USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. I > Part 46
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. I > Part 46
USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. I > Part 46
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G. C. Holmes was for many years press agent of the Brockton Ag- ricultural Society, originated and was the first editor of the "Brockton Fair News." His father, George N. Holmes, was one of the incor- porators of the society. Edward M. Thompson succeeded Holmes as Brockton Fair press agent.
The "Brockton Enterprise" had been coming along rapidly and winningly in the hustling days of Holmes, Sproul, Bryant and Thomp- son. Of the publisher, Albert H. Fuller, and the editor-in-chief, S. Heath Rich, considerable appears elsewhere in this history. Mr. Fuller was still at work until his death in March, 1926, and Mr. Rich still directs the editorial policy of the "Enterprise" and contributes a full and brilliant day's work at the office. The third member of the Enter- prise Publishing Company, up to about 1900, was the late Herbert S. Fuller, city editor. Like Mr. Rich, he came from Nantucket, was a thorough newspaper man, an energetic worker, considerate employer and possessed a personality which left its impress wherever he went. After retiring from the "Enterprise," he was for a time secretary of the Brockton Board of Trade, engaged in the engraving business in Boston and conducted a weekly paper, the "Westfield Enterprise," the latter part of his life.
Beginning in his school days, Louis E. Rich, younger brother of S. Heath Rich, was a fellow-worker on the "Enterprise" and as bril- liant a newspaper man as ever sat at an editorial desk in this part of the country. The younger Mr. Rich learned the newspaper busi- ness thoroughly, beginning in the composing room, but the editorial sanctum provided the atmosphere and opportunities for the display of his best talents. For many years he wrote editorials for the "En- terprise" which helped place the "Enterprise" editorial page in the proud position which it has held for the greater part of its existence. He was a student of theatrical life and his criticisms were among the gems in the paper which are well worth searching out today in the files for re-reading.
The pursuit of live news and the treatment of it as an actuality, to be set forth right, with the skill and artistry of the expert, appealed to Louis Rich as much as his editorial treatment of the history of the community day by day. Some years ago, his older brother left the news department of the paper in the hands of the younger man, changed his own editorial-page sanctum to another floor in the build- ing, and this arrangement continued until Friday noon, December 28, 1924. Louis E. Rich had written an editorial to be printed for New Year's Day. He had closed his desk.to go out for a light lunch and incidentally to call at a news-stand for the New York papers which he made it a practice for many years to read daily. Standing on
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the steps of the Enterprise Building chatting with an acquaintance, he broke off the conversation with the words "I might as well go now as any time." A few minutes later he dropped dead at the news- stand, "on the job."
Saturday, October 20, 1923, Stephen Dalton, who had been on the staff of the "Brockton Enterprise" twenty-three years, eighteen years of the time as city editor, resigned to become one of the editors of the "Boston Evening Telegran." Robert E. Riordan, his assistant, suc- ceeded him on the city desk. At that time Louis E. Rich was editor ; D. Murray Travis, news editor; Herbert L. Wood, country editor ; Joseph A. Messier, telegraph editor, and James H. Burke, sporting editor, with S. Heath Rich, editor-in-chief, and Albert H. Fuller, treas- urer, and Charles L. Fuller, business manager.
Since that time Albert H. Fuller and Louis E. Rich have passed away, Mr. Dalton has returned to the "Enterprise" as an editorial and feature writer, associated with the editor-in-chief; Charles L. Fuller has succeeded his father as treasurer of the corporation and the others mentioned hold their same respective positions and constitute the managerial staff, with competent assistants.
Since the "Brockton Times" was established, with William L. Doug- las as proprietor and J. Amory Knox as managing editor, there have been numerous changes in its editorial force. William R. Buchanan became general manager after Colonel Knox and later proprietor, dis- posing of the paper a few years ago to the present owner, John D. Bogart. Mr. Buchanan was manager of the political campaign which terminated in Mr. Douglas winning the election as governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was his private secretary during. his term in that office.
When Mr. Buchanan was proprietor, he had, among others, as managing editor, for a time, Arthur J. Chase, who has since been president of the Brockton Chamber of Commerce, and is one of the board of managers of the "Brockton and South Shore Magazine" and one of the executives of the George E. Keith Company. An earlier managing editor was Herbert Davidson, afterward secretary of the Worcester, Massachusetts, Chamber of Commerce.
