Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Hancock County, Volume II, Part 28

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1174

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

defendant of the effect of the sentence which would separate him for the remainder of his life from friends and associates. During the delivery of this sentence the defendant stood in a most unconcerned manner, chewing tobacco, with occasional tribute to the cuspidor and seemingly the least affected of all those who were in the courtroom.

Some two or three years after the trial the editor, to whom Warrick had never admitted his guilt, was informed from a credible source, which he does not feel at liberty to disclose, that Mr. Mundell's watch, said by the informant to have been found where Warrick had said it would be found, had been taken in a boat some distance out from shore into the Mississippi River, near the hour of midnight, and there quietly released. There was a light ripple, and the sands closed the mouth of this witness.

(See last chapter.)

CHAPTER VI

THE PRESS

IN THE BEGINNING-FIRST NEWSPAPERS-OTHER EARLY NEWSPAPERS-PRESENT NEWSPAPERS-TRI- COUNTY SCRIBE-EARLY NAUVOO NEWSPAPERS- NAUVOO INDEPENDENT-NAUVOO RUSTLER-BOW- EN CHRONICLE-HAMILTON PRESS-DALLAS CITY REVIEW-DALLAS CITY ENTERPRISE-LA HARPE QUILL-THE LA HARPER-AUGUSTA EAGLE-WAR- SAW BULLETIN-HANCOCK COUNTY JOURNAL~ CARTHAGE GAZETTE-CARTHAGE REPUBLICAN.

IN THE BEGINNING

In the settlement of any new country, for the last hundred years, the pioneers were not con- tent without a "home paper" and to supply this demand there have ever been men who seemed by nature particularly designed for this profes- sion-men who were observing, and who could write their thoughts and observations on paper and in the earlier days there were printers enough to take a "stick" and set their copy into lines from the type, make up "forms" and run a hand-press, thus giving to the pioneer families reading for the evening and Sundays. Not

alone was local news chronicled, but the im- portant news from all parts of the world was found in brief paragraphs in the early home papers printed in Hancock and adjoining coun- ties. The influence of the local press was very great in Illinois and'much of the early progress and real advancement was due to the high and worthy standards held by the editors of news- papers, political and otherwise. It must be here recorded, however, that many of the newspaper adventures proved financial failures to their founders.

FIRST NEWSPAPER

In June, 1836, or four score and five years ago, the Carthagenian, the first newspaper in Hancock County, made its appearance and was owned by a stock company of enterprising citi- zens. It had hard sailing and after an existence of less than one year it was purchased by Dr. Isaac Galland, one of its owners, and removed to Montrose, Iowa, then known as "Fort Des Moines, Wisconsin Territory." Thomas Gregg, its editor while it was conducted at Carthage, went along to its new home in Iowa, where it was called the Western Adventurer. This paper was among the first dozen or more newspapers published in Illinois, and after its removal to the west side of the Mississippi, was among the earliest publications on Iowa soil, as well as anywhere in the great region reaching to the Pacific coast, for the now well-known cities of Des Moines, Keokuk, Burlington, Council Bluffs, Omaha, Denver and San Francisco were not in existence as places demanding such things as weekly papers. In fact, as late as 1857 the Alton Telegraph published a list of the news- papers published in Illinois and it only reached twenty-seven.

Before the Carthagenian was established in Hancock County, the pioneers here depended largely upon the Missouri Republican, the San- gamo Journal, the Bounty Land Register, and the St. Louis Argus.

After the first paper of this county had re- moved to Iowa, no further attempt at local journalism was made until the autumn of 1839, when the Mormons settled here and the "Times and Seasons" was issued at Nauvoo by Ebenezer Robinson and Don Carlos Smith, a younger brother of the prophet. Its first issue was dated November, 1839. It was a small sixteen page

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

monthly and especially designed as the organ for the Mormon church : terms one dollar per annum. After the first year this publication was printed semi-monthly, at two dollars. It continued to run as long as the Mormons re- mained in Hancock county. Among its editors may be recalled the founder of the sect, Joseph Smith, Frederick G. Williams, Jolın Taylor, Wil- ford Woodruff, W. W. Phelps, and possibly a few more. It being the church organ, its cir- culation was very large, but the circulation is unknown to the "Gentiles" as the Mormons style all other religionists.

It should here be stated that the editor of the first paper published in this county, above men- tioned, was the same Thomas Gregg who was interested in numerous papers in this and other counties at an early day and who in 1879 com- piled a valuable history of this county, copies of which may still be found here and there throughout the county. From this we have been guided in the preparation of the account of the early newspapers named in this chapter.

