USA > Iowa > Muscatine County > History of Muscatine County, Iowa, from the earliest settlements to the present time, Volume I > Part 46
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"There were no libraries of consequence in any of the interior towns except Iowa City, which had the territorial library. The statutes and a few text-books constituted the libraries of the lawyers of those days. So when they started to go around the district each member would take with him the book which he con- sidered the most useful. Some would have Swan's Treatise, others Cowen's Treatise; one an Ohio, the other a New York book; others still would have a stray volume or two of the digest of the reports of some state. And I must be permitted to say that cases seldom arose in the early times wherein the attorneys could not find something to enlighten themselves and the court in Cowen's Treatise.
"Charges of the court to juries were given orally and it was difficult to agree upon the precise language used by the court in charging a jury, when it was
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desirable to embody the same in a bill of exceptions. We had no reporters in those days. Sometimes the attorneys would take notes of the testimony, but such notes were not official and the attorneys could not always agree upon what the evidence was. In such cases, the court, who usually remembered and knew less about the testimony than the attorneys, would have to decide between them. Cases were much more rapidly disposed of than they now are. There was not so much time spent in examining witnesses and the speeches of the attorneys were not on an average more than half as long as they are now. On the whole there was perhaps as near an approach to justice in the disposition of cases as can be boasted of at present.
"The judges and the traveling lawyers made it a point to stop at the same hotel when that was possible in the different county towns. Of course they had the best rooms and the best beds, though there were usually four or five beds in a room, and never less than two in a bed. A room and a bed was a luxury un- known to those times. The beds were made of "prairie feathers" otherwise "prairie hay," and were sometimes quite comfortable. In the evenings, after supper, the judge and the lawyers, instead of studying their cases and getting ready for the next day's trials, would repair to the parlor or best room in the hotel, though there was usually a bed or two in the parlor, and had high carnival till near midnight. Judge Williams was a musician and played the violin and flute with considerable taste, and E. H. Thomas, prosecuting attorney, who re- sided in Louisa county, played second, or alto. After they had played all their best tunes and the music had lost some of its charms, the time would be occupied in telling stories and in singing songs. In all this Judge Williams was in his glory. He sang well and could tell a good story, and although some of his stories had been heard by the members of the bar a hundred times-more or less-it was always in order to laugh when one was concluded. If the stories had been oft repeated and were stale to the lawyers they were new to the eager crowd of out- side listeners, for on such occasions, the hall, the doorway and the windows, when it was not too cold, would be filled and darkened by jurymen, witnesses and the inhabitants of the village where court was being held. Sometimes it was the order for each, beginning with the judge and including all of the attorneys, to sing a song or tell a story in his turn. Of course this would bring forth all sorts of stories and all sorts of songs. Stephen Whicher could tell a good story and S. C. Hastings used to sing a song.
"If I had time I could tell some interesting things about the pioneer bench and bar. I could say something about the peculiarities of the attorneys but my time has expired and I conclude by saying that the pioneer judge of this district was versatile and many sided and gave quite as much satisfaction to the general public in the discharge of his duties as could be expected. He had natural ability but it was difficult for him to concentrate his attention for any length of time upon perplexing questions.
"Of the attorneys I may say that, taking them altogether, they compared favorably with the attorneys of the present time, and especially is this true when we consider the difficulties under which they labored. Books were few and cases could not be cited on every question which arose as they can be now. Among the pioneer members of the bar who practiced more or less in this county, I may
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mention Grimes & Starr, David Rorer, Stephen Whicher, S. C. Hastings, Will- iam G. Woodward, R. P. Lowe, Jacob Butler, J. G. Deshler, J. C. Day, John P. Cook and myself. Jacob Butler and J. C. Day are the only pioneer lawyers in this county who did not hold honorable positions as officers, either of the state or United States. Grimes was a strong man, although not so brilliant as Starr, his partner. As you all know, Grimes became governor of the state and afterwards one of its honored United States senators. Stephen Whicher was for a time district attorney for the United States. S. C. Hastings was a member of con- gress from this state and afterwards became chief justice of the supreme court. He removed to California and there held the office of attorney general and also that of chief justice. William G. Woodward was one of the judges of the su- preme court. R. P. Lowe was governor of the state and afterwards one of its supreme judges. John P. Cook was a member of congress. John G. Deshler was United States attorney under Tyler and I had the honor of being judge of this district for nearly ten years."
