The Hutchinson family often visited St. Paul, the enterprising town of Hutchinson, McLeod county, being named after them. They were a very patriotic family and generally sang their own music. How deliberate the leader of the tribe would announce the title of the song about to be produced. Asa Hutchinson would stand up behind the melodeon, and with a pause between each word inform the audience that "Sister—Abby—will—now—sing—the—beautiful—song—composed— by—Lucy—Larcum—entitled—'Hannah—Is—at—the—Window—Binding— Shoes.'" And sister Abby would sing it, too. During the early part of the war the Hutchinson family was ordered out of the Army of the Potomac by Gen. McClellan on account of the abolition sentiments expressed in its songs. The general was apparently unable to interpret the handwriting on the wall, as long before the war was ended the entire army was enthusiastically chanting that beautiful melody to the king of abolitionists—
"John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave
And his soul is marching on."
Gen. McClellan was at one time the idol of the army, as well as of the entire American people. Before the war he was chief engineer of the Illinois Central railroad and made frequent trips to St. Paul to see the future Mrs. McClellan, a Miss Marcy, daughter of Maj. R.B. Marcy of the regular army, who lived in the old Henry M. Rice homestead on Summit avenue. When Gen. McClellan was in command of the Army of the Potomac Maj. Marcy was his chief of staff.
One of the original Hutchinsons is still living, as indicated by the following dispatch, published since the above was written:
"Chicago, Ill., Jan. 4, 1902.—John W. Hutchinson, the last survivor of the famous old concert-giving Hutchinson family, which was especially prominent in anti-bellum times, received many congratulations to-day on the occasion of his eighty-first birthday, Mr. Hutchinson enjoys good health and is about to start on a new singing and speaking crusade through the South, this time against the sale and us of cigarettes. Mr. Hutchinson made a few remarks to the friends who had called upon him, in the course of which he said: 'I never spent a more enjoyable birthday than this, except upon the occasion of my seventy-fifth, which I spent in New York and was tendered a reception by the American Temperance union, of which I was the organizer. Of course you will want me to sing to you, and I think I will sing my favorite song, which I wrote myself. It is "The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man." I have written a great many songs, among them "The Blue and the Gray," "Good old Days of Yore," and some others that I cannot remember now. I sang the "Blue and the Gray" in Atlanta six years ago, at the time of the exposition there, and McKinley was there. I had the pleasure of saying a few words at that time about woman's suffrage. I wrote the first song about woman's suffrage and called it "Good Times for Women." This is the 11,667th concert which I have taken part in.'"
The venerable singer is reputed to be quite wealthy. A few years ago one of the children thought the old man was becoming entirely too liberal in the distribution of his wealth, and brought an action in the New York courts requesting the appointment of a guardian to his estate. The white-haired musician appeared in court without an attorney, and when the case was about to be disposed of made a request of the judge, which was granted, that he might be sworn. After Mr. Hutchinson had made his statement to the court the judge asked a few questions. "How is your memory?" said the judge. "Memory," replied the old man. "I remember the flavor of the milk at the maternal fountain." The judge concluded that Mr. Hutchinson was fully capable of managing his own affairs.
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Concert hall, built in 1857 by J.W. McClung, had room for 400 or 500 people, but it was somewhat inaccessible on account of its being in the basement of the building and was not very much in demand. Horatio Seymour made a great speech to the Douglas wing of the Democracy in the hall during the campaign of 1880, and Tom Marshall, the great Kentucky orator, delivered a lecture on Napoleon to a large audience In the same place. On the night of the presidential election in 1860 a number of musicians who had been practicing on "Dixie" and other music in Munger's music store came down to the hall and entertained the Republicans who had gathered there for the purpose of hearing the election returns. There was a great deal more singing than there was election returns, as about all the news they were able to get was from the four precincts of St. Paul, New Canada, Rose and Reserve townships and West St. Paul. We had a telegraph line, to be sure, but Mr. Winslow, who owned the line, would not permit the newspapers, or any one else, to obtain the faintest hint of how the election had gone in other localities. After singing until 11 or 12 o'clock, and abusing Mr. Winslow in language that the linotype is wholly unable to reproduce, the crowd dispersed. Nothing could be heard of how the election had gone until the following afternoon, when Gov. Ramsey received a dispatch from New York announcing that that state had given Mr. Lincoln 50,000 majority. As that was the pivotal state the Republicans immediately held a jollification meeting.
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Tom Marshall was one of the most eloquent orators America ever produced. He was spending the summer in Minnesota endeavoring to recover from the effects of an over-indulgence of Kentucky's great staple product, but the glorious climate of Minnesota did not seem to have the desired effect, as he seldom appeared on the street without presenting the appearance of having discovered in the North Star State an elixer fully as invigorating as any produced in the land where colonels, orators and moonshiners comprise the major portion of the population. One day as Marshall came sauntering down Third street he met a club of Little Giants marching to a Democratic gathering. They thought they would have a little sport at the expense of the distinguished orator from Kentucky, and they haulted immediately in front of him and demanded a speech. They knew that Mr. Marshall was a pronounced Whig and supported the candidacy of Bell and Everett, but as he was from a slave state they did not think he would say anything reflecting on the character of their cherished leader. Mr. Marshall stepped to the front of the sidewalk and held up his hand and said: "Do you think Douglas will ever be president? He will not, as no man of his peculiar physique ever entered the sacred portals of the White House." He then proceeded to denounce Douglas and the Democratic party in language that was very edifying to the few Republicans who chanced to be present. The Little Giants concluded that it was not the proper caper to select a casual passer-by for speaker, and were afterward more particular in their choice of an orator.