In 1842 Patriarch William Smith, another brother of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church, established a small weekly paper called The Wasp, which was soon merged into the larger publication-the Nauvoo Neigh- bor. This was conducted throughout its whole career by John Taylor, one of the twelve.

Another paper-an anti-Mormon publication- called the "Expositor," had a short but eventful life and tragic ending. It was issued on Friday, June 7, 1844, and on Monday, the 10th, of the same month, was by the Mormon council at Nauvoo accounted a "nuisance" and destroyed by the Mormons. Only five copies are known to be in existence one of which is held as a relic in the "Aldrich Collection" in the Historical Society, at Des Moines, and is preserved in a frame under glass. Another copy is preserved in the same manner by Mr. Reimbold at Nauvoo, the hotel-keeper so famous for his collection of all sorts of relics-historic and pre-historic.

OTHER EARLY NEWSPAPERS

It would take a volume to tell the story in detail of all of tlie newspapers established and conducted for a longer or shorter period-their birth, advancement, suspensions, successors, their death and resurrections, failures and final flickerings of newspaper life in Hancock county during its first half century of existence; of the builders' hopes, the air-castles toppled over,

little and greater fortunes made and lost; of debts incurred, mortgaged property in type and presses, tri-pods and racks and sheriff sales writs executed and mortgages foreclosed,-all would fill a large volume of mostly doubts and fears, only at last to be laid in oblivion.

From 1836 to 1880, the newspaper publica- tions of the county numbered more than fifty, and included these :

At Carthage The Carthagenian, Echo, News- Letter, Transcript, Republican, Democrat, Ga- zette, Carthaginian, a college publication not spelled like the first paper of Hancock county. This made eight in the county seat.

At Nauvoo-Times and Seasons, Wasp, Ex- positor, Neighbor, Eagle, New Citizen, Icarian Review, Popular Tribune, Democratic Press, In- dependent-ten papers in all.

At Warsaw-Western World, Signal, Message, Commercial Journal, Democrat, Express, Cru- sader, New Era, Bulletin, Public Record, Demo- crat (second one of the name), Warsaw Dem- ocrat, Independent-thirteen in all.

At La Harpe The Democrat, Star of the West, Home News, Leader, and the La Harper- five in all.

At Augusta-Times, Home Banner, Herald --- three in all.

At Dallas City-Star of Dallas, Democrat, Ad- vocate, Sucker State, Monitor, News-six in all.

At Plymouth-Locomotive, Advocate, Phono- graph-three in all.

At Hamilton-Representative, Dollar Monthly, Rural Messenger-three.

All of these newspapers have ceased to exist, except the La Harper at La Harpe and two of the Carthage papers; also the Bulletin at War- saw, and the Independent at Nauvoo. Many of the first papers ran but a few years and went down, and the towns in which they were estab- lished went in some instances for years with- out a newspaper.

PRESENT NEWSPAPERS

At this time Hancock has fourteen news- papers as follows: At Carthage-The Journal ; the Gazette; and the Republican; at Warsaw- The Bulletin ; at Dallas City-The Review and the Enterprise; at Nauvoo-The Independent and the Rustler; at Augusta-The Eagle; at Bowen-The Chronicle ; at Hamilton-The Press; at La Harpe-The La Harper and the Quill ; at Plymouth-The Tri-County Scribe.

Concerning these local newspapers the follow-

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

ing facts have been collected, chiefly from the owners and editors of the publications.

TRI-COUNTY SCRIBE

This local newspaper is published at the vil- lage of Plymouth. It was established October 24, 1895, by S. H. Aldridge, and with him was editor F. H. Hillyer. The various changes in ownership have been about as follows: 1895 to 1908, S. H. Aldridge, owner and F. H. Hillyer, editor ; 1908-09, Henry Beckman, owner and editor ; February 1909 to 1911, Geo. Mauk, owner and James Ewing, editor. In April, 1911, George Mauk died and the property was then owned by his wife, who secured S. E. Huff as editor. In April, 1918, Elmer Leach purchased the plant. In July, 1919, Mr. Leach sold the plant to S. S. Groves, an attorney at Quincy, Ill., Mr. Leach moved to Iowa where he obtained a position and A. R. Higgins took charge of the Scribe and is at present the Editor and Pub- lisher. The Scribe is one of the few papers in the state that has not been forced by the con- stantly rising price of labor and supplies, to increase the rates of subscription or advertising. The plant is growing in every department and is becoming really true to its name.

