Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in St. Paul: A Collection of Articles Written for and Published in the Daily Pioneer PressMoore, Frank
History
Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in St. Paul: A Collection of Articles Written for and Published in the Daily Pioneer Press
Moore, Frank
Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota; Saint Paul (Minn.) -- History
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 competitors. 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
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account