USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 35
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Several other physicians have been in practice for short periods of time during the years from 1865 to 1900. The terms of some of those still in active practice in Peabody extend back to about 1880. But the four whose long terms of service have already been recorded were the centers of medical history in Peabody during their generation.
Among those who practiced medicine for a few years and who' es- tablished a successful clientage, may be mentioned Dr. Alice M. Patter-
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son. She was born and educated in Peabody and in the Homoeopathic Medical School of Boston and Tufts Medical School. After several years of successful practice in Peabody, she went into institutional work at the Danvers State Hospital, and later at other similar public institutions. Dr. Patterson is still engaged in similar work.
Dr. Charles G. Weston had a successful practice in Peabody for a few years, taking over the office of Dr. Elliot. He was a graduate of the Harvard Medical School and served a term at the Boston City Hos- pital. He removed to Minneapolis, Minn., and is now at the head of the Hilcrest Surgical Hospital in that city.
Dr. Charles B. Frothingham also practiced in Peabody for several years and removed to Haverhill, Massachusetts, and is now retired.
Dr. William Henry Downey was another physician who built up a successful practice in Peabody, but has since died. He was born in 1870, was educated at the North Broodfield High School, Amherst College, 1892, and Harvard Medical School, 1897. He then spent a year and half in hospital service at the Boston City Hospital and then began the prac- tice of medicine in Peabody. He served a term as a member of the school committee and was a member of the board of trustees of the J. B. Thomas Hospital. He married Mrs. Kate Walsh of Taunton in 1910, and three years later, on account of ill health, he removed to Taunton, Mass. He died suddenly in October, 1914. His widow survives him.
Several others have been established in Peabody for short terms and have removed to other places.
There are now in Peabody thirteen practitioners. There is one specialist, one homœopathist and the others are graduates of regular schools of medicine. The list of physicians practicing in Peabody since 1920 is as follows: Frank L. Burt, Fred O. Elder, Ralph E. Foss, Horace K. Foster, J. C. Kirby, Harry Halpern, John J. Hickey, John F. Jordan, Lawrence Kelley, Harry D. Kennard, Byzant Manoogian, Joseph W. P. Murphy, Harris Pomroy, John J. Shanahan, S. Chase Tucker, Elton M. Varney.
CHAPTER XLIV.
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY
There seems to be no question about the statement that Samuel Hall, a young man, a native of Medford, Massachusetts, was the first person to undertake to conduct a newspaper in Salem. He was a practical prin- ter, having learned his trade in New Hampshire of his uncle, who was the first printer in that State. Young Hall had been associated just prior to coming to Salem, with Mrs. Anne Franklin, a sister-in-law of Ben- jamin Franklin, in the publication of the Newport (R. I.) Mercury, found- ed by James Franklin. In coming to Salem, Mr. Hall evidently had the sympathy and possibly financial backing of the patriotic party made up of the younger men of this section of the country. He opened his office in Salem in April, 1768, on Main street, near where the Creamer block subsequently stood. His newspaper was styled the Essex Gazette.
The first number of his paper appeared August 2, 1768, and it was a well edited and handsomely printed paper, considering the times in which it was published. Its size and form was that of a crown sheet, folio, ten by sixteen inches, three columns to the page, and was men- tioned in the prospectus as being "four pages, printed in folio." Its head was embellished (?) by a rude cut, comprising the figure of two Indians, with a cod-fish overhead, and a dove with a sprig in its bill in the center. This device bore some resemblance to the Essex County seal, and was intended to be emblematic of peace, the fisheries and successful immigra- tion. Political news from various portions of the globe, domestic news, under the headings of different towns within the Colony, a few legal no- tices, and filled out with advertisements, made up the paper's contents weekly.
The Essex Gazette was published in Salem about seven years- eventful years they were, too-for they immediately preceded the Revo- lution. In October, 1770, an attempt was made to injure the subscrip- tion of the publication on account of alleged partiality in its columns toward non-importation agreements, but the effort was a failure, for the subscription list even increased on account of what was said against the paper and its editor.
