USA > Iowa > Scott County > History of Scott County, Iowa > Part 52
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He is a member of and an elder in the Presbyterian Church, although he was educated in the Congregational Church and was a member thereof from 1851 to 1872. He is a firm believer in Evangelical Christianity. He was raised in the Republican school
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
of politics, has always been a radical anti-slavery man, an Aboli- tionist and opponent to caste. In 1868 he made a short visit to Europe for his health, visiting many points of interest. He was married in April, 1852, to Miss Lydia R. Rutledge, daughter of Rev. W. Rutledge, a lady who is still living, as are a son and threc.daughters of the happily wedded couple.
Mr. Russell stands high as an editor, a very useful and respected citizen, and one of the most prominent of those who helped build up the press of the great West. He has pursued his chosen course with untiring zeal and with a snecess which has already earned for him no inferior rank among the editors of the country. The grow. ing prosperity of the paper over which he presides and the prom- inent position into which it has sprung might satisfy any ordinary ambition.
DEMOCRATIC BANNER,
The third newspaper that was planted in the prolific newspaper soil of Davenport was a seven-column weekly named the Democratic Banner, and first saw the light of day in the month of September, 1848. From the time when the Iowa Sun ceased to shine -- in 1842 -until the flinging of the Banner to the breeze. the Democrats of Davenport and Seott County had been without an organ, the Ga- zette, the sole paper in the field, operating with the Whigs.
A bont September, 1848, Mr. Alex. Montgomery eame to Daven- port with printing material, and started the weekly newspaper known as the Democratic Banner, the size, 22 x 32 inches. six col- umns to the page. He published the paper until January, 1849, when, amongst others, he got the California fever and sold his ma- terial to Messrs. H. Price, M. D. Westlake, R. M. Prettyman and H. Leonard, who employed R. Smitham to edit and publish the paper. The office was in the second story of a building on Second street, just east of Rock Island street, and is still standing. Here the paper was printed until about the middle of July of that year, and not having sufficient patronage to make it self-sustaining, and the stockholders being loath to draw on their purses so frequently for its support, in order to eurtail expenses Mr. Smitham moved the material to his barn on the hill, situated on the site of the res- idenee of W. H. Decker, Esq. Here the paper was printed and distributed to its subscribers as often as circumstances would admit. until toward fall, when it suspended. As it had to depend princi-
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
pally on St. Louis for supplies of paper and ink, and as these ar- ticles would not hold out withont renewing. it was sometimes compelled to issue only a half sheet.
The stockholders then induced Mr. T. D. Eagal to take hold of the paper, who removed the office and his family into the two-story frame building on the west side of Main street. immediately south of where the First National Bank is now located, using the front room for the printing office and the rest for a residence, and on the 5th of December, 1849, he finally purchased the office of the stock- holders. Here he completed the first volume of the paper and part of the second, passing some of the most trying yet pleasant days of his life. In the spring of 1850 he removed the office to a large one-story frame building, previously used for the postoffice, on the corner of the alley, now occupied by Judge Grant's office and block. Here he completed the second and third volumes of the paper, and in the spring of 1851 bought new material, and a press of the Washington pattern, and put the paper in an entire new dress.
Dec. 5, 1851, Mr. J. W. Wheeler came to Davenport and en- tered into co-partnership with Mr. Eagal. They added new ma- terial to the office, enlarged the paper to seven columns, and moved the office to the second story of the brick next to what is now Met- ropolitan Block, the postoffice being on the first floor. Mr. Whee- ler was a young man, a practical printer and a ready writer, but of delicate constitution, and was compelled, in consequence of ill- health, to dispose of his interest in the paper, June 8. 1852, to Austin Corbin. Esq., a personal friend of his, and afterward a broth- er-in-law. Mr. Corbin's connection with the paper was of but a few months' duration. Owing to other business engagements hic sold his interest to Samuel R. Millar, Esq., Sept. 10, 1852. Mr. Millar was connected with the publication of the Banner until March 24, 1854, when Mr. Eagal purchased his interest in the paper. Mr. Eagal continued the publication of the Banner from the time Mr. Millar retired up to Oct. 12, 1855, the close of its seventh volume, when he disposed of the establishment to Messrs. J. T. Hildreth, D. N. Richardson and G. R. West, who afterward changed the name of the paper to the Iowa Stute Democrat.
