Part 69 (2/2)

WILLIAM PITT MURRAY is of Irish descent He was born in Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, in 1827; caraduated at the State Law School at Blooton in 1849, and the same year came to St Paul, where he has practiced law ever since He has also taken an active part in the politics of the city and State He has probably assisted in the passage of more laws than any other man in the State He was a member of the territorial house of representatives in 1852-53 and 57, and of the territorial council of 1854-55, acting as president in the latter year He was aof the constitutional convention in 1857; was a representative in the state legislatures of 1863 and 1868, and a state senator in 1866-67, 1875-76, and has besides served sixteen years in the city council of St Paul He has been county and city attorney since 1876 He has been honored beyond most public servants and has a county named after him He was married to Carolina S Conwell, of Laurel, Indiana, April 7, 1853 They have three children living

HENRY HALE--Judge Hale was born in Vermont in 1816; studied law and was admitted to practice in his native state He cae Square He took an active part in the politics of the State and vehemently opposed the 5,000,000 loan bill He has since retired from law practice, and is now a successful dealer in real estate

JAMES GILFILLAN, son of James and Janet (Gilmor) Gilfillan, was born in Bannockburn, Scotland, March 9, 1829 His parents came to America in 1830 and located at New Hartford, New York He was educated in the common schools, read law and was admitted to practice in 1850 He removed to Buffalo, New York, where he practiced law until 1857, when he removed to St Paul and opened a law office In 1862 he enlisted in Company H, Seventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, became its captain and before the close of the as commissioned colonel of the Eleventh Minnesota Infantry In 1869 he was appointed to a vacancy on the supreain in 1875 The same year he was elected to the office for seven years, at the end of which time he was re-elected He was married June 4, 1867, to Miss Martha McMasters, of St Paul They have six children

CHARLES DUNCAN GILFILLAN, a younger brother of James, was born in New Hartford, New York, July 4, 1831 He was educated in the coe After leaving college, in 1850, he located in Missouri, and a year later came to Stillwater, Minnesota, where he read laith Michael E Ames, was admitted to the bar in 1853 and reed for about twelve years in the practice of his profession Since that period he has been engaged in furthering various public enterprises, a them the St Paul Water Works, of which he was the founder and for er He has occupied various public positions, alith credit to himself He was the first recorder of Stillwater; was a islatures of 1864-65, and 1876, and a member of the senate from 1878 to 1881, inclusive At the session of 1878 he was chairman of the railroad committee and the committees on judiciary and education In politics he is a Republican

Mr Gilfillan was o no issue In 1865 he e, sister of his first wife They have four children

ALEXANDER WILKIN was born in Orange county, New York, in Decee Samuel J Wilkin, and practiced awhile at Goshen In 1847 he enlisted in the Tenth New York Regulars for service in the Mexican War, and was co of 1849 he came to St Paul; practiced laas appointed United States marshal in 1851, and served until 1853 He visited Europe during the Crimean War, and studied the art of war before Sebastopol At the breaking out of the Rebellion, he raised the first coiment, acted with conspicuous bravery at the battle of Bull Run, and was commissioned major of the Second Minnesota, lieutenant colonel in the saiment, and colonel of the Ninth Minnesota, all in the san, but at its close returned South, his regi attached to the Sixteenth Army Corps, under Gen A J Sade commander, and was killed at the battle of Tupelo, Mississippi, July 14, 1864 Wilkin county, Minnesota, bears his name

WESCOTT WILKEN, a brother of Alexander, was born at Goshen, New York, in 1827, received a good education, graduating at Princeton College in 1843, and studied law at New Haven Law School in 1846 He practiced law in Sullivan county, New York, and was county judge four years In 1856 he came to St Paul and fore of the district court in 1864, and re-elected every succeeding term, without opposition

S C WHITCHER was born in Genesee county, New York, in 1821 He cao county, Minnesota, in 1853, and to St Paul in 1858 He was married to Helen M Olds, in New York, in 1840 Their two sons are Charles and Edward

MAJ THOMAS MCLEAN NEWSON was born in New York City, Feb 22, 1827, of Scotch-Irish parentage His paternal grandfather was pay the war of 1812 His father, Capt George Newson, commanded a military company in New York City for seventeen years