After the fight at Concord and Lexington in April, 1775, a full ac- count of the struggle was given in the Salem Gazette, and soon thereafter the paper was removed from Salem to Cambridge for political purposes. The last number printed in Salem was May 2d, and the next number was printed May 12th in Cambridge. The name was changed then to the New England Chronicle or Essex Gazette. The paper remained in Cam- bridge until the evacuation of Boston by the British, when it was removed to that city, and then the title was simply New England Chronicle. Historian Streeter says: "Before Messrs. Hall left Salem, their printing
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office was burnt out by the great fire of October, 1774, which destroyed a meetinghouse, custom house, eight dwellings, fourteen stores and sev- eral barns and outbuildings. The meetinghouse destroyed was the Rev. Dr. Whittaker's, which was succeeded by the Tabernacle, and stood on King street just above School street, about where the Endicott building now stands. The Custom House was just above. The printing office was subsequently located in a brick building on School street, which was afterward incorporated in the brick block near the corner of Norman street."
Before Mr. Hall left Salem with his printing office another paper had been started, July 1, 1774. Its title was The Salem Gazette and Newbury and Newburyport Advertiser. It was published by Ezekiel Russell, from Boston, who was an unsuccessful printer. He leaned tow- ard the Tory party. Mr. Russell's office in Salem was in Ruck street, somewhere on Washington street, near the depot site. The head of this publication announced that it was "A weekly, Political, Commercial and Entertaining Paper-Influenced neither by Court or Country." But the "country" decided that it was biased towards the Court and favorably to the British, hence it terminated its career within a few months.
The third newspaper in Salem was the American Gazette, or the Constitutional Journal. This publication, too, was by the same man Russell, who had conducted the second paper in the town. It was pub- lished during the Revolution, beginning June 19, 1776, and closing in a few weeks. Nominally it was published by John Rogers at Mr. Russell's office. It was published weekly at eight shillings per annum. Russell moved to Danvers and ran a printing shop for a number of years near Bell Tavern.
Salem's fourth newspaper was the Salem Gazette and General Ad- vertiser. For about five years during the Revolutionary War, Salem had no newspaper, but in 1780, Mrs. Mary Crouch, widow of a printer in South Carolina, removed hither, with press and types, and December 6, 1780, issued a prospectus in the name of Mary Crouch & Co., for the publication of the paper above named. The first number of this paper was dated January 2, 1781. It was "issued weekly at fifty cents a quarter." It commenced the publication of stories, tales and other entertaining articles usually appreciated about the home and fireside. Financially the paper was a failure, and after nine months it "went the way of all the earth." Mrs. Crouch gave as her reason for quitting "the want of sufficient assistance, and the impossibility of obtaining house-room for herself and family to reside near her business." Her printing office was at the corner of Derby and Hardy streets. Later, Mrs. Crouch, an estimable lady, removed to Providence, her old home and native place.
Salem seemed destined to have a local paper with the word "Gazette" attached to its title in some way. Just after Mrs. Crouch's paper was
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discontinued, The Salem Gazette was launched by Samuel Hall, who had established the first paper in Salem, as above related. The initial num- ber of this Gazette was dated October 18, 1871. He continued the pub- lication of this series of Gazettes for more than four years, enlarging the sheet on its third volume, and finally closing operations in Salem, No- vember 22, 1785. He again returned to Boston. In leaving Salem, Mr. Hall stated in substance that he did so under the pressure of stern neces- sity. His business had been materially injured by a tax upon adver- tisements, which had been imposed by the Legislature the previous sum- mer. This tax, in conjunction with the decline of trade, had operated so disastrously as to deprive him of nearly three-quarters of his income, hence he was advised by friends again to move to Boston.
Mr. Hall immediately removed to Boston and established (without missing a single issue) the Massachusetts Gazette, and made arrange- ments to furnish his subscribers at Salem, as usual, by a carrier system. Later he sold his Gazette to other parties, and engaged in the book-store business in Cornhill, which store was later known as Gould & Lincoln's. Mr. Hall was a many-sided man; was a native of Medford, born in 1740, and died at the age of sixty-seven years. In all of his writings he advo- cated freedom and loyalty to the land in which he lived. Governor Buckingham once said of this pioneer Salem journalist: "This country had no firmer friend, in the gloomiest period of its history, as well as in the days of its young and increasing prosperity, than Samuel Hall."
The Salem Chronicle and Essex Advertiser, from March, 1786, for less than a year, filled in the gap between the two papers conducted by Mr. Hall. This was run by George Roulstone and was printed on what was known as Paved street.
The Salem Gazette commenced its publication October 14, 1786, with John Dabney and Thomas C. Cushing at the helm; they published the paper under the title of The Salem Mercury until 1790, when its name was changed. Mr. Dabney withdrew from the paper in its third year, and opened a book store in Salem. Mr. Cushing then became sole pro- prietor and continued until October, 1794, then transferred the property to William Carlton, his partner in the book business.
