Nicholson, George

Submitted by Mike Miller

George Nicholson. -- The Nicholsons originally were from that north country which Burns has denominated "The land 'o cakes and brither Scots." Their name was McNichol, which after long residence in England became Nicholson.

By the mother's side the family name was McAlly, but that by a like process was transformed into Allison. Mr. George Nicholson is a native of Leeds, England. He came from Liverpool to New Orleans in 1842 and shortly afterward came into the service of the "Picayune," first as a carrier and assistant mail clerk and successively as counter clerk, collector and cashier. Subsequently he was appointed business manager of the "Picayune," serving in that capacity under the successive administrations of Lumsden, Kendall & Co., Kendall, Holbrook & Co., A. M. Holbrook & Co., A. M. Holbrook, and during the mercantile regency. After the death of Col. Holbrook he became a partner in the business with Mrs. Holbrook. No man living knows so much of the interior management of the "Picayune" as Mr. Nicholson, and he can tell many interesting incidents of its history. Some of them are worth being related here. On one occasion, in the early days, when the paper was printed on a one-cylinder Napier press, with a fly-wheel worked by man power, an extra had to be printed in a hurry, and neither pressman, wheelman nor fly-boy were to be found. In the emergency Mr. Nicholson turned the wheel, George Wilkins Kendell fed the machine and Col. Lumsden took the papers from the press. The "Delta" was the great rival, and that had to be beaten at any cost. Stories of the contests with that famous journal, long since dead, in getting out the president's message, are told elsewhere. The seizure and closing of the "Picayune" by Gen. Banks at the time of the occupation of the city by the federal army is also referred to elsewhere. On that occasion, when the paper was threatened with confiscation, proceedings having been instituted to that end in the court of the notorious Judge Durell, of the infamous midnight order fame, Mr. Nicholson applied to General Banks to permit the resumption of the publication of the paper to save the employee from starving. "Let them go into the army," said the General. "Those who were able have gone," replied Mr. N. "Which army?" asked the General. When told the confederate army, the General gave a grim smile. After the publication had been stopped six weeks, and the proprietors had been put to great trouble and expense, the "Picayune" was released from prosecution and allowed to resume its issues.

During the military occupation Mr. Nicholson was required to submit all papers received from the confederacy to General Banks, so that he might mark such matter as might be published, as a strict censorship was maintained over the press by the military authorities. On one occasion he had received a paper through a blockade runner. On taking it to the federal commander that functionary said: "You have published too much already," and turning to his secretary directed him to make out an order for the arrest of the editor of the "Picayune." This rigorous proceeding was in consequence of the previous publication of an article on a reported attempt to assassinate the General. It appears that a shot had been fired just as General Banks had alighted from a carriage to enter the City hotel.

A number of persons who were at the moment passing on the street had been arrested and on the faith of these facts the incident had been written up by the late Mark F. Bigney, who was then attached to the "Picayune." The first information had been received from a reporter of the "German Gazette," and the matter appeared in the "Picayune" with sensational headlines. General Banks was much enraged, and hence the order for the arrest of the editor. Mr. Holbrook, receiving a timely hint, got out of the way, but Mr. Bigney, as the author of the article, was arrested, but fortunately was soon released. The truth of the shooting was absurd enough. It turned out that a federal officer was with some ladies on the gallery of the hotel and was exhibiting to them his pistol. Just as the General dismounted from the carriage the pistol was accidentally fired.

One night General Banks sent at a late hour for Mr. Nicholson and John F. Condon, then city editor of the "Picayune." The General was living at the corner of Prytania and Fourth streets. As soon as the prisoners were ushered into his presence he said: "I know you two gentlemen through and through. You are both writing letters out of the department, reflecting on me and my military movements." Mr. Nicholson had been writing, but he was too wise to trust such matter to the mails, but made use of blockade runners, who brought him also private intelligence. Condon had written fully on the subject and had confided his correspondence to the United States mails, to which it appears the federal commander had fall access.

The result of that midnight interview was that Mr. Condon was sent out of the country on a government transport to New York, whence he was allowed to depart to London, where he remained until the termination of the military despotism in Louisiana. Mr. Nicholson's letters in the mails being strictly on matters of business, saved him from the dictator's wrath. Mr. Gray, of the True Delta, for criticizing the General in his correspondence, was sent to the Dry Tortugas. Said Mr. Nicholson: "My connection with the blockade runners enabled me to get news ahead of General Banks. On one occasion I took a paper to the General to mark what we would be allowed to publish. He remarked that the news was some forty-eight hours later than anything he had, and he wanted to know the person from whom I got it. I said: 'General, that is impossible.' He replied: 'The next paper you bring you must give me the name of the person and the route by which it came.' When I got another paper I wondered how I could satisfy the General and keep the blockade runner from harm. I finally hit upon this plan: I tied the newspaper in a dirty scrap of old paper and directed in pencil to the editor of the 'Picayune,' and had it dropped into the post office. When it was again brought to me with the postmark on it I carried it to General Banks unopened. He marked the paper for publication and sent an orderly to the postoffice to see by what mail it came, but he never got any satisfaction.

One of our blockade runners came in by way of Manchac. He was arrested and carried before the provost-marshal. When asked when he had arrived in the city, he replied with great assurance that he had been there for months. When asked for a copy of his oath of allegiance, he said he was a foreigner from Nova Scotia. He was then required to take the alien oath. He got through with his business, and left that night for the confederacy. "During the military occupation it was impossible to get printing material from the North, and it was imported from foreign countries. Once upon going to the custom house to make entries. I was asked for my oath of allegiance. Not knowing it was necessary I had not brought it. Finally I 'tumbled to the racket.' I was taken to one side and told that if I could pay two dollars and a half on each cent the swearing would not be necessary. I paid the money. In collecting bills for advertising for the military service the oath of allegiance was asked or no payment was made. But upon allowing the official ten per cent, the oath was dispensed with. So much for war times. "During a period of half a century several great financial crises have swept over the United States and Europe. The 'Picayune' had hard times to weather the gale, but at all times, even during the late unpleasantness, she never failed to pay her workmen. At one time it was impossible to obtain change, even in confederate money, and the 'Picayune' was under the necessity of issuing notes of denominations from $5 down to 25 cents, which were used exclusively in paying wages to workmen. Subsequently these notes were all redeemed with greenbacks."

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 275-277 . Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.