USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 74
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465
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
August. 1875. the Register Company was formed. with Mr. Beal as president : Edward W. Henricks. secretary : Noah F. Van Winkle. treasurer: Orlando H. Palmer. George H. Alward and Alexander N. Thomas. the re- maining incorporators. On October 13. 1575. a new corporation was formed. the Register Printing Company. with Daniel S. Marsh. president : Chauncey N. Fassett. secretary ; Herbert S. Fassett. treasurer: Eugene M. Herr and Frank A. Marsh. the remaining in- corporators. On September 18. 1875. a daily edition of the Register was established. A Sunday edition was also issued for a time. In 1887. after a notable career of over forty years. the famous journal was discontinued. the plant and fixtures being sold to the Trib- une Printing Company. The Register was weakened by the withdrawal of Mr. Miller. Mr. Crockett and others. in 1872. and the sub- sequent establishment by these young men of the South Bend Tribune.
Sec. 3 .- THE TRIBUNE .- On March 9. 1:72. the first copy of the South Bend Weekly Tri- bune was issued by the Tribune Printing Com- pany. The incorporators of the company were Alfred Bryant Miller. Elmer Crockett. James H. Banning and Elias W. Hoover. These gentlemen had all been connected with the Register. and had withdrawn by reason of some dissatisfaction with the management of that paper. They were young men. experi- enced already in newspaper business and fully determined to issue a progressive. up-to-date journal, such as they believed the people of South Bend and St. Joseph county demanded. On May 28. 1673. the first issue of the Daily Tribune appeared: and since that date the Tribune. daily and weekly. has been one of the strong and influential papers of the state. Alfred B. Miller. the first editor. was a man of marked personality and great force of character: and he made the Tribune a power not only in politics. but in the molding of public opinion on all social and other sub- jects in which the people were interested. His style as a writer was incisive, persuasive and
popular. with humorous and poetical veins that made the Tribune one of the most read- able papers. Accordingly. although the Tri- bune was Republican. almost partisan. in poli- tics. vet its news and editorial columns were sought by people of all shades of political opinion. At the same time Mr. Crockett. who has been the business manager from the be- ginning. has so conducted the fiscal affairs that the plant has yearly increased in wealth and has besides made its owners wealthy. One of the fine characters connected with the Tribune in an editorial capacity for many years. Richard H. Lyon. has already been many times mentioned in these pages. He was a writer of the most elegant taste. and did very much to give to the paper its high literary character. Mr. Miller died in the fall of 1892. and Mr. Lyon early in the year 1907. The editorial charge of the paper since their death has fallen into worthy hands, and the original high stand of the Tribune has been maintained. Mr. Frederick A. Miller. only son of Alfred B. Miller. is now the editor-in- chief. and William K. Lamport is associate editor. The veteran Elmer Crockett. the only one left of the original founders, is still the business manager. Charles E. Crockett, son of Elmer. is secretary of the company.
The original site of the Tribune plant was No. 127 West Washington street. Afterwards the company purchased the lot at No. 128 North Main street. with grounds in the rear for its extensive presses and machinery. for a complete printing and bindery establish- ment. There the company has built up one of the best equipped newspaper and job print- ing establishments in the state. Typesetting machines have been introduced, and the most modern presses have been installed. including a perfecting stereotype press. electrotyping machines and everything else demanded by the most modern printing office in the country.
