USA > South Dakota > Who's who in South Dakota, Volume II > Part 10
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TRAINED SINGER
After his teaching experience he pre- pared for college at Fort Wayne Acadamy. From there he went to De Pauw where he took his full college course. While at De Pauw he also specialized on music. He has a sweet, well trained voice. And after his graduation he at once became a member of the famous DePauw Male Quartette, which sang from one side of the continent to the other. After following this line of endeavor for a year he resigned to accept the M. E. pastorate at Anderson, Indiana.
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Dr. Seaman supplied the pastorate at Anderson for nearly a year and then went to Boston where he spent four years study- ing theology and philosophy preparatory to receiving his Doctorate of Philosophy which was granted to him in 1897, at the age of thirty-one.
Intermingled with these other experi- ences, he preached at Ludbury, Mass., 1893- 1898; at State Street M. E. church, Spring- field, Mass., 1898-1900; and at Wesley church, Salem, Mass., 1900-04.
RETURNS TO TEACHING
In the fall of 1904, President Hughes (now Bishop Hughes), called Dr. Seaman back to his Alma Mater and made him Pro- fessor of Philosophy in DePauw university. He occupied this chair for eight consecutive years until he was chosen president of Da- kota Wesleyan in the fall of 1912.
It is due to Dr. Seaman to say that he was not an applicant for the presidency of Dakota Wesleyan. Some friend suggested him. The suggestion reached the ears of Bishop Hughes ; he urged it. His record was looked up. When it was placed before the scholarly, Dr. Weir, of the D. W. U., he looked it over and remarked: "His training is respectable and his experience is ade-
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quate." That settled it. The committee
called on him. A prompt decision was reached that they had been guided to the proper man. There was no parleying. They urged that he accept ; he did ! It was a clear- cut case of a position seeking a man-an uncommon occurrence nowadays.
AS PRESIDENT
His work as president of Dakota Wes- leyan for the past four years has already at- tested his pre-eminent fitness for the place that sought him. As a school organizer, he has had no superiors among his able pre- decessors.
When one walks into his office, he sees hanging upon the wall a map of South Da- kota, about two feet wide and three feet long. On it he at once notices a lot of small hat pins with various colored heads, stick- ing either singly or in groups in the tiny dots that indicate the various towns of the state. These pins show the number of students that are enrolled at Dakota Wes- leyan from each of the different cities, towns and villages in South Dakota. Then, on the border of the map are some small hand-made countries and states, with pins sticking in them to denote the enrollment from outside the state. Last year there were several of
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these little "outside" squares-one marked "England" with one pin in it; another, Colo- rado with one pin ; Ohio, 2; North Dakota, 3; Indiana, 1; Minnesota, 4; Iowa, 5.
Then, again, these pins bear other sig- nificance. They have, as previously stated, various colored heads. The ones with large black heads denote the pupils of college rank; those with small black heads, academy rank; large red heads, college normal; small red heads, academy normal; large white heads, college commercial, small white heads, academy commercial; while the blue headed ones indicate music. It is a unique thing, and it conveys a number of important ideas not herein enumerated.
Dr. Seaman is a rapid public speaker, with a clear easy address; and he has the ability to think on his feet. He usually speaks without either manuscript or notes, and shows by his intense earnestness that he has long since mastered the enviable art of thought-getting and word-getting while standing on his feet before an audience. In other words he is an unusually strong im- promptu speaker.
South Dakota profits by his coming to our state; Methodism prospers, the D. W. U. grows stronger, education is enhanced, and society blessed. Welcome! thrice welcome !
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J. B. GOSSAGE
"JOURNAL" MAN AND JOURNEYMAN
The laurels for the longest continuous service on a newspaper in this state, to date, must go to Joseph Brooks Gossage, of the "Rapid City Journal." He started the paper and got out the first issue on January 5, 1878; and at the time of this publication, 1916, he is still at the helm and is putting
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out one of the very best dailies in the state, thus giving to him over thirty-seven years of continuous service. Hats off !
At the time he established the Journal, there were in that part of Dakota Territory which now comprises South Dakota but fif- teen other papers. These were as follows as shown by Pettingill's Newspaper Directory :
Bon Homme Dakota Citizen: Thurs- days; Independent; A. J. Cogan, publisher ; established in 1877.