Aside from Mr. Chase, one of the best-known men connected with the "Times," as reporter, city hall representative, city editor and managing editor, was the late George M. Gifford. He terminated thir- teen years' work on the "Times," the latter part of the period as man- aging editor, October 18, 1922. He had also been executive officer of the Brockton Board of Health.
In June, 1905, the "Brockton Searchlight," a local weekly paper, first appeared with William D. Dwyer as editor and publisher. This
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paper continued, with one or more suspensions at intervals, until April 12, 1924, when Mr. Dwyer took a position on the staff of the "Fall River Daily Globe." The "Searchlight" was an outspoken periodical, especially concerning labor union matters, as it for several years took an aggressive attitude against the Boot and Shoe Workers' Union. It consistently and persistently editorially rapped the heads of those with whom the editor did not agree but kept itself free from per- sonalities which reflected upon the character of the persons men- tioned. Consequently most people took the verbal chastisements of the vigorous editor in good part and the paper had the effect of making things lively in seasons which might otherwise have become monoton- ous. Mr. Dwyer is a good writer, still wielding a skillful pen, not forgetting or being forgotten by his friends and former associates in Plymouth County's city and vicinity.
Frequently a clergyman sees the error of his ways and finds a haven in journalism. One of the clergy who was prominent in Plymouth County newspaper work a generation ago and had had a previous experience elsewhere was Rev. Joshua R. Bartlett. He had been a Methodist preacher and a zealous worker for prohibition. His father, William Bartlett, had been a butcher and market-man, a mem- ber of the firm of Nash & Bartlett, who had a market at the corner of Main and High streets in North Bridgewater. The other member of the firm was Daniel Nash. They established the second market in North Bridgewater. It was in honor of William Bartlett that Bartlett Street, in what is now Plymouth County's only city, was named.
Joshua R. Bartlett was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company K., Fourth Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, assigned to the defense of the Capitol. As a clergyman he held pastorates in New Hampshire and Vermont and was a member and secretary of the Pro- hibition Party State organizations in both states, also later in Massa- chusetts.
He was editor of the "Vermont Christian Messenger." In 1886, he purchased the "Standard Bearer," a prohibition paper, changed the name to "The Protest," and continued the publication until July 1, 1890, when he merged it with the "Worcester Daily and Weekly Times," which he published at Worcester for two years in the interests of the prohibition movement. He moved to Brockton in 1892, for two years was a member of the staff of the "Daily Despatch;" in January, 1893, was made Brockton correspondent of the "Boston Herald;" was one of the group employed on the "Brockton Herald" during its brief ex- istence; and, when the "Brockton Times" started in February, 1895, became connected with that paper as City Hall correspondent and editorial writer.
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Mr. Bartlett was a member of Fletcher Webster Post, No. 13, Grand Army of the Republic.
Clever Women in Local Journalism-There have been, and still are, numerous women who have engaged in newspaper work in Plymouth County, as reporters on the daily papers in Brockton, and as cor- respondents for daily and weekly papers in and out of the county. Perhaps the most prominent newspaper woman is Miss Fannie Fitz- gerald of Brockton, although a few years ago she abandoned news- paper work for life insurance solicitation. In both fields she has been conspicuously successful and deserves all the success she attained by faithful, intelligent work. Much of Miss Fitzgerald's newspaper work was done in Brockton, largely on the "Brockton Times," although she was a member of the staff of the "Worcester Telegram" and other newspapers and literary ventures at various times. During her news- paper connections, Miss Fitzgerald possessed the ability to cover any assignment, whether a social, political, or sporting event to the satis- faction of the city editor, as she kept well-informed about a multitude of plans and activities, knowing, as every newspaper representative should, much about a few things and a little about everything.
There have been others whose work has compared favorably with that done by newspaper men, who, like Miss Fitzgerald, have given up journalistic pursuits for other lines of endeavor. There is at the present time an especially capable corps of newspaper women whose writings add much to the excellence of the county press.
Two of the women who conducted newspapers in the county in past years who will long be remembered for their out-spoken, conscientious, good work for their respective communities were Miss Hulda Loud and Miss Floretta Vining. Miss Loud was proprietor and editor of the "Rockland Independent" for many years.