Three uncles were in the war of 1812 His father removed to New Haven, Connecticut, in 1832, and both parents died there in 1834 The son, after his parents' death, was placed in a boarding school When he left the school he learned the printer's trade, and on arriving at his majority entered into partnershi+p with John B Hotchkiss in the publication of the _Derby Journal_, in Bir this period he wrote poetry, delivered lectures, and took an active part in political affairs He was secretary of the first editorial association in Connecticut, and started and conducted for a year the first daily penny paper in the State He was one of the originators of the reform school and an efficient promoter of its interests

He came to St Paul in 1853, where he was first associated with Joseph R Brown in the editorial depart, in company with others, started the _Daily Times_, which he edited until 1860, when he leased the rowth of this movement He was one of the founders of the Republican party in the State and was sole delegate of his party in Minnesota to the Pittsburgh national convention

At the outbreak of the Rebellion he entered the service of his country, was commissioned co assistant quartermaster, with the rank of captain At one time he was chief commissary at St Cloud He left the army with a splendid record for honesty and capacity, with the brevet rank of major, conferred for ular army, which he declined In 1866 he was commander and president of a co for precious metals He was the first to assay the iron ores, now so fa a the wild life of the frontier and devoting some attention to literature While there he wrote a drama of ”Life in the Hills” and delivered lectures at various ti in this line an enviable success Since this period he has written and published an interesting work, entitled ”Thrilling Scenes A the Indians,” drawn from his own observation and experience; also ”Pen Pictures and Biographical Sketches of Old Settlers of St Paul, from 1838 to 1857,” a rich and racy book of seven hundred and thirty-two pages, in which the driest biographical details are enlivened with aht is set down in enial spirit of the author He has in contemplation another volume on the saends”

and ”Recollections of Eminent Men” Maj Newson is a ifts He is a ready writer, a fluent and eloquent speaker, a journalist, a historian and the oldest editor in Minnesota

He is corresponding secretary of the National Editorial association, and the first and only honorary ist, ist and assayer, a es, and of the Junior Pioneers He is broad-gauged and popular in his views and positive in the expression of his opinions He was married to Miss Harriet D Brower, in Albany, New York, in 1857, and has a fairls and one boy, May, Hattie, Nellie, Jessie, Grace, and T M Newson, Jr

[Illustration: MAJ T M NEWSON, THE OLDEST EDITOR IN THE STATE]

[Illustration: CAPT HENRY A CASTLE, ONE OF MINNESOTA'S PIONEER EDITORS]

COL ALVAREN ALLEN was born in New York in 1822; came to Wisconsin in 1837, and to St Anthony Falls in 1857, where he engaged in the livery, staging and express business In 1859 he followed railroading; in 1873 he bought Col Shaw's interest in the Merchants Hotel of St

Paul, for 40,000, and Col Potter's interest for 275,000, property now held at 500,000 In 1887 he rented the property to Mr Welz Col

Allen is a genial man, and has friends all over the continent He was the second mayor of St Anthony Falls, and has held various public positions in St Paul

[Illustration: H P HALL]

HARLAN P HALL--The writer has been unable to obtain any sketch of the history of Mr Hall We have to say that he has been an enterprising journalist in St Paul He was the founder of the _Daily_ and _Weekly_ St Paul _Dispatch_; also of the St Paul _Daily_ and _Weekly Globe_ He is a fluent, versatile writer, and a genial associate

STEPHEN MILLER, a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania, was born Jan

7, 1816 Being in straitened circumstances he early coreat extent educated hied in ate to the Republican convention at Chicago that nominated Lincoln for the presidency In 1861 he enlisted as a private soldier, but rose rapidly fro commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the First Minnesota Infantry, then as colonel of the Seventh Minnesota Infantry He was in coht condemned Indian adier general but resigned to accept the position of governor of Minnesota In 1871 he removed from St Paul to Windom In 1873 he was in the Minnesota house of representatives In 1876 he was presidential elector In 1839 he was aret Funk, of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania They have had three sons One son was killed at the battle of Gettysburg

Gov Miller died in 1878, at Windom, Minnesota

CHAPTER XXII

DAKOTA COUNTY