DEMOCRAT.
RICHARDSON. BROS.
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DEMOCRAT BUILDING.
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
DAVENPORT DEMOCRAT,
The Iowa State Democrat was a continuation of the Democratic Banner with change of name and proprietors. The history of the change and subsequent career of the Democrat is thus given by its editor, Mr. Richardson: " In the summer of 1853 while the writer hereof was an attache of the Morning News at Peoria, III., he was called to the counting-room one day by the proprietor and there in- trodneed to a gentleman, a Mr. Henry F. Mitchell, of Davenport, who said that in his town there was a weekly newspaper office for sale; the Democracy of the place desired to have a daily organ, and that a part of his business at the News' office at that time was to inquire if he could suggest a probable purchaser who would under - take the enterprise. Conversation then and there held developed the prospect of a hearty co-operation on the part of the Democracy in Davenport, not only in subscription and advertising patronage.
but in way of a substantial bonus. Bonns is a very large word to the mind of the young man earnest to start a newspaper. It means ready money-something, very likely, he has not. In this instance it would be at least a $1,000 ! Such a sum, in his opinion, could be readily raised among 20 men of Davenport for any person who would start a daily Democratic newspaper. There was much else said during the honr's conversation about the size of the place, its business and prospects, and the conference broke up with one young man determined upon achieving a bonns in Davenport, a newspaper bonus of $1,000, perhaps more.
" The foreman of the News was a Mr. Dalrymple, an accomplished printer, fair writer and business man. Together the plan was talked over. Both were to raise $250, one to go to Davenport immediately and see if the property could be bought on a $500 cash payment, and if so, to write back, but to remain and issne a prospcetus, while the other party went so St. Lonis to raise his share of the money. The trade it was found could be male on that basis. St. Louis was visited, but without any cash results ; nor could Mr. D. raise his amount. He, too, had failed. The slate was. to all visible appearance, smashed; badly smashed. But the bonus! To lose so much waiting money would never do. Hastening back to Peoria, the writer would try another scheme. He was boarding at the time with Mr. James T. Hildreth-Judge Hildreth as he was then known. The Judge had run a newspaper office up in Kenosha, Wis., had been associate editor of the Peoria Morning
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
News, and had other newspaper experience. His son-in-law, Mr. George R. West, was a compositor on the News. The plan of go- ing to Davenport was broken to the Judge. The patronage and the bonus was considered. It was good in his sight, and right there arranged that if the purchase money could be reduced to about $300 he would put it in and on a basis of $100 for each of the partners, providing all should share alike in the bonns.
"It was so agreed. We left Peoria next morning for Davenport, arriving there in the evening. Mr. Hildreth proceeded to Wiscon- sin to sell some property he owned in the village of Elkhart, to pro - vide for the first payment of the purchase.
" The plan worked. Mr. Eagal would accept $300 cash, and a note for the balance of about $200 coming to him, the buyers to as- sume the mortgage held by Samuel R. Millar, of a $1,000 or so. The prospectus had already been issued and circulated far and near. What it said and promised we cannot now say, not having seen it for 20 years. It was written, we were told, by George S. C. Dow, Esq., who also christened the new paper as the Iowa State Demo- crat, which name was accepted by the new proprietors.
The Banner was a weekly newspaper, located on Second street, now Metropolitan Block, three doors from Brady's, over a hardware store. To obtain the bonus it was incumbent upon the proprietors to start a daily newspaper. That required money to buy material. The Banner office had material enough for its own use, though con- siderably worn, and a Washington hand-press. The body type was stall pica, bourgeois and brevier, none too much for a weekly. We had no money with which to buy material for a daily paper. Right at that point the question of a bonus was broken to the good people. They agreed that such a matter had been considered, but suggested, and rather properly too, as we can now see, that before any bonus was paid to comparative strangers it would be well to have something wherewith to print a daily paper; have the city canvassed to see if a sustaining subscription list could be secured.