"The amiable and gifted Cushing," on account of ill health, with- drew from the paper in December, 1822, and two years later died, aged sixty. He is described as one "having strong powers of mind, warmth of fancy, various and extensive knowledge, and a familiar acquaintance with the best of English literature, which gave attraction and fascina- tion to his conversation."
The next publishers of the Gazette were Caleb Cushing (son of Thomas C. Cushing), and Ferdinand Andrews, who commenced at the beginning of 1822, but Mr. Cushing withdrew after a few months. In 1825 a half interest was sold to Caleb Foote, who had served an appren- ticeship with T. C. Cushing, who had himself been an apprentice of Mr.
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Hall, and thus was established a personal connection between the origi- nal Essex Gazette and the Salem Gazette that flourished later. In 1833, Mr. Foote became sole proprietor of the paper. In 1851 Nathaniel A. Horton became associated with Mr. Foote as publisher and editor. From 1847 to October, 1851, the Gazette was issued tri-weekly, on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Later it was enlarged, but made into a semi- weekly paper. It became a radical Republican organ.
The Salem Register was the eighth newspaper established in Salem. It made its bow to the public in 1800, its first issue having been pulled from the press on May 12th of that year. It was first known as the Impartial Register, and was published on Mondays and Thursdays, by William Carlton, who had withdrawn from the Gazette, and had for his partner, for a time, Thomas C. Cushing. This organ was started in op- position to the Federal party, and ably defended the Republican cause in the violent political struggle. It was greatly aided by Dr. Bentley, whose miscellaneous writings were well received by the subscribers. Early in 1802 the word "Impartial" was dropped from the heading of this journal. An original motto was then added to the imprint of the paper, the same having been written impromptu by Judge Story, who, it is stated, scratched the following on the side of a printer's case with his pencil :
"Here shall the Press the People's Rights maintain, Unawed by Influence, and unbribed by Gain; Here Patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, Plelged to Religion, Liberty and Law."
During the fall of 1802, the editor, Mr. Carlton, was convicted of a libel on Timothy Pickering, and suffered imprisonment therefor. In writing of this, a well-posted citizen of Salem said:
This occurred just after the election of a member of Congress for this district, when Jacob Crowinshield, Democratic candidate, was chosen over Mr. Pickering, who was the Federalist candidate. The Register had asserted that "Robert Lis- ton, the British Ambassador, distributed $500,000 amongst the partizans of the English nation in America," and intimated that Mr. Pickering might have partaken of these secret legacies, some little token, some small gratuity, for all his zealous efforts against liberty and her sons, for all his attachment to the interests of Eng- land, at the same time indulging in contemptuous flings toward the distinguished ex-Secretary of State. To answer for this article, Mr. Carlton was indicted by the grand jury, and tried before the Supreme Court, at Ipswich, in April, 1803. He was convicted, and sentenced to pay a fine of $100 and the costs of prosecution; to be imprisoned in the county jail two months, and to give bonds, with two sure- ties in four hundred dollars each, to keep the peace for two years. This unfor- tunate affair is simply illustrative of the. tension of party feeling at that time.
A little more than two years after this imprisonment, Mr. Carlton died, July, 1805, aged thirty-four years. He had suffered from fever during his imprisonment, as stated by Dr. Bentley, and continued feeble until the day before his decease, when he was suddenly seized by violent fever and derangement, which terminated his life in twenty-four hours.
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Mr. Carlton was a native of Salem, and descended from two of the an- cient families of the country. His constant friend said of him: "He always possessed great cheerfulness of temper and great benevolence of mind. He was distinguished by his perseverance, integrity and upright- ness. To his generous zeal the public were indebted for the early in- formation which the Register gave of the most interesting occurrences. To a tender mother he was faithful, and to his family affectionate. The friends of his youth enjoyed the warmth of his gratitude. His profes- sions and friendships were sincere. He was an able editor and an honest man."
Mr. Carlton's wife conducted the paper until the following August, when she died. Then Dr. Bentley and Warwick Palfray, Jr., assisted in running the Register for about two years. July 23, 1807 a new series of the paper was commenced under the title of "The Essex Register", under Haven Pool and Warwick Palfray, Jr., assisted by Cleveland Blydon. In June, 1811, the eldest of the proprietors, Mr. Pool, only twenty-nine years old, suddenly died, leaving Mr. Palfray sole editor and publisher. He continued twenty-three years.