Sec. 4 .- THE TIMES .- In the year 1853. Ariel Euclid Drapier and his son William H. Drapier began the publication in South Bend of the St. Joseph County Forum. This was
THE
YORK PULL BARY
Aster Lelax and Then For- tons. 1909
John B. Stoll
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
the first attempt to establish a Democratic newspaper in St. Joseph county. The ma- jority of the people in the early history of the county were Whigs; and after the found- ing of the Republican party that party took the place of the Whigs, and under the bril- liant leadership of Mr. Colfax maintained its supremacy in county politics. The task of the Drapiers, father and son, in building up a Democratic paper was therefore one of diffi- eulty. Ariel Euclid Drapier was a man of great force of character, and he and his talented son did succeed in making the Forum a powerful newspaper. They were both ex- pert shorthand writers, and their talent in this respect was for many years made use of in the legislature, where they prepared and published the celebrated Brevier Reports, now so valuable from a historical point of view, as preserving the debates , and proceed- ings of the sessions of the general assembly. This work was carried on by William H. Drapier for many years after the death of his father. During the absence of the father and son in attendance upon the legislature, Charles E. Drapier, a younger son, was in charge of the Forum. A semi-weekly edition of the Forum was published for a few months in 1858, but did not prove a success. For some vigorous language used by the paper in relation to the conduct of the war, it was for a short time suspended during the year 1863, by order of General Milo B. Hascall. The Forum was afterwards sold to Edward Mal- loy, who, having been a gallant soldier in the Union army, determined to change the name of the paper to the National Union. This name was subsequently changed to the South Bend Weekly Union. In December, 1874, Charles L. Murray, a veteran newspaper man, and formerly a member of the state senate from the Goshen district, purchased the Union and placed it in charge of his son, the brilliant Charles T. Murray. Charles T. Murray changed the name to the Herald, and formed the Herald Printing and Publishing Company, which assumed control of the paper
and started a lively morning daily. On May 22. 1876, Charles L. Murray re-purchased the plant, came to South Bend and assumed charge of the Herald which he conducted in a very able manner, making it one of the most influential Democratic papers in the state. From 1881 to 1883, Henry A. Peed was owner and editor of the paper. He gave to it the name of the South Bend Times, which it has since retained. On September 26. 1881. Mr. Peed formed the South Bend Times Company, the stockholders being Henry A. Peed, Robert L. Peed and Jacob D. Hen- derson. On March 2, 1882, the paper need- ing additional capital, the property was taken over by a new company, the Times Printing Company. The stockholders were Joseph IIenderson, Sorden Lister, Henry A. Peed, Alfred Klingel, Robert L. Peed, Jacob D. Henderson, Timothy E. Howard and Harri- son G. Beemer. In the spring of 1883, the controlling stoek in this corporation was transferred to the Hon. John B. Stoll, the brilliant editor of the Ligonier Banner, which Mr. Stoll had made "the ablest Democratic paper in Indiana," as William S. Holman de- clared to the writer, years afterwards. Of the succeeding history of the Times, it is per- haps sufficient to say that the Democrats of the city and county soon became satisfied that they had in that paper one of the very best in the country and in its editor-in-chief, one of the ablest and wisest editorial writers in the United States. Closely associated with Mr. Stoll, from 1883 until his lamented death, December 15, 1906, was Charles Albert Mc- Donald. But better than mere party service, however desirable that may be, the Times and its accomplished editors had and still have a constituency far beyond all partisan lines. The paper has been in the best sense independent in politics and in all other mat- ters affecting the public welfare. The inde- pendence of the press is one of the chief safe- guards of the liberties of the people; and this truth the people themselves are quick to recog- nize. It does not follow that the independent
470
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
paper does not sometimes make mistakes, grievous mistakes occasionally, does not at times do violence to the feelings and convic- tions of its readers and particularly its party supporters ; this, however, is far better in the end than to take a cowardly part in the dis- cussion of public questions. Party principles, as in the case of all other principles, must of course control in large degree the senti- ments of a party newspaper ; any other course would be dishonest with its readers. But within the lines there is ample room for a free and manly course, as was exemplified in the career of Peter Stirling. In this best sense the Times has been an independent party paper; and the people, without respect to party, have appreciated the strong, manly course pursued by the Times and have ac- corded to it a most generous support. There is indeed no town in the state, perhaps in the whole country, that has two better newspa -. pers than the South Bend Times and the South Bend Tribune. Of course they quarrel with one another occasionally, but the people make allowances for this and appreciate the fact that they are favored with two first class, manly, independent newspapers, devoted, first of all, to the welfare of the Queen City of the St. Joseph valley.
Sec. 5 .- THE SUNDAY NEWS .- Besides the Sunday Register, already noted, a Sunday paper was issued for a time by Timothy G. Turner, in connection with his Annuals, which he began in 1869. His first publication was the Gazetteer of the St. Joseph Valley, in 1867. He likewise began in 1871 the publica- tion of a city directory. The annual and the directory were continued until 1881, after which William L. Farr, who had been a can- vasser for Mr. Turner's publications, con- tinued the directory, but the Turner's An- nuals and Sunday paper were discontinued.