" To that latter dnty the writer hereof bowed himself, and in the course of a few days was able to answer the question with satisfae- tion, both as to subscriptions and advertising patronage. So much accomplished, we went to the type ageney of H. A. Porter & Bro .. Rock Island, who sold the goods of the White foundry, New York, and told them of the plaus-the purchase, thejprospectus, the sub. scription and advertising patronage then secured,-and do yon imagine we forgot to speak about the bonus? ¿ Then you are mis-
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
taken. The Porter Brothers looked the matter over, and, to the extent of $250 dollars or so, decided to give credit. This would furnish some new nonpareil advertising and some display type. For reading matter the old fonts in the office must be used, and even though Brother Sanders, of the Gazette, was putting in a steam press and fitting up a new office in Postoffice Block, Brady street, we would run our daily with much toil on our hand-press, and remain in old quarters.
"The question was settled -- the Daily Iowa State Democrat was to appear on the 15th of October, without fail. Business promises poured in and business prospects were flattering. In due time the paper appeared on the date promised; it was printed on a 22 x 32 sheet, seven columns (narrow) to the page.
" Moving into the new office in the latter part of November of that year, it became necessary to incur more expenses than had been counted upon, so it was thought best to call in the bonus. The conditions had all been faithfully complied with, and things were moving on with great apparent prosperity. The matter was men- tioned in the usual way, was finally persisted in, and it was then and not until then definitely stated that no bonus had been raised; that it had been talked of and nothing more; that the paper was then on its feet, comparatively out of debt; that Mr. Millar would let his mortgage rest for an indefinite number of years on payment of interest; that the people and the party would give an earnest support; but the bonus-well, to cut it off here, there was none, probably would be none.
"The firm of Hildreth, Richardson & West continued until the 11th of September. 1857, at which time Mr. Hildreth died. The establishment then fell into the hands of the surviving partners, and was published by Richardson & West until Oct. 11, 1859, when it was united with the Daily Morning News, a Democratic newspaper that had been established three years before. Under this combination the name of the paper was changed to the Dem- ocrat and News, and was owned, to the extent of one-half, by the former proprietors of the Iowa State Democrat, three-sixteenths by Thomas MeGuire, and five-sixteenths by Alonzo W. Church. and the firm that of McGuire, Richardson & Co. This partnership continued until Feb. 7, 1560, when Mr. MeGuire, induced by the ill health of his wife, sold his interest to Mr. George F. Car- penter and returned to Cambria Co., Penn., from whence he had come to Davenport about six months before. He was one of the old time Democratic politicians of the Keystone State, a fluent
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
writer and speaker. In July, 1860, Mr. Given retired from the concern, his interest being assumed by the firm of Richardson, West & Co., which was subsequently bought, in 1864, of Mr. Church for $600. The firm remained as above until May 11, 1863, when Mr. Carpenter and Mr. West disposed of their interest to the parties forming the present firm of Richardson Bros.
"The firm of Richardson Bros. has continued without change for the past 19 years, attended by fair business prosperity. The Democrut and News remained in the Brady street office, Post- office Block, until the latter part of 1861, when it removed to Grigg's Block, Perry street, into property now owned by the Ga- zette Company, where it remained until the fall of 1869, when it took possession of its present commodious quarters, which had been built by Richardson Bros. during the summer of that year. The name was changed to its present title in April, 1864. It was first printed by hand; then by power presses until taking posses- sion of its present office, and sinee by steam. It was started as a seven-column paper, daily and weekly ; was enlarged several times, and several times reduced in size, only to be enlarged again, until the present sizes were reached-a daily of nine and a weekly of ten columns. The daily was changed from a morning to an evening paper, April 27, 1863.
"The present proprietors, D. N. & J. J. Richardson, are natives of Orange, Orange Co., Vt .; the senior member having been born there March 19, 1832, the junior March 23, 1839. Having served their farm-life apprenticeship to their own satisfaction, they gath- ered what education they might, and emigrated West, the elder in 1854, the younger in 1859. The one had gained some practical knowledge of the art preservative previous to his proprietorship, the other achieved his in the Democrat office, elosing the days of his apprenticeship in 1862. From the first half of the subsequent year to the present time their labors have been united, constant, almost unremitting. For whatever success they have achieved in their undertaking they have thankful hearts; and as to the good they may have done, they can only wish it might have been greater.