A FASHIONABLE QUADRILLE AND AN INDIAN WAR DANCE.
The following is one of Suel Foster's stories, in which an Indian war dance figured quite prominently : "In the spring of 1839, Stephen Whicher made a large social party at his house, then situated on the northwest corner of Second and Locust streets, at which was present about twenty Indians, with their squaws, in calico breeches, roundabouts, moccasins ornamented with beads and trinkets. The Indian men were also dressed for the party, with faces painted and gay blankets, with their war trophies on, jewels in their ears and noses, brass bands on their arms, long, ornamented pipes, weasel skin and skunk tobacco pouches, war clubs with feathers attached to them, bears' claws and tusks, buckskin breeches and waumsies highly ornamented. All the elite of the town were pres- ent-ladies and gentlemen, young and middle aged. We had no old folks then. George Lucas was there, Ralph Lowe and his wife, Matthew Mathews and his daughter, H. Mathews, his wife and two daughters, M. Couch and wife, and others, comprising a social and jolly company indeed. The center of the large front room was cleared and an Indian war dance introduced. They lacked music and Mrs. Whicher brought out some tin pans, and with the fire shovel and tongs and some sticks made the music.
"Kishkekosh, the noble chief, stepped out on the floor alone. He was divested of nearly all his garments, a most splendid figure of human form, and led the dance in majestic style. Shortly one after another of the men joined until the floor was nearly filled the while circling around in all sorts of savage and frantic shapes and attitudes, keeping time with the ding of the pan and tongs, at the same time uttering low gutteral sounds-hew-wa-wa-hew-ha-wa-we-ho-hew-haw- woo, which increased in loudness and tone until it became a savage howl and they charged upon each other until the ladies were greatly frightened. The door was guarded so as not to allow any to escape and the tumult became very general all around, whites and copper. The squaws did not dance but laughed to burst to see the pale faced women so frightened. The dance gradually subsided, when one of the Indians sprang at one of the fairest of the fair ladies to kiss her but
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she would not and screamed. As compensation for this most excellent and ex- traordinary entertainment-the best ever witnessed in Muscatine-the Indians insisted on a dance by the whites, and more especially by the white 'squaws.' A good violin was tuned and the dance performed in most elegant style. The Indians appeared equally delighted as the whites did at their dance. Thus ended one of the most brilliant occasions in the history of our city. The party dispersed at the small hours of the night, the whites to their log cabins and the Indians to their whiskey up Pappoose creek, each in their peaceful and happy homes."
CHAPTER XIX.
JOURNALISM.
THIS COMMUNITY ABLY SERVED BY THE PRESS-IN THE FRONT RANK OF PRESENT DAY EQUIPMENT, MAKE-UP AND QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF NEWS-EDITORIAL WRITERS OF STATEWIDE REPUTATION-THE JOURNAL "OLDER THAN THE STATE OF IOWA"-THE NEWS-TRIBUNE.
On the 27th day of October, 1840, the seed from which has sprung the Mus- catine Journal of today was planted, when from a humble cabin there was is- sued on a primitive press the first edition of the Bloomington Herald.
Vast as is the difference between the Bloomington of 1840 and the Musca- tine of 1911, it is no greater than the difference between the Herald of that early day and the Joural of the present. The city has prospered and grown. So has the paper. The city has seen its lean years and its fat ones, and so has the news- paper, which more than seventy years ago began its course under none too fa- vorable auspices.
Further on in this article the Hon. John Mahin is quoted, to give a picture of the Herald office when he first entered it as an apprentice over sixty years ago. Nowhere that it has been possible to discover is there an accurate descrip- tion of the first Herald office, save only as the outlines of that picture may be dimly discerned from the somewhat plaintive note of the editors who bewailed their poor housing in the first issue of their paper.
