Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1919 — FATHER OF THE PARAGRAPH [ARTICLE]

FATHER OF THE PARAGRAPH

George D. Prentice, Oldtime Journal* Ist, Once Wished to Use Pistols, as Well. One hundred and sixteen years apo, on December 18, 1802, there l,l>rQ at Preston, Conn., George D. Prentice, who became one of the most noted newspaper men of his.timie, the father ot the'editorial paragraph, as the Short terse pointed comments he made on men and matters were called, and who narrowly missed an editorial career in Ohio. Prentice toured Ohio In 1830, after he had already made a name for himself in eastern journalism, looking for a location, but passed on into Ketu. tucky, where at Lexington he began .work on his “Life of Henry "Clay” and ultimately became editor of the Louisville Journal. On his way through Ohio he called on William D. Gallagher, who had already become well known as an editor and who was then publishing his unfortunate venture at Xenia —‘‘The Backwoodsman.” Gallagher was upstairs working with the types that summer day in 1830 and a helper from below’ announced his caller. Gallagher stopped to make himself a little more presentable, whereupon Prentice shouted upstairs, “Never mind inky fingers; I’m used to them.” The two men were in hearty accord then, but it is interesting to note that they came to swords’ joints twenty years later —or rather to pistol points. The slavery question coming up, in the early fifties, the two men found themselves editors of the two principal newspapers of Louisville —Gallagher <>f the Courier and Prentice of the Journal, taking opposite sides. Gallagher was strong for abolition and Prentice defended slavery. Their references to“each other soon” descended to the level of personal journalism. Finally Prentice went to Cincinnati, where Gallagher had written much for the newspapers, digging up his abolition sentiments for the.purpose of retailing them to pro-slavery Louisville. This aroused the lion in Gallagher and he applied opprobrious terms to Prentice. The next day a Colojiel Churchill arrived at Gallagher's rural home with a challenge to him to fight a duel. After reading the challenge Gallagher tore it into bits and said to Churchill, “Tell Prentice that that Is my answer tohi s - fool ish challenge J*—Prentice died in Louisville, January 22, 1870.