Canton Advocate: Wednesdays; repub- lican; Carter Bros., publishers; circulation 350.
Canton Sioux Valley News; Saturdays ; N. C. Nash, publisher.
Deadwood City Black Hills Miner, daily, except Mondays; democratic; W. D. Knight, publisher; circulation 800.
Deadwood Black Hills Pioneer; daily morning; and weekly, Saturdays; A. W. Herrick, publisher.
Deadwood Times, daily and weekly, Sundays; Porter Warner, proprietor, L. F. Whitbeck, editor.
Elk Point, Union County Courier ; Wed- nesdays ; republican ; C. F. Mallahan, publisher.
Sioux Falls Independent; Thursdays; independent; F. E. Everett, publisher.
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Sioux Falls Pantagraph; Wednesdays ; republican ; Geo. M. Smith & Co., publishers ; circulation, 580.
Swan Lake Era, Thursdays; indepen- dent; H. B. Chaffee, publisher.
Springfield Times; Thursday; republi- can; L. D. Poore, publisher.
Vermillion Dakota Republican; Thurs- days ; Mrs. C. H. True, publisher ; circulation, 600.
Vermillion Standard; Thursdays; re- publican ; L. W. Chandler, publisher.
Yankton Press and Dakotan; daily; evening and weekly ; Thursdays; republican, Bowen & Kingsbury, publishers.
Yankton Dakota Herald; Saturdays, democratic; Taylor Bros., publishers; circu- lation, 1,056.
Where are these early editorial pioneers today ?- these men, who, in the early days, when the buffalo yet roamed the plains and the Indians refused to heed the strong arm of the law, stood unflinchingly at their posts of duty, heralding praises of the west and sounded long and loud the eloquent tocsin of invitation to the east to come west and help to build an empire along the upper Missouri ?
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Ah! their work is nearly finished. Most of them have climbed the golden rungs of Jacob's ladder
"From the lowly earth, To the vaulted skies."
and they are enjoying the fellowship of Angeldom while they await the arrival of their contemporaneous writers. The state owes them a debt it can never pay. Silence their pencils in the long-gone years of our historic past and you would at once reduce Dakota to a semi-arid Indian region, peopled here and there by cattle rustlers and fugi- tives from justice. They deserve well.
Mr. Gossage, unlike most of our pioneer editors who came from "down east," is really a westerner. He was born at Ottumwa, Ia., May 19, 1852. His grandmother was the first white woman in Wapello county, having moved there before the treaty had been signed by the Indians surrendering it to the Whites.
His father died when Joe was nine years of age; the home was broken up and our lad, together with his mother and brother, went to live with his grandparents. He was a mischievous little rascal and ab- solutely refused to go to school. Therefore, his grandparents apprenticed him for five years in the "Courier" office at Ottumwa, to
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learn the printers' trade. The first year, he received the princely salary of $1.00 per week; the second, third and fourth years he got a raise each year of $1.00 per week. The fifth year he was made foreman and was raised twice. The first six months he got $5 per week, and the last six, $8 per week. Nevertheless when his "time was up" he had learned a substantial trade and was prepared for the conflict of life.
SEEKS CITY
At 16 years of age, he went to Chicago, and worked for the large printing establish- ment of Rounds & James-afterwards Rounds & Kane. He remained with them for a year and then joined the force of the old "Chicago Republican." Here he staid for six months and then became identified with the National Printing Co., of Chicago. He was with them at the time of the big Chicago fire, and was receiving $35 per week. After the fire, he returned to Ottumwa, and once more became identified with the Courier- the old plant in which he had learned his trade.
CONTINUES TO ROVE
After tiring of the old haunts around Ottumwa, he struck out for Pekin, Ill., and went to work on the "Pekin Register." Inter-
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mingled with and antedating some of these experiences, he shot across the country to Sioux City, and assisted Caldwell and Stahl in getting out the first issue of the "Sioux City Journal," on April 12, 1870. Digress- ing momentarily, we beg leave to add that Caldwell, after many years at Sioux Falls, returned to Sioux City where he is and has been for some time, identified with the Jour- nal, while Stahl went to Madison, this state, and established the "Madison Leader," which he still publishes.
Gossage went to Eldora, Ia., in the spring of 1872, and took charge of the "Eldora Herald." Its earning power had been misrepresented to him, so he threw it up in a few months and drifted over to Lin- coln, Ill. Shortly thereafter his mother died at Ottumwa, Ia., and he started to at- tend her funeral, but the train was wrecked and he got there too late to take a "last look" at the dear old face.
