacob T. McCoy was an old-time typo and worked in all the St. Paul offices before and after the rebellion. Mr. McCoy was a fine singer and his voice was always heard at typographical gatherings. He enlisted as private in the Second Minnesota and served more than four years, returning as first lieutenant. He now resides in Meadeville, Pa.

Martin Williams was printer, editor, reporter and publisher, both before and after the war. He was quartermaster of the Second Minnesota cavalry.

Robert P. Slaughter and his brother, Thomas Slaughter, were both officers in the volunteer service and just previous to the rebellion were engaged in the real estate business.

Edward Richards was foreman of the Pioneer and Minnesotian before the war and foreman of the old St. Paul Press after the war. He enlisted during the darkest days of the rebellion in the Eighth regiment and served in the dual capacity of correspondent and soldier. No better soldier ever left the state. He was collector of customs of the port of St. Paul under the administration of Presidents Garfield and Arthur, and later was on the editorial staff of the Pioneer Press.

The most remarkable compositor ever in the Northwest, if not in the United States, was the late Charles R. Stuart. He claimed to be a lineal descendant of the royal house of Stuart. For two years in succession he won the silver cup in New York city for setting more type than any of his compet.i.tors. At an endurance test in New York he is reported to have set and distributed 26,000 ems solid brevier in twenty-four hours. He was originally from Detroit. In the spring of 1858 he wandered into the Minnesotian office and applied for work. The Minnesotian was city printer and was very much in need of some one that day to help them out. Mr. Stuart was put to work and soon distributed two cases of type, and the other comps wondered what he was going to do with it. After he had been at work a short time they discovered that he would be able to set up all the type he had distributed and probably more, too. When he pasted up the next morning the foreman measured his string and remeasured it, and then went over and took a survey of Mr. Stuart, and then went back and measured it again. He then called up the comps, and they looked it over, but no one could discover anything wrong with it. The string measured 23,000 ems, and was the most remarkable feat of composition ever heard of in this section of the country. It was no uncommon occurrence for Mr.

Stuart to set 2,000 ems of solid bourgeois an hour, and keep it up for the entire day. Mr. Stuart's reputation as a rapid compositor spread all over the city in a short time and people used to come to the office to see him set type, with as much curiosity as they do now to see the typesetting machine. In 1862 Mr. Stuart enlisted in the Eighth regiment and served for three years, returning home a lieutenant. For a number of years he published a paper at Sault Ste Marie, in which place he died about five years ago. He was not only a good printer, but a very forceful writer, in fact he was an expert in everything connected with the printing business.

E.S. Lightbourn was one of the old-time printers. He served three years in the Seventh Minnesota and after the war was foreman of the Pioneer.

M.J. Clum is one of the oldest printers in St. Paul. He was born in Rensselar county, New York, in 1832, and came to St. Paul in 1853.

He learned his trade in Troy, and worked with John M. Francis, late minister to Greece, and also with C.L. McArthur, editor of the Northern Budget. Mr. Clum was a member of Company D, Second Minnesota, and took part in several battles in the early part of the rebellion.

J.B. Chancy came to Minnesota before the state was admitted to the Union. At one time he was foreman of a daily paper at St. Anthony Falls. During the war he was a member of Berdan's sharpshooters, who were attached to the First regiment.

S J. Albright worked on the Pioneer in territorial days. In 1859 he went to Yankton, Dak., and started the first paper in that territory.

He was an officer in a Michigan regiment during the rebellion. For many years was a publisher of a paper in Michigan, and under the last administration of Grover Cleveland was governor of Alaska.

M.R. Prendergast, though not connected with the printing business for some time, yet he is an old time printer, and was in the Tenth Minnesota during the rebellion.

A.J. Underwood was a member of Berdan's Sharp-shooters, and was connected with a paper at Fergus Falls for a number of years.

Robert V. Hesselgrave was employed in nearly all the St. Paul offices at various times. He was lieutenant in the First Minnesota Heavy Artillery, and is now engaged in farming in the Minnesota valley.

William A. Hill came to St. Paul during the early '50s. He was a member of the Seventh Minnesota.

Ole Johnson was a member of the First Minnesota regiment, and died in a hospital in Virginia.

William F. Russel, a compositor on the Pioneer, organized a company of sharpshooters in St. Paul, and they served throughout the war in the army of the Potomac.

S. Teverbaugh and H.I. Vance were territorial printers, and were both in the army, but served in regiments outside the state.

There were a large number of other printers in the military service during the civil war, but they were not territorial printers and their names are not included in the above list.