On April 24, 1887. Chauncey N. Fassett, who had been editor of the Register, issued the first copy of his Sunday News, and has continued since that time to issue the paper every Sunday morning. It has admirably
filled its well recognized place among the established journals of the city, being, as its name indicates, and in harmony with the versatile talent of its genial editor, a newsy, local Sunday morning paper, one that would be sorely missed by every citizen who looks there for the news that is reported after the issue of the Saturday Tribune and Times. The News has occasionally some difficulty in steering its course between the breakers of the Times and the Tribune, avoiding a re- publication of the news given by either of the two dailies, and taking its own independent course in the discussion of topics pertaining to the city's interests and in giving the news in its own line. It is enough to say that the course pursued by the Sunday News has been a successful one.
Sec. 6 .- OTHER NEWSPAPERS .- The Goniec Polski, or Polish Messenger, is published in the interests and for the entertainment and information of the very large and intelligent Polish population of South Bend and vicin- ity. It is a semi-weekly, six-column folio, and is independent in politics. The editor and proprietor is Mr. George W. J. Kalczynski, born and educated in the United States and a master of the English language and literature as well as of the Polish. He is one of the most accomplished and enterprising of the younger leaders of the city of South Bend.
The Indiana Courier was established in 1873, and published in the German language in the interests of the German people of South Bend and vicinity. Soon after its establish- ment the Courier was purchased by Gustav Fickentscher, who changed the name to the South Bend Courier. Later Mr. Fickentscher associated with himself in the management of the Courier Mr. Andrew Troeger. The Cour- ier was always a liberal, democratic journal.
The Industrial Era was established in the fall of 1879 by Ralph E. Hoyt. It was an advocate of the principles of the national Greenback party. It was published for only a few months and was succeeded by the South Bend Era. The first copy of the latter paper
471
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
was issued on March 27, 1880, by Benjamin . porters on the Indianapolis Sun, and even- Franklin Shively, who was sole editor. and tually removed to the state of Washington, where he became editor of a newspaper on the coast. proprietor. Those who had the pleasure of reading this bright, crispy, carefully edited paper, remember its pages with a great deal of satisfaction as the first publie work of the brilliant gentleman whose fine oratory was afterwards for years heard in the halls of congress and before the people not only of Indiana, but throughout the whole country. Mr. Shively, a native of St. Joseph county, is without question one of the first orators, as he is one of the wisest statesmen of Indiana.
The Martin Van Buren Free Soil movement
POST OFFICE, SOUTH BEND.
of 1848 was championed for a few months in the Free Democrat, established by Dr. E. W. H. Ellis.
On January 26, 1892, the Post Print- ing Company was incorporated by John W. O'Bannon, William H. Burke and Gay L. Tafts, for the purpose of engaging in the publication of a newspaper. The office of the Post was located at No. 232 North Main street, and the paper was an exeeedingly neat and well edited one. But there did not seem to be any place for it, and it survived but a few months. The' editor deserves to be re- membered. He was Mr. Herbert Hunt, and was unusually talented and ambitious. He was afterwards one of the most valued re-
Aside from the journals mentioned, a few newspapers representing special inter- ests have been published from time to time, but need not be further referred to. The eity seems now to be, and for several years past to have been, fully provided for in this line by the Daily and Weekly Times, the Daily and Weekly Tribune and the Sunday News. No city has better newspapers, and they seem to fully satisfy all the needs of our people in this line.
See. 7 .- SOUTH BEND SUMMARY .- The fol- lowing statement is taken from a leaflet issued from the Tribune press, in the general inter- ests of the business men of the city of South Bend. In summing up the advantages of our city as a place of residence and business, this statement seems at the same time to present a comprehensive abstract of what South Bend has attained to, from the year 1820, when Pierre Navarre, the first white man to settle here, built his cabin on the banks of the St. Joseph, even down to this year of our Lord, 1907 :
South Bend, population' approaching 60,- 000, the largest city in the northern part of Indiana and the county seat of St. Joseph county, is situated on the St. Joseph river, one of the most picturesque inland streams in the world, six miles south of the Indiana-Michigan line. It is regarded as one of the cleanest, best-paved and healthiest cities in America.