After this experience he migrated to Marshalltown, Ia., and took charge of the "Marshalltown Times." At the end of six months he again pulled stakes and landed in Cedar Rapids, where he became identified with the "Cedar Rapids Republican."
Here he remained but a short time. In mid-summer, 1873, he struck west, landed in
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Omaha, and accepted a position in the "Oma- ha Republican" job office. However, in De- cember of the same year, his roving spirit took possession of him and he strayed over to Sydney, Neb., and assumed control of the "Sydney Telegraph."
ESTABLISHED "JOURNAL"
He owned and published the Sydney Telegraph for five years. Although he did not sell the plant until May, 1878, he had, nevertheless, five months before, gone to Rapid City, S. D., and established the "Rapid City Journal." He got out the first issue on January 5, 1878, and every succeeding issue since-a period of thirty-eight years and four months. Thus to him must go the distinc- tion of the longest continuous service on the same newspaper, of any man in the state. Hackett, of Parker, enjoys the distinction of having been in the newspaper business in South Dakota longer than any other man- a period of forty years, but his continuous service on one paper lacks from January 5, 1878, to October 15, 1878, of matching that of Gossage.
At the time of establishing the Rapid City Journal, Gossage had been connected with twelve other newspaper plants. The Journal made his thirteenth. This proved to be his lucky number, and so he settled down.
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The Journal was first a weekly, but on February 2, 1886, it was converted into a daily, in which form it is still maintained. A recent copy of the "Inland Printer" gives two photographic reproductions of the entire face page of the Journal, and it compliments Mr. Gossage very highly on the artistic ap- pearance of the paper.
Too much credit can not be given to Mrs. Gossage for the part she has played in mak- ing the Journal what it is today. She was formerly Miss Alice Bower of Vermillion. Her tastes were naturally distinctly western. For twenty-eight years she has done editorial work on the paper and had charge of the business management. She is a keen writer, well balanced, and a lady of unusual business instinct.
In addition to his newspaper work, Mr. Gossage was a member of the old territorial board of trustees of the School of Mines, at Rapid City, having been appointed to the position by Territorial Governor Pierce.
Mr. Gossage's befriending old Sergeant Preacher, and the relationships established between the two, form a unique and pathetic story. Our next "Who's Who" article will, therefore, deal with Preacher.
CHARLES B. PREACHER A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
Personally, I have always taken more pleasure in writing eulogies of the living than obituaries of the dead. For this rea- son, in my long series of "Who's Who in South Dakota" articles, I have confined my- self to paeans of praise for the living; while now, for once, I wish to indulge myself in praise and reverence for the dead.
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Here and there, through the pages of history, there looms up above the horizon the name of a man who was evidently a sol- dier of fortune; that is, one whom fortune seemed to favor. Some would say, "a man possessed of a guardian angel;" others would say, "one favored by the Gods." For in- stance, John Smith, of the Jamestown col- ony, Michael Ney, Napoleon's dashing cavalry leader; Israel Putnam, of revolu- tionary fame; or Theodore Roosevelt, the hero of San Juan.
Such a soldier was Charles B. Preacher, the old first sergeant of Co. M., First South Dakota Volunteers, that served in the Philippines. No other man in that fighting regiment, and in all probability, no other man in this state, or perhaps in any other state, ever had a career like his-one filled with so many triumphs over death, at such critical moments when some strange power seemed suddenly and unbidden to come to his rescue. His biography, among those of the living, merits a conspicuous place.
BORN ABROAD
Preacher's parents were wealthy south- erners. Their name was Berry; how his happened to be "Preacher," we shall later see. His parents were on a trip abroad at
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the time of his birth, so that he came into being in London, England. This fact became a great "fact"-in in his life later on.
IN CIVIL WAR
Nothing is known of him after his birth until the breaking out of our (un) -civil war. At that time he was a student at Washing- ton-Jefferson college. He suddenly disap- peared and showed up next as an orderly for General Lee of the Confederate forces. While carrying a message to the general, from President Jeff Davis, during the battle of Malvern Hill, he was shot clear through, sidewise-the ball passing through both lungs. With Preacher, as with many others in life-their misfortunes are their bless- ings, if they will only await the results. Prior to the time he received this severe wound, he had weak lungs. After some "Yank" drained them for him he was well and rugged.
