The late John O. Terry was the first hand pressman in St. Paul.
He formed a partnership with Col. Owens in the publication of the
Minnesotian. For a long time he was assistant postmaster of St. Paul,
and held several other positions of trust.
J.B.H. Mitchell was a, member of the firm of Newson, Mitchell & Clum, publishers of the Daily Times. For several years after the war he was engaged as compositor in the St. Paul offices, and is now farming in Northern Minnesota.
Among the freaks connected with the printing business was a poet printer by the name of Wentworth. He was called "Long Haired Wentworth."
Early in the war he enlisted in the First Minnesota regiment. When Col. Gorman caught sight of him he ordered his hair cut. Wentworth would not permit his flowing locks to be taken off, and he was summarly dismissed from the service. After being ordered out of the regiment he wrote several letters of doubtful loyalty and Secretary Stanton had him arrested and imprisoned in Fort Lafayette with other political prisoners. He never returned to Minnesota.
Marshall Robinson was a partner of the late John H. Stevens in the publication of the first paper at Glencoe. At one time he was a compositor on the Pioneer, and the last heard from him he was state printer for Nevada.
Andrew Jackson Morgan was brought to St. Paul by the late Col. D.A. Robertson and made foreman of the Democrat. He was a printer-politician and possessed considerable ability. At one time he was one of the editors of the Democrat. He was said to bear a striking resemblance to the late Stephen A. Douglas, and seldom conversed with any one without informing them of the fact. He was one of the original Jacksonian Democrats, and always carried with him a silver dollar, which he claimed was given him by Andrew Jackson when he was christened. No matter how much Democratic principle Jack would consume on one of his electioneering tours he always clung to the silver dollar. He died in Ohio more than forty years ago, and it is said that the immediate occasion of his demise was an overdose of hilarity.
Another old timer entitled to a good position in the hilarity column was J.Q.A. Ward, commonly known as Jack Ward. He was business manager of the Minnesotian during the prosperous days of that paper. The first immigration pamphlet ever gotten out in the territory was the product of Jack's ingenuity. Jack created quite a sensation at one time by marrying the daughter of his employer on half an hour's ball room acquaintance. He was a very bright man and should have been one of the foremost business men of the city, but, like many other men, he was his own worst enemy.
Another Jack that should not be overlooked was Jack Barbour. His theory was that in case the fiery king interfered with your business it was always better to give up the business.
A.M. Carver was one of the best job printers in the country, and he was also one of the best amateur actors among the fraternity. It was no uncommon thing for the old time printers to be actors and actors to be printers. Lawrence Barrett, Stuart Robson and many other eminent actors were knights of the stick and rule. Frequently during the happy distribution hour printers could be heard quoting from the dramatist and the poet, and occasionally the affairs of church and state would receive serious consideration, and often the subject would be handled in a manner that would do credit to the theologian or the diplomat, but modern ingenuity has made it probable that no more statesmen will receive their diplomas from the composing room. Since the introduction of the iron printer all these pleasantries have passed away, and the sociability that once existed in the composing room will be known hereafter only to tradition.
The late William Jebb was one of the readiest debaters in the old Pioneer composing room. He was well posted on all topics and was always ready to take either side of a question for the sake of argument. Possessing a command of language and fluency of speech that would have been creditable to some of the foremost orators, he would talk by the hour, and his occasional outbursts of eloquence often surprised and always entertained the weary distributors. At one time Jebb was reporter on the St. Paul Times. Raising blooded chickens was one of his hobbies. One night some one entered his premises and appropriated, a number of his pet fowls. The next day the Times had a long account of his misfortune, and at the conclusion of his article he hurled the pope's bull of excommunication at the miscreant. It was a fatal bull and was Mr. Jebb's reportorial finish.