The Scribe is an independent paper in politics, and circulates in Hancock, McDonough and Schuyler counties. It is an eight page, six col- umn paper run on a gasoline engine propelled printing press-Country Campbell-and the job department is supplied with two Gordon presses. The office is conducted in a leased building. The paper has six pages of home print and two of foreign.

When the Scribe was established at Plymouth there was a paper there called the Enterprise, which continued to run two years, then removed its material from the county.

EARLY NAUVOO NEWSPAPERS

From an account of the Press of this county written many years ago, we are permitted to extract the following concerning the papers at Nauvoo: "Early in 1846, while the Mormons were preparing for their journey into the wilder- ness, the Hancock Eagle, a Democratic paper, was established there in the interests of the Mormons and their adherents. It was conducted by Dr. William E. Matlack, a Philadelphian. Dr. Matlack was a well educated, classical

scholar, a graduate of Princeton, had traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and had been editorially engaged with Horace Greeley on the New Yorker. He died July 28, 1846, in the thirty-fourth year of his age. The Eagle was now offered for sale and fell into the hands of Samuel Slocum, and a paper called the New Citizen was the result. During the winters of 1846-7 Mr. Slocum employed Dr. Isaac Galland as its editor. The Citizen was Anti-Mormonish and as its name implied was devoted to the in- terest of the new citizens who were taking the place of the emigrating Mormons. As the Dr. had been one of the Prophet's baptized ad- herents and his private secretary and agent, it was thought he needed a little watching on the part of Slocum and his friends. One day an editorial article appeared in proof sheet, which was of such a character as to "bounce" the Dr. from his tripod. The paper was then for a period conducted by a foreman, John S. Winter, Esq., later of the Knoxville Journal. In the fall of 1847 James McKee published in that city the Nauvoo Patriot. This was a Democratic organ. In 1850 he removed to Warsaw and it is be- lieved the Patriot office went into the hands of the Icarian Community. About the beginning of 1851 that Colony began the issue of the Icarian Review, printed half in English and half in French. It was under editorial charge of M. Etienne Cabet, their venerable and talented leader. They also published the Popular Tribune under another editor whose name is not now recalled. The Community broke up and the publication was discontinued.

"July 24, 1858, two young men-Gregg and Lambert-started the Nauvoo Democratic Press. It remained in their hands but a few months, when Messrs. Yates, Chapman, Bauer and Swartz took the concern. Finally Mr. Yates took it and employed Mr. Grove, a school teacher, to conduct it. After Mr. Grove came Abraham Yates, son of the proprietor, until his death in 1860.

"Henceforward until 1873, we believe Nauvoo was without a newspaper. On November 14, that year, Messrs. Kramer and Thomas began the publication of the Nauvoo Independent. It remained in their hands but forty-four weeks, when it was purchased by Hamilton & Nelson (Dr. B. R. Hamilton and Joseph Nelson) in whose hands it remained one year, when Dr. Hamilton retired and Mr. Nelson remained its

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sole proprietor. It is still conducted and in its forty-eiglith year of publication."

NAUVOO INDEPENDENT

The subjoined is an historic account of the Nauvoo Independent by its present owner, and was especially written for this History of Han- cock County :

"Nauvoo had been without a newspaper some thirteen or fourteen years, when in the fall of 1873 Edward H. Thomas and W. P. Kremer, who were looking for a favorable location in which to establish a newspaper plant, happened in some manner to discover this fact. On investiga- tion among our business men and other citizens they were sufficiently encouraged and accord- ingly doffed their coats and on November 14, 1873. the first copy of the Nauvoo Independent was taken from the press. The venture proved a success and Messrs. Kremer & Thomas con-, tinued its publication until September of the following, year, when they sold the plant to Joseph Nelson and Dr. B. R. Hamilton, the first number under the new proprietorship being of the date of September 18, 1874. The paper at that time was a seven column folio, but in a few weeks they enlarged it to eight columns. It was successfully conducted by these gentlemen until October, 1875, when Mr. Nelson purchased the interest of Dr. Hamilton. He remained sole proprietor, with W. D. Hibbard as associate editor until August, 1SSO, at which time Mr. Hibbard and George Baumert, Jr., purchased it. Messrs. Hibbard and Baumert remained the . proprietors until the spring of 1885, when the former was seriously attacked with a paroxysm of the "Western Fever" and the sequel of it was that he sold his interest to Louis F. Argast.