Following their leading editorial, in which John B. Russell and Thomas Hughes-their names are given in this order advisedly, though Hughes was the senior partner-made their bow to Bloomington and "to the people of Iowa," and in which they outlined the policies which were to govern the newly launched journal, the reader will find this paragraph.
"The first number of the Herald would have been issued two weeks ago but for the impossibility of securing a room. The room which we now occupy is so small that we can open not more than half of our materials and so open as to afford us but little protection from the weather. We have concluded to delay the publication of the second number until a room for its reception can be finished, which will require but a few days. The cold weather for some time past has proved the impossibility of making regular issues, with our office in such a mis- erable cabin, making the delay a matter of necessity."
FIRST ISSUE IN A STABLE.
In a letter written by the late Professor T. S. Parvin, published in the semi- centennial edition of the Journal, it is stated that "the miserable cabin," of
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which the editors of the Herald speak, was in fact a stable belonging to Colonel Isett, one of the most prominent residents of the village at that early day. But for this matter of not being able to find a location, presuming that the Herald editors spoke truly when they declared the difficulty delayed the appearance of the paper two weeks, the Muscatine Journal of today would have been the pio- neer paper in the city as well as the oldest paper now published. For one week before the issue of the first Herald, however, Messrs. Crum and Bailey, who had secured the only vacant building in the place, issued the Iowa Standard. The Standard, though, was not long a fixture in Bloomington, moving the next year to Iowa City, which was then assuming considerable prominence as the capital of the state.
But the Herald through many changes of management, through many diver- sities and through two brief periods of suspension, remained in Muscatine, re- mained until as the Muscatine Journal under the management of John Mahin it was placed upon a sound business and editorial basis and became one of the most prominent and influential papers in the state.
STARTING NEWSPAPERS IN 1840.
Something of the conditions under which newspapers were begun at that early period is reflected in another editorial paragraph quoted from the second page of the first issue of the Herald.
"So numerous," declared the Herald, "have been the prospectuses heretofore circulated for obtaining subscribers to newspapers to be published in this place, which have ended in wind, that the people generally have been so often deceived that they now look upon all presented with suspicion, and are unwilling to give in their names until publication has been commenced. Aware of this fact, we have commenced the Herald with a smaller number than we would have felt safe in doing under any other circumstances yet we are by no means discouraged. Our list is already sufficiently large to give us the fullest confidence of success. The democracy of Muscatine (the Herald at its inception was a democratic newspaper, while its rival, the Standard, was a whig organ) and the surround- ing country are too wide awake to their interests, too firm in their support of their fixed and immovable principles, to suffer a channel to which they can all have access, linger for want of patronage. Then we would say to all, the pros- pectus of the Herald was issued and its publication commenced with a deter- mination to go on with it, and triumphantly, too, if economy, industry and perseverance would avail, and if not, to fail in the attempt. We now, instead of promises only, present the performance, hoping to meet with a hearty recep- tion at the fireside of every farmer in the county."
Of this pioneer paper the controlling spirit was John Russell. He was a good natured and a jolly fellow, caring for scarcely more than a living support for his paper and for the personal enjoyment possible in the new town which he had chosen for his home. His paper contained but little original matter besides oc- casional notices of a sleighing party or a dance, in which more than likely the editor himself figured, together with his "colo-red whiskers," as he was accus- tomed to designate his facial ornamentation. Little or no attempt was made to
BEN HERSHEY WITH RAFT AND LOTUS TOWING SHELLS IN 1901
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discuss the issues of the day and very little effort to "write up the town" so as to invite immigration. Town publicity in those days was apparently unknown, even in its crudest forms.
A GOOD PAPER FOR ITS DAY.
Yet it must not be understood that the Herald was not a good specimen of the newspaper of its day. It was published in a day of small things and it is not to be spoken of lightly now. It performed its mission and called attention in a more general way to the fact that Bloomington was a good place to settle in. A story on the front page, a scrap or two of poetry, a few jokes on the fourth page, with a small number of local items, thanks to steamboat clerks for late copies of St. Louis papers, and a few items of general news on the in- side, were as a rule the features of the weekly menu served to the readers of that day. The paper was, of course, issued only weekly and was small, being but six columns wide.