It has eight steam railroads, fine street rail- ways, electric interurban systems to adjacent territory and is one of the best points for manufacturing, general business and resi- dence in the United States. South Bend is 86 miles east of Chicago and within a day's ride of New York city. Manufacturers seek- ing a location should carefully investigate South Bend and its manifold advantages be- fore arriving at a decision. With scores of prosperous manufacturing establishments, the product of many of which goes to all parts of the civilized world, South Bend is one of the best advertised cities in the universe. It is a stamp of merit for goods to bear the name
472
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
of South Bend. Here are a few of the many notable features of our city :
Six banks.
A humane society.
Rural mail service.
Free kindergartens.
Garbage crematory.
A $75,000 city hall. Beautiful residences.
A government building.
Good daily newspapers.
A $250,000 court house.
Police ambulance system.
Two local telephone systems.
Two well equipped hospitals.
The world's largest toy works.
Two loan and trust companies.
Eight square miles of territory.
Over 140 miles of public streets. Long distance telephone service. The world's largest plow factory. Freedom from labor disturbances. Assessed valnation of $25,000.000. Six building and loan associations. A handsome $35,000 public library. Abundant water and electric power. Annual payrolls of over $6,000,000. Twenty-four miles of street car lines. Historical society and public museum. Annnal wholesale trade of $25,000,000. Savings bank with $3,000,000 deposits. The world's largest clover huller plant. Theatrical and show printing company. Fifty passenger trains, nearly all daily. One hundred and ninety acres of parks. One of the world's largest shirt factories. Gamewell fire and police alarm systems. Unsurpassed features as a business center. A splendid surrounding agricultural region. Fifty miles of paved public thoroughfares. Extensive gas and electric lighting plants. One military company, Indiana national guard.
The world's largest sewing machine case plant.
The largest wood turning plant in the world.
Unrivaled facilities as a manufacturing center.
Over 100 fraternal and benevolent so-
cieties.
One of the largest watch factories in America.
Unequaled qualifications as a place of residence.
One of the largest underwear mills in the world.
Largest concrete block machine factory in America.
A business amounting to about $50,000,000 annually.
The largest exclusively men's underwear mills in America.
American District Telegraph Company mes- senger service.
Two telegraph companies-Western Union and Postal.
Young Men's Christian Association and fine new building.
The largest paper box factory in Indiana and one of the largest in the world.
Two G. A. R. posts. one Spanish war vet- eran camp, two W. R. C., one Sons of Vet- erans.
Eighty-three miles of water mains supplied all year with pure artesian water.
Young Women's Christian Association and beautiful and modern new building.
The largest kitchen range plant in Indiana and one of the largest in the world.
Boarding home for young women under auspices of Young Women's Christian Asso- ciation.
Splendid opportunities for profitable em- ployment for bright and energetic men and women.
Three of the handsomest theaters in the west, of 1,000, 1,200 and 1.600 seating ca- pacity.
Fifty-two church organizations, many with church edifices of striking architectural ap- pearance.
Population of abont 200,000 reached by electric railway service of which South Bend is the center.
Constant bona fide and profitable oppor- tunities for the investment of capital in good manufacturing and other substantial enter- prises.
A paid fire department of 12 companies forming one of the best fire departments in the world, besides several private factory fire departments, and 850 fire hydrants.
Eleven hotels of various grades and prices, the Oliver, erected at a cost of $600,000, being one of the finest and most complete in the world.
Many clubs devoted to social, athletic, lit- erary and dramatic objects, several in their own buildings, besides a large number of lesser social organizations.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
Fourteen public and a number of parochial schools, all of a high order, the celebrated University of Notre Dame, for men, the world- famed St. Mary's Academy for women and a commercial college.
Eight railroads-the Lake Shore & Mich- igan Southern, Grand Trunk Western, Mich- igan Central. Chicago, Indiana & Southern, Indiana Northern. New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois, Vandalia and Chicago & South Bend.
One hundred and twenty-two artesian wells supplying pure water for domestic, factory and fire protection purposes all the year, the water being forced throughout the city by standpipe pressure supplied by three pump- ,ing stations with a daily capacity of 24,000,- 000 gallons.