CAPTURED IN MEXICO
After the civil war was over, he went to Old Mexico and joined Maximillian's army of invasion. On account of his superior military knowledge he was given a position on Maximillian's staff; and when the latter was captured, Preacher was captured with him. They were both sentenced to be shot. The night before they were to die, Preacher
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caught the sentry who was guarding him, unaware, overpowered him, seized his gun and made his escape.
IN CUBA AND SPAIN
He wended his way stealthily to the sea- shore and embarked for Cuba. Here he joined the forces of Don Carlos who took him along to Spain. During the Spanish conflict, he was shot in the leg; was captured and sentenced to be shot. He at once dis- patched a note to the English consul, which set forth the fact that he was born in London and declared himself to be an English sub- ject. The consul promptly saved him. A strange fate seemed ever to be with him.
UNDER TWO MORE FLAGS
When his wound had thoroughly healed, he went to Russia and enlisted in the Russian navy. After serving one year, he was, at his own request, transferred to the Russian army. He served till the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war. Then he deserted the Russian army and joined the French troops. He served through the war without meeting with any personal disaster.
RETURN TO UNITED STATES
At the close of the war, he came back to the United States; married, and settled in West Virginia, where he took up the work of a traveling evangelist and preached to the
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Alleghany mountaineers. They all called him "Preacher," and it somehow became his per- manent name-possibly on account of his wife. "A woman in the deal," you say. Ex- actly so! This was what he needed to change the tenor of his life.
No external force between the cradle and the grave exercises so much influence over a man as his wife. She makes him or breaks him. Preacher's wife did both- she made him, and then proved untrue. They parted. He lost faith in humanity and struck for the army. The 16th Infantry took him in. He re-enlisted with this regiment until he finally reached the age limit-45 years-while they were stationed at Ft. Meade, South Dakota, and he was kicked out.
Then he went to Rapid City and ran a restaurant for awhile. But the demon, rum, plus the other demon, a faithless wife, had ruined him. Hope had fled; will power was ruined; manhood was gone; what should he do? At moments like these
"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
That friend showed up. He was none other than Joseph B. Gossage, editor and proprietor of the Rapid City Journal. Gos- sage took him into his own home, sobered him up, befriended him, and tried to make a man of him.
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SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR SOLDIER
Finally, Mr. Gossage got him a job herd- ing sheep. This kept him out of town most of the time and away from booze, so that he gradually grew better.
The "Maine" was blown up, Congress declared war. Preacher's hour was at hand. He walked to Rapid City, peniless; joined company "M" of the state guards, and was made first sergeant. He swore his age was 43, as shown by the regimental records, but when he was killed the next year, the evi- dence in his private effects showed him to be 57.
When the company started to Sioux Falls for mobilization, Gossage gave Mr. Preacher $10, and arranged with him to act as war correspondent for the Journal. This Preacher did in a clever manner, and the old files of that paper during 1898 and early in 1899 abound in his breezy reports from . the scene of action.
MUSIC IN PROFANITY
During my own varied career as a farm boy driving oxen, as a teacher, soldier and traveling salesman, I have heard men swear in the most vicious and, sometimes, enter- taining fashion, but in all my experience I never heard a man who did swear or could swear by note as did old Sergeant Preacher.
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It was really musical. He was so fluent, his oaths came so easily, and he used so many profane expressions, born out of his broad · experience in soldiering with so many differ- ent tongues in his early days, that he in- variably attracted the attention of all with- in the range of his voice and entertained them mightily as he waxed eloquent.
I do not wish to grow too personal, nor do I wish to be irreverent to his memory when I recite one specific instance. We were about two days from Honolulu on our out- going trip to the Philippines. The noon hour was at hand. The boys were lounging on the upper deck waiting for soup (so- called) to be served. The members in Com- pany "M" had gotten outside of the cramped space on the deck allotted to them and were interfering with the affairs of Company "G." When Sergeant Preacher came up the hatch- way, followed by a detail from his own com- pany who was bringing up a dish pan filled with soup, a sergeant in Company "G" made complaint to him about the intrusion of his company. Preacher halted the detail, ordered his own men inside of their inade- quate space, and then tore loose at them in a torrent of profanity that was the most musical and gliding of anything I had ever heard. Such a volubility of unique expres-
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sions! Such emphasis on the main oaths! Such delsarte-elocution and profane ora- tory !- I doubt if any man ever lived who could have equalled or surpassed the effort. He seemed, as Disraeli said of Gladstone, "inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity." An entire battalion stopped their mess to listen to him. Strange to say ! not a man in his own company got mad at him for it. His excessive outburst, although directed at them, was no doubt quite as enter- taining to them as to others.