DR. C. O. WATERS' NEXT EDITION.
Before coming to Bloomington, Russell had worked as a printer at Dubuque. He remained with the Herald until 1845, when he disposed of his interest to Dr. Charles O. Waters. Later he drifted to Keokuk, where he died of cholera during the visitation of the plague there in 1850.
Thomas Hughes, his partner, seems to have been a man of quiet and retiring nature, as but little is heard of him. Though the senior member of the firm, he seems to have made but little impression upon the paper or upon the town during his residence here. He remained in partnership with Dr. Waters for about a year and then removed to Iowa City, where for a number of years he was engaged in newspaper work, and where he passed away March 13, 1881.
Under the management of Hughes & Waters the tone of the paper improved. Dr. Waters acted as editor and he is declared to have been both a good and scholarly writer.
HERALD BECOMES A WHIG PAPER.
In 1846 M. T. Emerson, a printer and a man of good judgment and much character, purchased the Herald. Emerson being a whig, changed the policy of the paper, which as above stated, had until this time been democratic. With the beginning of Emerson's regime it left the ranks of democratic publication and nevermore was an organ of democracy. Emerson threw his entire energies into the conduct of his paper and made many noticeable changes both in the me- chanical and editorial departments. But his connection with the paper was destined to last but a few months, as the career which opened up so brightly was soon ended by his death.
The next owners of the Journal were N. L. Stout and William P. Israel. Of this firm, Stout was the editor and Israel the printer. They conducted the affairs of the office from 1846 until 1848. Stout was a vigorous partisan and during his term in the editorial chair the columns of the Herald abounded in vigorous denunciations of slavery. It required no small amount of courage to Vol. I-25
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announce one's self as an abolitionist in 1846, especially in a state bordering on the great thoroughfare which floated the commerce of the south. However, fear of results had no deterring influence over the Herald's editor. He condemned slavery without stint and before long the Herald became a noted paper through- out all the northwest.
Of Stout's editorial tendencies, John Mahin writing in the Semi-Centennial edition of the Journal published in 1890, relates: "Mr. Stout delighted in politi- cal pollemics and the way he each week annihilated 'Granny Ritchie,' as he called the editor of the Richmond (Virginia) Whig, was a caution to all anti- quarians. Whether Mr. Ritchie ever deigned to reply, or ever saw those phi- lippics we do not know."
JOHN MAHIN ENTERS HERALD OFFICE.
From this viewpoint, looking back over the seventy years of the history of the Muscatine Journal, by far the most important event marking the administra- tion of Stout and Israel in the Herald office, was the taking into their employ as a raw, green, young apprentice of thirteen years, the man who was after- ward to make his name synonomous throughout the state and the nation with that of the Muscatine Journal-John Mahin. In 1847, Jacob Mahin, the father, apprenticed his son, who had given evidence of his bent toward the newspaper profession, to Stout & Israel and for more than sixty years following, with the exception of but two short intervals, John Mahin was a fixture in the office which he then entered. Of his entrance into the printing office and of the con- ditions which existed at that time, Mr. Mahin a few years ago wrote:
THE HERALD OFFICE IN 1847.
"When I entered the Journal office as an apprentice in November, 1847, the only practical printers then living in the town were William P. Israel and La- fayette Parvin, both of whom were employed in the Journal office. The first named was a business partner of N. L. Stout, the publishing firm being Stout & Israel, but Mr. Stout not being a printer, performed the duties of editor of the paper. The office was in the third story of the brick building (108) still standing on West Second street. The printing establishment was a primitive affair, consisting of three double racks of cases for type, a Washington hand press and an imposing stone, about four by eight feet on the surface. All the mechanical work was done in one room, where was also the editorial writing table. Mr. Israel and Mr. Parvin were masters of the art preservative and were my preceptors in learning the trade. My duties consisted of sweeping out in the morning, carrying water and wood, and keeping up the fires when necessary, while the remainder of the time was devoted to setting type. I was also carrier for the paper, delivering it to the town subscribers on Saturday. It was quite an achievement to 'learn the boxes,' that is to ascertain the arrangement of the letters in the case containing the type, for they were not arranged alphabetically as one might suppose, but for convenience. The type most used was put in the most convenient places. The letter 'e' therefore had the largest box in front
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of the compositor as he stood at the case. The 'i' came next and was on the right hand side of the 'e' box. The 'k,' 'j' and 'z' boxes were small and on the outer part of the case, because comparatively few of them were used. It was not many weeks until I was given copy to set for the paper and I was immensely proud when what I had set first appeared in the paper. The news at that time was mostly in reference to the Mexican war. There were also stirring times in France and I remember once when I had set up a reprint article referring to Napoleon, with an 'a' instead of an 'o' in the last syllable, I was much mortified when the proof sheet came to me to find that I was in error. After that I kept in mind the humorous precept of Mr. Israel, who said it was a good rule to 'fol- low copy even if it was blown out of the window.'