Miss Vining combined with her duties as proprietor and editor of a chain of weekly papers on the South Shore the duties of club-woman and real estate operator and was a success at all three. She was born in South Scituate (now Norwell), May 21, 1849. Her father, Alex- ander Vining, proprietor of the Nantasket Hotel and Mansion House at Pemberton, left her a comfortable fortune. In 1885 she established residence in Hull, the smallest town in the State, and began to make it the biggest little town on the South Shore, with a newspaper called the "Hull Beacon" to shed its light. Eventually Miss Vining had nine weekly papers and used them all to promote Nantasket and the South Shore. It was largely through her persistent publicity that the life- saving station at Stony Beach was established. She sponsored the State reservation at Nantasket and her influence in bringing it about
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was recognized by Governor Roger Wolcott when he signed the meas- ure and presented her with the pen. Miss Vining was known as "the mayor of Hull." She was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, Miss Hetty Green, and hundreds of other people of prominence in her day; was the first regent of John Adams Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution; the second New England woman to be elected to the Sorosis Society, the exclusive New York woman's club; was prominent as a member of the New England Wom- an's Press Association. She was far in advance of her time when she advocated at the Woman's Club convention at Los Angeles ad- - mitting colored women as members of women's clubs.
Miss Huldah Barker Loud, after graduating from the high school in East Abington, now Rockland, her native town, taught school in that town thirteen years with remarkable success. In 1884, E. C. Os- borne and W. J. Barry started a newspaper in connection with their job printing office and secured Miss Loud as editor. She named the paper the "Rockland Independent," edited it for the original proprietors until 1889 and then purchased the business. In the first issue of the "Independent" under her proprietorship as well as editorial management, she announced that she had bought the business "to help save the world; that it was not a business venture in any sense of the word; that the business would always be in charge of a foreman; that she desired a medium through which she could convey her best thought to the world, unhampered by worldly interests," and her whole news- paper career was strictly in conformity with that announcement.
In addition to the "Rockland Independent," she published the "North Abington News" and the "North River Pioneer."
Miss Loud was one of the early advocates for woman's suffrage and often spoke in public in that cause. She was also an advocate of the Knights of Labor, representing that organization in 1888 at the Women's International Council in Washington. She gave an ad- dress there which was one of the brilliant features of the convention. While in Washington she gave an address before the Anti-Poverty Society of that city and the Washington branch of the Knights of Labor.
Miss Loud was several years chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rockland Public Library, served as a member of the Rockland School Committee and was a regular speaker on town topics at the town meetings. She was never married. Late in life she adopted two boys.
"Old Colony Memorial" Aged One Hundred and Six-The Old Col- ony had a newspaper as early as 1786, when one was printed in Plym- outh by Nathaniel Cleverly.
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The oldest newspaper in Plymouth County, still in existence, is the "Old Colony Memorial," now in its one hundred and seventh year. A remarkable fact concerning this paper is that the publishers have the complete files for the one hundred and six years it has served the Old Colony district and those who have moved from this vicinity to all parts of the world. For a time there was a weekly paper published in Plymouth with the name "Plymouth Rock" but about the time of the Civil War the "Old Colony Memorial" and "Plymouth Rock" were consolidated and published by George F. Andrews. This was a union of the old Democratic with the old Whig organ of the county. At the same time the "Old Colony Sentinel" was published by Moses Bates, "as an independent conservative journal, devoted to the interests of the people."
The "Plymouth Free Press" was for many years published by the late Daniel W. Andrews, a brother of George F. Andrews, but March 12, 1904, it was consolidated with the papers already mentioned. This same fate befell the "Kingston News," "Duxbury News," and "Marsh- field News," May 1, 1913. The "Old Colony Memorial" and various papers which it has absorbed are now published as one by Fritz John Bittinger, business manager; and Paul Bittinger, editor. For many years before the Bittinger family came into possession of the news- paper and its extensive book and job printing plant, the institution was owned and conducted by Avery & Doten. W. W. Avery, the senior member of the firm, was afterward postmaster of Plymouth. The junior member of the firm was Captain Charles C. Doten, who took the Plymouth volunteers company out at the first call for volun- teers in 1861. He served as editor of the "Old Colony Memorial" many years.
For about two years, beginning in 1835, a paper was published in Bridgewater entitled, "We, the People." The editor and proprietor was Christopher A. Hack.