FATE
The first two battalions of the South Dakota regiment reached Manila bay about nine o'clock in the forenoon, August 24, 1898, and that afternoon they were put ashore at the village of Cavite, seven miles south and a trifle west of Manila, across the neck of the bay. The other battalion soon arrived also; the regiment was united; remained in Cavite two weeks; was transferred to Ma- nila, quartered there for six months, and then became a part of General McArthur's army of invasion for the capture of Aguinal- do, the subduing of the rebellious Filipinos and the establishment of American sover- eignty throughout the archipelego.
On March 23, 1899-the morning before the advance was to have been begun that
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cost the lives of so many brave boys-Ser- geant Preacher wrote to Mr. Gossage the following letter :
"Dear Joe : We have just received orders to bivouac tonight a short distance ahead of our present position, and to advance at 4:00 a. m. tomorrow.
"That means business. If I get out with a whole skin I will write you a long letter as soon as possible. If I lose the number of my mess-well, good-bye, old man, it is all right. You will understand that it is not buncombe to say at this time that I cheerfully lay my life on the altar of patriotism. But, if I am spared the sacrifice, I will try to live for-as I am ready to die for-my country.
"All the boys feel the same way and cold feet are scarce. Captain Medbury and Lieutenant Young, are jollying each other like a pair of kids, and as soon as I can I will be with them.
"Remember me to any who inquire about me, and depend upon your Journal corre- spondent to do his duty to the best of his ability. Your friend,
Charles B. Preacher."
The advance was made two days later- March 25th. It had its sacrifices, Preacher was spared. The Filipinos were forced back about nine miles. The next day, March 26th,
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the South Dakota regiment was marched off of the field in a column of fours, by the left flank, and shortly after dinner plunged into the battle of Polo. The next day, March 27th, was Marilao-Marilao! Will those who were there ever forget it?
The balls came pell-mell Like a moulten hell, Smiting us left and right, We rose or fell While through the dell We rushed for yonder height.
Preacher rushed-but only part way. Not far from the heroic regimental adju- tant, Lieutenant Jonas H. Lien, who lay in the throes of death, Preacher, too, went down. He died "game to the core." His body was interred at Manila. Eleven months later, Mr. Gossage received this telegram: "San Francisco, Feb. 14, 1900 .- J. B. Gossage, Rapid City-Remains late Charles Preacher, Sergeant "M", First South Dako- ta, sent your care 6 o'clock tonight by W. F. express .- Long, Depot Q. M."
(Continued in the following article.)
REV. GUY P. SQUIRE WRITES ABOUT THE LAST MOMENTS OF THE OLD SERGEANT
Editor Argus-Leader: I was very much interested in Mr. Coursey's "Who's Who" ar- ticle on Sergeant Preacher. Also a member of Co. F, First South Dakota Infantry, I was
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shot in the right side in the fight at the Mari- lao river, and with Sergeant Preacher was taken that night on the same car back to Manila. We were laid side by side in a train of freight cars, eighteen in number, in which, as carefully as could be done, our soldier en- gineer ran us back the eighteen miles to Manila to the city wharf. There we were disembarked and placed upon a launch which conveyed us up the Pisig river to where a door of the First Reserve hospital opened on to the river, then we were taken out and carried to the operating room where at two tables the surgeons were soon at work on their mission of mercy. So many were there that the rooms surrounding the operating ' room were completely covered with the litters of the boys, where they lay chatting and smoking amid the groans of the dying, talking over the events of that terribly eventful day. Finally it came my turn and after having my wound dressed I was taken to ward 18, a ward made of large "A" tents erected on a platform outside the quadrangle of wards of the regular hospital, as that was full, having at the time over 900 men in it. About 3:00 o'clock in the morning I was placed in a bed in this ward, the first springs . that I had been laid on in a year. I had been on guard without sleep throughout the
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