EARLY PRINTERS WORKED HARD.
"Although the Herald was only four pages of six columns each and was issued once a week, its two printers and one apprentice seemed hard pressed to do all of the mechanical work on it. Issue day was Saturday but almost invariably we had to work all Friday night to get the paper out on time. It was my busi- ness to 'roll the forms,' that is, apply the ink to the type by means of a large soft roller made in an iron mold, from glue and molasses, which had previously been boiled to the proper consistency. These rollers had to be made by the office force in those days. Some years later they were procured at the type foundry. Many a Friday night, too tired and sleepy, with hands blackened by ink, wearing a large paper apron to protect my clothes as far as possible, I stood behind the press and at proper intervals applied the ink to a form with a two handed roller. The pressman, who was usually Mr. Israel, had the hardest part of the job. Each sheet of paper had to be placed by hand on what was called a 'tympan,' the paper was then clasped to its place by a rim of the tympan called the 'bris- ket,' which was drawn down upon it, swinging on hinges. Then it was turned over flat on the forms resting on an iron bed called the 'platin,' then by turning a crank the 'platin' with the forms was carried beneath the frame work of the press, when another pull on a lever brought the upper part of the press down upon the paper on the type and made the impression. Then the form had to be drawn out in the same manner, the 'tympan' raised, the paper unclasped and taken off and laid on a board prepared for the purpose. This process, which I fear the uninitiated reader will not understand because of the technical terms em- ployed, printed only one side of the paper. This side was usually printed Thurs- day. The last side required precisely the same process on Friday night."
Contrasted with the Journal of today, with its splendid Goss press printing ten thousand completed papers of eight, ten, twelve or sixteen pages an hour, and its battery of three Merganthaler linotype machines, the office occupying its own large building and employing nearly fifty persons inclusive of carriers, it will be seen that the conditions in that early day were indeed primitive.
HERALD THEN HAD FIVE HUNDRED CIRCULATION.
Mr. Mahin adds further touches to his graphic picture of the early day print- ing office. He says : "A pressman on the old Washington hand press did well if he could print a 'token' an hour. The term 'token' has become obsolete even in
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printing offices and I must therefore explain that it then meant ten quires of paper, each quire containing twenty-four sheets, so it took two hours under the old process to print an issue of two hundred and forty papers as each paper had to go through the press twice. As my recollection now serves me, the Herald had a circulation of about five hundred, while I was an apprentice in the office.
"The Herald office had some job printing to do in those days. It was the custom to print invitations to funerals with a dark border around them. Ball tickets were printed in the gaudiest style of the art. Chromatic presses were un- known then, so a color or tint was given to the ticket by sprinkling some powder on it as it came from the press, before there was time for the ink to dry. In this kind of printing it was my duty to apply the ink with a ball made by tightly packing cotton in a piece of silk. All kinds of jobs were printed on the Wash- ington press, as there was no other kind of a press in the office.
"The practice in apprenticeships in those days was an agreement on the part of the apprentice to stay three years in learning the trade, with promise of board and clothes the first year, board and clothes and fifty dollars the second year and board and clothes and one hundred dollars the third year. This was my agreement with Stout & Israel but the first year had barely closed when the firm quit business on account of financial difficulties."
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