After its suspension Bridgewater was for a long time without a journalistic representative publication. Henry Thomas Pratt who, during the Civil War was clerk in the office of his uncle, Colonel Henry C. Pratt, paymaster in the army, was connected with Joseph Carver, cotton gin manufacturer, after the war. He determined to engage in an independent business and set up a printing office in Bridgewater. From this office, March 11, 1876, appeared the first issue of "Every Saturday," a twelve-column weekly newspaper. In December of that year he changed the name of his publication to the "Bridgewater Independent."
Mr. Pratt was one of Bridgewater's representative citizens. In 1897 he reprinted Mitchell's "History of Bridgewater." He served the town
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of Bridgewater as town clerk from 1875 through 1878, was secretary of the Bridgewater Social Club, and, in 1893, was one of the town auditors and held that position until his death in 1898.
The "Bridgewater Independent," which he founded, is still in ex- istence, with John Dickinson as editor and proprietor. It was trans- ferred by Mr. Pratt to Joseph Tooker, by whom it was enlarged. Mr. Tooker was an energetic citizen with his own ideas of fearlessness in his editorial columns, and the paper was quoted extensively. Mr. Tooker, however, disposed of it December 1, by sale to James M. Coombs, of Middleboro. The latter held the editorial reins a few months, and sold it to Elmer C. Linfield, by whom it was run until 1894. From this same office was issued the "East Bridgewater Star" and "West Bridgewater Times" and finally the "Whitman Reporter," after Mr. Linfield purchased the latter from Frank W. Gurney.
The "Whitman Reporter" had been started several years previously by William C. Gurney of Whitman, as a side line. He was at that time and still is (1927) correspondent for the Boston "Globe" in Whit- man and several other Plymouth County towns. Mr. Gurney an- nounced himself as a "temperance editor" and conducted the "Re- porter" as a prohibition paper, acknowledging himself a "crank" and oc- casionally referred to several lines in which he claimed to be as much of a crank as on the subject of prohibition. Mr. Gurney, through the "Reporter," added considerably to the "gayety of nations" and oc- casionally stirred some of the people of whom he wrote humorous items to a condition bordering on peevishness. One of these sensitive sons of Whitman encountered Gurney on the street one day and, shak- ing his fist indignantly in the editor's face cried: "Will Gurney, you're a liar !"
"Very true, as a general statement. But what's the question?" was the rejoinder.
After stirring up the animals in a little different way than anyone in the local newspaper business had before or since, "Willie Calamity" Gurney, as he became widely known, disposed of the "Reporter" to Frank W. Gurney. The younger man of that well-known Whitman name conducted it along similar lines, and added much originality of his own. He was ambitious, however, to engage in daily newspaper work in Brockton and, finding that Mr. Linfield wanted to add it to his chain of weeklies, parted with it for a consideration and joined the staff of the "Brockton Despatch," and later the "Brockton Enterprise."
Newspaper Men as "Rough Riders"-Frank W. Gurney was a mem- ber of the "Enterprise" staff in 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish War. One of his associates on the "Enterprise" was Conrad F. Goss. Both young newspaper men were fortunate enough, largely through the
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influence of the late Colonel John J. Whipple, mayor of the city; and the late Dr. Wallace C. Keith, a classmate in Harvard Medical School of General Leonard Wood, to become members of the famous "Rough Rid- ers" Regiment, and serve under Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. A few years later Mr. Goss was drowned from a dory on a vacation trip off Nantucket, greatly mourned by all his associates in the newspaper fraternity and a host of other friends who recognized in him some of the finest traits of character which characterize the best of men.
The "Rough Riders" or First Volunteer Cavalry, was one of the five regular regiments which made up the cavalry division at Santiago. Gurney and Goss were the only members from Plymouth County and of the few from Massachusetts. They were attached to Troop B, Captain James H. McClintock, and through an error in Colonel Roose- velt's book, "The Rough Riders," are credited to Tampa, Florida. All but one of the officers of Troop B and most of the troopers were from Arizona. The exception among the officers was Corporal Dudley S. Dean of Boston. The only New England trooper, aside from Gur- ney and Goss, was Wellman H. Saunders of Salem, Massachusetts, who died of fever at Santiago.
