Show UNCOMMON AMERICANS 0 By Elmo e m w western tm N Newspaper w p per r Scott Watson Union First War Correspondent N THE TITE monument which they O ON erected over his grave are inscribed In in- Inscribed scribed these words lie He was a poet poet po and farmer farmer- et journalist author e eminent in all alt aiL Yet this does less than Justice to the career of George Wilkins Kendall A native of New Hampshire Kendall Kendall Kendall Ken Ken- dall became a printer at an earl early age and followed his hI trade in many cities clUes lie He was In New York in 1833 when an outbreak of the dreaded cholera caused him to take ship for New Orleans There he entered the employ of a paper called the True American and while working working work ing there conceived the Idea of a new dally daily newspaper which should follow follow fol low the policies that had made the New York Sun and Philadelphia Ledger Ledger Ledger Led Led- ger so successful Taking Into partnership Francis FrancisA A A. Lumsden a fellow tellow employee Kendall launched the New Orleans Orlan Picayune in January 1837 lie He was wa only twenty eight at the time and his resources were small But he was such euch an enterprising editor that the Picayune soon became one of the best known papers in the country At the outbreak of the War with Mexico in 1846 1848 New Orleans became became be be- came the chief outfitting point for tor forthe forthe the American forces It was also the natural center of communication tion between the armies in the field and Washington Kendall was quick to see the journalistic opportunity which this offered He lie organized a system of relays of horses and riders rid rid- ers era between Mexico and New Orleans Orleans Or Or- leans and of fast boats between New Orleans and Baltimore Then he accompanied the armies of Scott and Taylor and began sending back vivid hand first-hand accounts of their battles frequently writing his dispatches dispatches dispatches dis dis- patches while cannon roared and bullets whistled around him Kendall supplied the government with its first knowledge of the battle bat bat- battle tle of Buena Vista and it was again this enterprising journalist who informed informed informed in in- formed Washington that the treaty of peace had been signed He came out of the war with the title of major and a bullet In hi his knee received received received re re- I at the storming of pee pec In his later years he retired to toa toa toa a farm in Texas where he was a successful farmer and stock raiser and he died there in 1867 I I a e Ambassador to His Native Land LandH LandH H E WAS born a Yankee during the early days of ot the American republic Forty years later having helped establish a new American republic he came back to his native land the accredited minister to Its government from the Ule government of the younger nation of which he later became the last president And that in brief is the paradoxical career career ca ca- ca reer of Anson Jones Born at Great Barrington Mass on January 20 1798 1796 young Jones decided to become a doctor After several years study In hi Litchfield Conn he was licensed to practice in 1820 1020 Then the wanderlust seized him and he wandered to Philadel phi to New Orleans to South America and finally findly settled in Texas In 1833 At the outbreak of the troubles between Texas and Mexico he was among the first to advocate a declaration declaration dec dec- of Texan independence I When the war started he enlisted as a private but was soon appointed I a surgeon in the Texas army of ot liberation With It he served at al I ISan San Jacinto and after the republic was founded he became representative tive to the Texan congress In 1838 he was appointed minister fo 10 x the United States Thus this Yankee came back to his homeland homeland home home- land as an ambassador from a foreign power While In Washington Wash- Wash ington he be was elected to the Texas senate and later became its president dent During the second term of Sam Houston as president of the Lone Star republic Jones was his secretary of state and in 1844 he was elected president That was a critical year In the affairs of the new nation There was talk of annexation by the United States and a sharp division of opinion arose among Texans over it One of those who was opposed to it was the President But the I citizens of the republic voted overwhelmingly overwhelmingly over over- I in favor of it and on onI December 29 29 1845 the republic of I Texas came to an end and the state of Texas succeeded It Bowing to the tile Inevitable Jones turned over the reins of government government government govern- govern ment to James Pinckney Hender son the first governor of the state of Texas and retired to his home In la Washington county In 1857 he be was i prominently mentioned as al a candi I date dale for United States senator but he was destined never to return to Washington where he had once gone lone as all ambassador In a fit of Insanity Insanity In- In sanity be died by his own hand on January 8 1858 convinced to the last that Texas had made a mistake to tn giving up its ha Independence |