"The paper was then conducted by Messrs. Baumert and Argast until October, 1889, when Michael Baumert, Jr., purchased the interest of Mr. Argast. The firm of Baumert Brothers con- ducted the Independent until the spring of 1914. On April 27, 1914, the senior publisher, Mr. George Baumert, died and shortly afterward Michael Baumert, Jr., purchased the half in- terest that was owned by his brother from the widow. He is the present publisher and editor.

"In 1890 the Independent was enlarged to eight pages, double its former size. In 1891 it began the publication of a semi-weekly, issuing an eight column folio. For eighteen years it

has been published twice a week and is the only semi-weekly paper in Hancock County."

NAUVOO RUSTLER

The Nauvoo Rustler was established May 13, 1890, by W. M. Argast. The firms holding ownership since that date have been-Argast & Bossler (W. M. Argast and H. J. Bossler), W. M. Argast, Argast & Walther (W. M. Argast and F. W. Walther). It is a four-page 25 by 40 inch quarto paper, circulating in western Han- cock mostly. Politically, it is independent. It owns its office building-a handsome two-story brick, costing $7,500, all finely equipped. The presses employed include the Campbell and Gor- don jobbers and the big cylinder press on which the paper is printed. Whatever goes with a modern small town printery is found in this office. The Rustler is all its name would indicate and the news found in each week's issue of the journal is well received at the firesides of many hundred homes in the territory in which it cir- culates.

BOWEN CHRONICLE

The Bowen Chronicle was established March 20, 1889, by Milton Erwin. The present owners are O. H. and M. H. Johnson. Politically, the Chronicle is independent. It circulates mostly in the southern half of Hancock County and it is a seven-column newspaper. It is all printed at home, the power used to run the machinery being a gasoline engine. The job department is quite extensive for so small a place as Bowen. The village is indeed fortunate to possess so well an equipped printing office and so ably a conducted local newspaper as the Chronicle.

HAMILTON PRESS

This is the only newspaper published at Ham- ilton, Illinois. It is an 8-page, weekly paper, has a large circulation in Hamilton and vicin- ity, and is regarded as one of the best papers published in the county.

The Hamilton Press was established by Mr. Gardner in 1885, but it did not prove a success- ful venture, and after a short time the publi- cation of the paper was suspended for some months. It was purchased by Mr. Sherman in 1886, and he continued to publish the paper until 1890, when it was sold to Mr. A. L. Mc-

Hattie B. Campbell

Geo. & Comprar

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

Arthur of Hamilton, whereupon the publication was continued under Mr. McArthur's manage- ment until 1904. The plant was sold in 1904 to R. R. Wallace, S. R. Parker and associates, and was incorporated by them as the Hamilton Printing Company. It was published under this management until 1915, when the plant passed into the hands of Presley R. Ewing and the business was by him reorganized. In the spring of 1917 Mr. Ewing sold the plant to Walter Kline, and on September 26th of the same year Mr. Kline sold the plant to B. G. McArthur and associates, by whom the publication of the paper has been continued to the present time under the name of the Hamilton Printing Com- pany.

The Hamilton Press is published every Friday.

DALLAS CITY REVIEW

The Review, published at Dallas City, was established in 1887 by Lucien S. Reid, who died April 14, 1911, and the paper was published by his wife, Fannie Reid, for one year, then pub- lished for three years by J. D. Butler and G. Ed. Naftzger, since which time it has been published by J. D. Butler, who is still lessee of the paper and also editor and proprietor. In its politics it is strictly independent. It circu- lates mostly in the immediate vicinity of Dallas City and takes in both sides of the Mississippi. It is what is styled among printers a 6-column quarto, "patent insides." About one half of the paper is home print while the remainder is for- eign print. A job department is attached to this office and modern equipment obtains in all branches. The presses include the Potter Jr., a 6-column Cylinder press, and the Jones-Gordon jobber ; also an Eclipse paper folder, and all are run by electric power.

DALLAS CITY ENTERPRISE

The Enterprise, published at Dallas City, was established by Schappel & Kistner, May 5, 1899, and was incorporated April, 1901, by Messrs. B. F. Black, C. H. Kistner, L. M. Loomis, W. H. Bliss, and Ralph Shipman. Its owners to the present date have been-B. F. Black, C. H. Kist- ner, L. M. Loomis, W. H. Bliss and Ralph Shipman. In 1906 the stockholders were changed from B. F. Black, W. H. Bliss and Ralph Shipman to A. McAndrews and James

M. McAndrews. In 1912 A. McAndrews ceased to be a stockholder, as well as James McAn- drews. The present owners are: Charles H. Kistner, L. M. Loomis, Mrs. E. R. Loomis and A. D. Welker.