" Many are they that have come and gone in the various depart- ments of the Democrat in these many years-quite an army. Of those that were with the paper at its start, Oct. 15, 1855, none remain except the writer hereof. One that came four years later
CH C. Moorhead
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
into the newsroom you will find there still-Mr. James H. Doxsee full 20 years at his case; and at the head of the job department, Mr. Albert L. Mossman, its occupant for 15 years."
DER DEMOKRAT.
The demand for a newspaper in the German language came about 13 years subsequently to the appearance of the first newspaper printed here in the English tongue. At the time of the appearing of the Iowa Sun, in August, 1838, there were but three or four German families in this county. From 183S to 1850 there was a constant flow of German population into Scott County. By $51 there were doubtless a hundred Gerinan families here, and the num- ber rapidly increasing, and that time there seemed to be an active demand for a German newspaper. While some of the new-comers from the Fatherland could read English, the large majority were unable to do so; and, being a reading people, felt very keenly the want of a home newspaper printed in their own tongue. More- over, these Germans had come here to stay, to become citizens, to vote. There were aspiring politicians, too, in those days, who hankered for votes-German or otherwise-and lost no time in arranging plans to secure them. Hiram Price, Harvey Leonard, Ezekiel Steinhiller, Jabez A. Birchard and Capt. A. H. Davenport became shareholders to a needful amount in a fund that was to establish a German newspaper in Davenport. Arrangements were made with Mr. T. D. Eagal, of the Democratic Banner, to print the paper, and Theodore Guelich, a talented young German, fresh from the battle-fields of the Schleswig-Holstein revolution of '48, in which he had gained many a scar in the name of sweet liberty, was secured as its editor.
On an expenditure of about a hundred dollars or so, to which Mr. Price was the largest contributor, some second-hand German type was purchased, and on the 22d of November, 1851, the first number of Der Demokrat was issued. It was a weekly Democratic sheet, printed in folio form, on a sheet 20 x 26 inches, five col- nmns to the page. The reading matter was set in small piea type, under a motto of "Liberty for All," and the advertisements in English type, ont of the Banner office material. Its place of issne, as we have said, was from the Democratic Banner office, Main street, where Judge Grant's office now stands. The office of Der Demokrat was soon removed from Main into the house now occul-
35
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
pied by Mr. H. F. Laverenz, 318 Gaines street, between 3d and 4th, and had also taken in a partner, Mr. Rudolph Reichmann, who had arrived here in March, 1852, from Milwaukee.
The next year, 1853, they built a small house on the northeast corner of 3d and Harrison streets, where Berg's building now stands, and occupied it in part for a printing office and partly for a dwelling, where the office remained until 1855, when Gnelich and Richmann dissolved partnership, and Mr. Guelich removed his ma- terial to rooms in a frame building on the south side of 2d street, west of Harrison, where Melchert's hotel now stands. Business continued to improve with Mr. Guelich, so much so that he deter- mined to start a daily paper. Furthermore, he had then somewhat modified his political fealty, had espoused the Free-Soil creed, and was getting things in readiness for the presidential contest of 1856. So, then, on the 3d of January, 1856, was brought ont the first issue of Der Demokrat's daily edition. It was printed on a small sheet, 18 x 22 inches, folio form, four columns to the page, well patron- ized by advertisers. In his increased editorial labors Mr. Gnelich was assisted by his friend, Mr. Henry Ramming, whom many yet remember as a prominent citizen, and one of those who laid down their lives in field service in the late war.
But Mr. Guelich did not remain with his paper to take part in the presidential campaign of 1856, for, the opportunity present- ing, he sold out to advantage, and on tlie 20th of April of that year he turned over the entire concern to Henry Lischer & Co. The Co. was Theodore Olshausen, who was also its editor. The paper moved on prosperously under this firm until June 13, 1860, when it was sold to Messrs. Daldorff & Ramming, Lischer and Olshansen returning to St. Louis, where they purchased the West- liche Post, and went into business on an enlarged scale. Mr. Lischer, having sold his interest in the Westliche Post, returned to Davenport to look after his unsatisfied interest in the concern, and concluded to take it back, which he did on the 28th of June follow- ing, resuscitating the daily edition on the 25th of the next Angust, since which time it has appeared regularly and prosperously until the present time, without change of owners. A Mr. Kilp under- took the editorial service until the 27th of the following September, when Mr. J. P. Stibolt, then from Peoria, assumed the editorial chair, which he has so ably filled unto this day.