Connections by one of the best electrie rail- ways in America, with Mishawaka, population 9,000. four miles distant: Elkhart, 19,000, 15 miles ; Goshen. 10,000, 26 miles: Warsaw. 7,000, 50 miles; Niles, Mich., 7,000, 10 miles ; St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, Mich., popula- tion 15,000, 35 miles.
Many manufacturing establishments of various sizes, some the largest in the world, making automobiles, automatic computing scales, adjustable shade hangers, artificial fuel, awnings, alfalfa hullers, automatic field glasses, bicycles, building stone, books, brooms, bricks, beer, blinds, box making machinery, baking powder. boats, blueing, bob-sleds. boil- er compound, brick-making machinery, brass articles, box springs, bar fixtures, barrels, bolt threading machinery, clover hullers, cigars, carpets, cultivators, cutlery. cigar boxes. cast- ings. carriage covers, concrete mixing ma- chinery, chandeliers, cement blocks, cornice,
confectionery, carriages, cement bricks, carts, eut building stone, doors, dowels. electrie dry batteries, electrotypes, electric house fixtures, electrie sparking devices, electric coils, elec- tric switches, electric specialties, engines, fur- niture, feed mills, flour, fishing tackle, flue brushes, furnaces, folding paper boxes, gas and gasoline engines, gas fixtures, grills, games, grain drills, harness and harness ap- purtenances, hand carts, harrows, horse cov- ers, hose carts, hardware specialties, ice, ice cream, jewelry, knit underwear, linseed oil, lumber, labels, loose leaf ledgers, machinery, mattresses, malleable steel kitchen ranges, mineral water, milling machinery, mail boxes, mill cogs, motors, office furniture, oil filters, plows, printing press rollers, paper boxes, pro- prietary medicines, pulleys, paper roll pro- tectors, pony vehicles, porch swings, paste, photo mounts. pulp plaster, power drills, printed matter, rubber stamps, razors, roof- ing, rugs, railroad supplies, respirators, re- seating machinery, roof paint, rattan special- ties, shirts, steel skeins, shipping tags, sewing machine parts, soda water, steam boilers, sash, street sprinklers, soldering fluxes, street sweepers, shovels, street car signs, screens, sleighs, snuff, standpipes, seeders, steam specialties, sheet iron products, stereotypes. spark arresters, stone making machinery, toys, tool specialties, tombstones, tooth paste, tele- phones and telephone supplies, tents, theatri- cal posters, tables, varnish, wagons, woolens, wood boxes, watches, willow specialties, water works machinery, wire bound boxes, wire fence, wood turnings, well boring machinery, wagon covers, wind stacker hoods. Most South Bend plants run the entire year.
DISTINGUISHED CAREERS SELECTED FROM THE INDUSTRIAL, BUSINESS AND PROFES- SIONAL LIFE OF THE COUNTY
AND THE OLDEST CITIZENS.
The preceding pages of history are rich in personal reference, for it would be impossible to describe the civilization that has grown up within the limits of the county. in the coun- try, the towns and the cities, without having continually in mind and speaking of the men and women who bore the part of pioneers, or who did the work of the second generation, or who during the last quarter century have reaped the rewards of their predecessors and have themselves assumed responsiblities for succeeding generations. "Institutions are but the lengthened shadows of men" is a fine statement of the part individuals play in his- tory, and there are a great many individuals in St. Joseph county who have built enduring monuments in character or industrial enter- prise, so that either their names or the insti- tutions with which they completely identified themselves are known by all and have unfor- gettable places in the county's history. Most of the names which follow have already been mentioned in the preceding pages, but here will be found a more complete account in biographical form of many of the men whose accomplishments have done so much for the development of city and county.
The preparation of the general history of St. Joseph county has been the result of more than a year's diligent and , painstaking labor on the part of Judge Howard, of South Bend. Written at the close of a long resi- dence and active participation in the affairs of the county, this history is the expression
of a ripened judgment and intelligent ob- servation of the varied events and the com- plex development that have attended the splendid progress of the county and its cen- tral cities. As a result, this work becomes a valuable contribution to the historical lit- erature pertaining to the St. Joseph valley, and is probably destined to remain for many years the principal authoritative work of local history.
In addition to speaking these words of appreciation concerning the labors of Judge Howard, the publishers deem it fitting to state the principal facts in the career of the author and insert a brief sketch of his life among those of other well known citizens of the county.
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