The present size and form of the Enterprise is a 301/2 by 44, eight page all home print and six column to the page paper-an eight page quarto. It circulates mostly in Hancock County and is independent in its politics. The editor employed, aside from those named above, is A. McAndrews. A complete up-to-date job depart- ment is attached to the newspaper plant. Here one finds a modern equipment, cylinder and job presses, and linotype machine all propelled by electric motors.

LA HARPE QUILL

This newspaper, one of two local papers pub- lished at the city of La Harpe, was established in 1893. Its various proprietors have been : Mar- tin & Comstock, I. M. Martin, C. M. Martin, F. A. Wilkinson and J. E. Morford in 1898, while F. A. Wilkinson and Harry W. Bradshaw have owned the property since 1904.

It is independent in politics and has a good circulation in Hancock, Henderson and Mc- Donough counties. The office is well equipped with plenty of type and a cylinder and job presses. Its size and form is a six-column quarto, and one half is printed at home while the remaining half is "foreign" print from the ready-print houses. The power necessary for the carrying on of this office is obtained from the Western Illinois Utilities Company from the great Keokuk-Hamilton Mississippi river dam.

THE LA HARPER -

The oldest paper at the sprightly city of La Harpe is the La Harper, whose editor and proprietor is J. C. Coulson, son of pioneer Dr. Coulson. In November, 1874, H. G. Rising be- gan the publication of the Leader, and before one volume had closed it went into the hands of L. S. Cogswell, who changed it to the La Harper, October, 1875. After two years he turned it over to its present owner, J. C. Coul- son, who issued his first number April 5, 1878, as a five-column quarto.

The La Harper is an independent local news-

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paper of much excellence; its territory is chiefly Western Illinois. Its presses are run by electric motors and these presses include a Potter Cylin- der press and a Jones-Gordon jobber. The pro- prietor owns his building-the first one being destroyed by fire in 1893 and rebuilt in 1894, at a cost of $2,000. The La Harper has all been set up and printed at home until the last year, since which time from two to four pages have been patent or auxiliary. This local jour- nal seeks and does obtain all the local news , proper for use in a clean, readable home paper, and is a weekly visitor to many hundreds of homes. In all that is good and uplifting Mr. Coulson is sure to do his part in the community where his life has mostly been spent.

AUGUSTA EAGLE

From the History of Augusta: "On October 30, 1884, The Augusta Eagle, edited by F. A. Warden, made its appearance and though its ownership has changed many times since the initial number, it is the same Eagle that is still a welcome visitor to our homes each week.

"In 1891 Olin Emery bought the Warden's interest in the Eagle and conducted the paper until 1903, when Arthur E. Decker and John A. Mead took charge. In 1905 J. A. Robbins co-operated with Decker and Mead and a little later Mr. Decker sold his interest to Walter Bacon. In 1906 Rollo Robbins purchased Mr. Bacon's interest and was associated with his brother, J. A. Robbins, until 1909, Mr. Mead having withdrawn some time previously. For the past ten years Rollo Robbins has been owner and editor of The Eagle.

"The past few years the Eagle has made rapid advancement and is today equipped with the very latest and most modern machinery used in printing offices. It has a Mergenthaler Model K Linotype, which is a line casting machine manufacturing its own type as it is being put into proper form for the newspaper.

"The Eagle now-a-days is printed on a big power Cranston press and runs off 1,200 papers an hour. The paper in make-up is a 12-page all home print paper. The Eagle also carries a very complete and up-to-date job department. The machinery in this department is also mod- ern, having for high class job printing a Hart- ford job press, made especially for high class

job printing, such as printing halftones. The office is electrically equipped throughout. All machinery is driven by motors.

WARSAW BULLETIN

The Warsaw Bulletin succeeded the Public Record of that city in 1867, when Francis As- bury Dallam (present owner's father), a native of Butler County, Kentucky, born in 1824, who had conducted numerous Republican and Whig newspapers in the far West and in Illinois, finally located at Warsaw. He had ready, sharp, cutting wit and was in many ways an acceptable journalist in his day when very much was expected of editors as leaders in poli- tical parties. He was truly an able and vigor- ous writer, but in about one year after he purchased the Public Record he died, the date being March 16, 1868.

After his sudden death the Bulletin was left in the hands of his widow and young sons. Frank M., and later "Phil," has conducted the paper ever since. It now stands at the front rank of Hancock County's local journals in point of excellence. As early as 1879 it was stated of it, "The Bulletin is a pronounced Republican, nine-column folio, at $2.00 a year."

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Hancock County, Volume II, Part 28

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1174

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1174