In 1862 the office removed to McManus Block, 2d street, near Main, in order to get more room for its largely increased business, where it remained until August 27, 1877, when it moved to its
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
present spacious and elegant quarters on 3d street, near Main, which were built that year by Mr. Lischer, expressly for the use of his extensive establishment.
Mr. Geulich went to Burlington in 1856, and, with Mr. Daldorf, became interested in the Iowa Tribune, a German newspaper, with which he was for several years connected. IIe is yet a resident of that eity, engaged in the practice of law and insurance business. Mr. Daldorf is in the same place, and has been from time to time engaged in printing and other business. Mr. Reichman went to Traer, Tama Co., Iowa, where, until within a few, years, he was the editor and proprietor of the Iowa County Independent, and where, as we believe, he yet resides.
Olshausen immigrated into the United States in the summer of 1851 ; he resided several years in St. Louis, where he published two pamphlets. containing an accurate description of the States of Missouri and Iowa. He was, moreover, occupied with some other literary pursuit. In the year of 1856 he removed to Davenport and edited Der Demokrat for about six years. Then he went again to St. Louis as co-editor of the Westliche Post. In May, 1865, he left for Europe, residing partly in Zurich, Switzerland, partly in Hamburg, where he died March 31, 1869. He had an ardent love of liberty, hated slavery intensively. his mind had a great tendeney to idealism, he was strongly guided by principles and was inneh freer from egotism than human frailty generally is. Neither money nor glory could allure him ; he was mainly guided by his sense of duty and love of liberty. And yet he was banished from his native country which he loved so well.
Henry Lischer was born in Bavaria, July 10, 1828; came to this country with his parents in 1835; was on a farm five years in St. Clair Co., Ill., and then moved to St. Louis, where in 1840 he went into the office of the St. Louis Republican, and after a year, was apprenticed with the Inzeiger des Westens, remaining until 1846, when. the Mexican war breaking ont, he enlisted in the Don- iphan Regiment of Missouri Mounted Dragoons. The war over he returned to the Anzeiger office, of which he became foreman in 1851, and so remained until April, 1856, when, with Thos. Ols. hansen he purchased Der Demokrat in this city, which they sold in 1860 to Daldorf & Ramming, and purchased the St. Louis Westliche Post. In 1861 he soll his share of that piper to Mr. Olshausen, and returned to Davenport ; took back Der Demokrat, and placing Mr. Daldorf in control, with Mr. Kilp as editor, returned to St. Louis
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HISTORY OF SCOTT COUNTY.
to serve oat his time in the 3d Home Guard Regiment ; returned to Davenport in August and revived the daily edition, which has been issued without interruption ever since. And from that day until now has Mr. Lischer devoted himself solely to the building up of a substantial German newspaper in Davenport. He has succeeded, and in so doing has gathered unto himself prosperity and abundance. The small office that he purchased in 1856 has become a large one, the meager material growing into a large and complete outfit ; the dingy little office in an up-stairs room on Second street to a mag- nificent brick and stone edifice at Third and Main streets, the result of diligent labor.
Mr. Stibolt was born in Northern Schleswig-Holstein. in De- cember, 1813, and came to America, landing at Baltimore in June, 1847. His coming to America was owing to some differences of political opinions and sentiments which had caused a falling out with relations and anthorities, and which had also been the means of his disinheritance from his fortune, which up to 1838 he had been allowed to consider his own. So he came here without means, except hands, head, and those acquirements of science which he had gained by earnest study in the German universities. For ser- eral years he encountered many hardships. In 1852 he came to Alton, Ill., and commenced the publication of a paper called " For- warts ( Progress ), which was directed against slavery, and the nterfering of religion and churches in the legislation of State. It was the first paper of the kind ever published in the Northwest, and was not tolerated in a place like Alton. On invitation of friends he removed his press to Galena, Ill., where he continued the publication of the Vorwarts, which had a large circulation in the valley of the Mississippi, but had no hold on the place where it was published. Politically it was not without influence, but financially it was a failure ; for while his books showed a very large list of subscribers, the list of non-paying ones was almost as large.
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