Of the "Rough Riders" Colonel Roosevelt wrote: "My men were children of the dragon's blood, and if they had no outland foe to fight and no outlet for their vigorous and daring energy, there was always the chance of their fighting one another; but the great majority, if given the chance to do hard or dangerous work, availed themselves of it with the utmost eagerness." He also quoted from a letter written by George Rowland of Troop G, who received a gunshot wound in the left side June 24, 1898, and wrote of Tom Darnell, "he who rode the sorrel horse of the Third Cavalry." Rowland wrote: "There ain't much news to write of except poor old Tom Darnell got killed about a month ago. Tom and another fellow had a fight and he shot Tom through the heart and Tom was dead when he hit the floor. Tom was sure a good old boy, and I sure hated to hear of him going, and he had plenty of grit too. No man ever called on him for a fight that he didn't get it."
The two Brockton comrades enjoyed their associations with these "children of the dragon's blood," and considered themselves for- tunate to have been numbered with the famous outfit.
They returned to Brockton and to newspaper work on the "Enter- prise." Conrad F. Goss met his fate as already stated. Frank W. Gurney served in the Brockton City Council, was for a time a shoe manufacturer in Marlboro and in 1927 was an advertising creator and salesman.
There had been a paper issued in West Bridgewater in 1867 called the
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"West Bridgewater Times." Rev. J. G. Forman was the local cor- respondent and the paper continued about two years. It was printed in Middleboro.
William Fay published the "West Bridgewater News" for a short time in 1882.
Middleboro, owing to its location, seemed to be a good field for a weekly newspaper and in 1835, nearly a hundred years ago, Major Benjamin Drew, Jr., moved the "Old Colony Democrat" from Plym- outh to Middleboro, and was its proprietor and editor. It was not successful very long. Samuel P. Browne became editor and pro- prietor of the next venture in Middleboro journalism, appearing with the "Nemasket Gazette" October 7, 1852. He was a local printer but the newspaper took too much of his attention, so he sold it to Rev. Stillman Pratt in 1854. The new proprietor and editor changed the name to the "Middleboro Gazette and Old Colony Advertiser." Af- ter the death of Rev. Mr. Pratt, his son, Stillman B. Pratt, conducted the paper until February, 1869, when it was sold to James M. Coombs, who enlarged it. The "Gazette" has continued ever since. It has been one of the good newspapers issued in Plymouth County. It was pur- chased in August, 1894, by Lorenzo Wood and Wallace Tinkham, the present publishers, who also publish the "Wareham Times."
The "Middleboro News" was started in October, 1881, by Henry H. Sylvester, who made a good newspaper of it from the start. Marcus M. Copeland was owner of the "News" several years. He finally moved to Onset and the "News" suspended publication.
The "Hingham Journal," the weekly newspaper which admirably serves its clientele at present, was established by James H. Wilder in 1850. Mr. Wilder had previously been associated with the publica- tion of the "Hingham Patriot." This paper was started July 2, 1838, by Jedediah Farmer, who published it until July 3, 1841, then sold it to Wilder & Gill. Just one year later William Wilder became the publisher and two years and ten days later the publisher was Jolin Gill. Three years later he took into partnership J. Franklin Farmer, and the paper was enlarged and improved. It is strange how many changes there were in ownership, all occurring in the month of July as the years rolled around, and the Gill and Wilder families passing the paper from one to another. The following July, in 1848, John Gill again became sole publisher and ownership again changed in De- cember of that year to James H. Wilder, who two years later estab- lished the "Hingham Journal."
It has continued to be a good newspaper under successive manage- ments and a few years ago became the property of Heman Eldredge, formerly connected with the "Brockton Enterprise" and "Worcester Plym-28
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Post." Mr. Eldredge brought to the paper an all-round experience, a winning personality and integrity which were bound to succeed. The "Journal" is always easy reading and a dispenser of sound intelligence.
The "Hingham Gazette" was, however, the first newspaper in town, established by Farmer & Brown, January 5, 1827. The entire man- agement was taken over by Jedediah Farmer, October 2, 1829, and continued until January 6, 1837, when the management was assumed by Thomas D. Blossom. There was a new editor, Albert A. Folsom, April 6, 1838, and the name of the paper was changed to "Gospel Wit- ness and Old Colony Reporter." The paper was discontinued in Oc- tober, 1839.
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