This printing office was located successively in three buildings, next below the Franklin Place until April 28, 1828, when it was transferred to Stearns' building, and in 1832 to Central building. The following is an outline of owners and editors of this paper after the death of Mr. Pal- fray in 1838, when came his partner John Chapman, who took full charge of the publication editorially. The paper was a strong supporter of the Whig party, and for his good political work he was appointed postmaster at Salem by President Lincoln. In 1839, Charles W. Palfray, a son of the former proprietor, and a graduate of Harvard, assumed the place vacated by his father. In 1841, the earlier name, The Salem Regis- ter, was again adopted. Eben N. Walton became associate publisher and editor, January 1, 1873, and after the death of Mr. Chapman, April 19, 1873, the paper was conducted by Palfray & Walton.
The Weekly Visitant was established in 1806, during the rage in party politics. It was founded by Haven Pool, and was of a literary character, octavo in size and form, and published Saturday evening "di- rectly west of the Tower of Dr. Price's Church." It appears to have been launched as a means of giving the Salemites something besides political squabbles between rival party papers. Its motto was-"Ours are the plans of fair, delightful peace, unwarped by party rage, to live like brothers."
This publication had a successor the next year in the Friend, started by Mr. Pool, in connection with Stephen C. Blyth, as editor. It was published weekly, on Saturday evening, was of the common newspaper form and had a subscription rate of two dollars per year. It announced itself as "the new and neutral paper," and it sought to make peace in the community in both secular and religious matters. Its Bible motto
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was: "Sweet language will multiply friends ; and a fair-speaking tongue will increase kind greetings." After six months of joy and gladness the Friend, on July 18, merged with the Register, the two publishers forming a co-partnership. Mr. Blyth, by permission of the General Court, changed his name to Blydon. He was born in Salem and taught in the schools of the place. Subsequently he moved to Canada, where he died.
We hear the children of today speaking about the "funny paper," meaning the illustrated sections of daily papers made exclusively for the younger generation. These papers were not known in earlier times, but Salem certainly had its share of humorous publications. In 1807-08 John S. Appleton, of the firm of Cushing & Appleton, known as a ready wit, got out two or three small humorous papers. One of these was known as The Fool, by Thomas Brainless, Esq. LL.D., jester to his majesty, the public. Another useless, foolish publication was issued in 1807, known as the Barbershop, kept by Sir David Razor. Another "funny sheet" was the Salmagunda, emanating from the same source. In all of these light-weight papers the Republican party was held up to satire and ridicule. It should be remembered that this was the first Re- publican party-not the present day party, which came into existence almost a half century later.
Recording the papers of Salem in the order in which they were established, it should be said that the fourteenth paper was the Gospel Visitant, a quarterly octavo magazine, commenced in 1811, to espouse the then new doctrine of Universalism.
The first number of The Salem Observer appeared January 2, 1823. Its proprietors were William and Stephen B. Ives. It was of the royal size, and was issued Monday evening from the old Washington Hall building. This sheet was supposed to be purely a literary and miscel- laneous character. It was still running in the late eighties, and never believed in meddling much in politics. During its first year it was edited by Benjamin Lynde Oliver. At the beginning of volume 2, in 1824, its title was changed to Salem Observer, and Joseph G. Waters became its editor. January 15, 1825, the name was enlarged and known as Salem Literary and Commercial Observer, and this lasted until 1829, when it was again changed to Salem Observer. In 1882 the owners of this paper built the Observer building, of three stories, of brick, in Kinsman Place, next to the City Hall. The publication was founded in animated politi- cal debate times, but true to its motto, it never sought political power, but rather the publication of a clean, newsy family newspaper. At the termination of Mr. Water's editorship, Solomon S. Whipple became a reg- ular contributor, and afterwards Wilson Flagg, Rev. E. M. Stone, Edwin Jocelyn and Stephen B. Ives, Jr. Gilbert L. Streeter became associated with the Observer January 1, 1847, and in a measure was the strength of the publication for many years.
The Salem Courier was started in 1828 by Charles Amburger An-
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drews; it was a weekly paper, published on Wednesday, at three dollars per year, from an office in the East India Marine Hall. It proclaimed it- self strictly independent, a supporter of Adams' administration, an op- ponent of the tariff, etc., and it became, however, a theological rather than political paper, and was a zcalous antagonist of the doctrines of Calvanism. After one year the publication of this organ was discon- tinued. Mr. Andrews was a member of the Essex county Bar and served as a representative of the city in the Legislature. He died June 17, 1843.
The Hive, a small weekly paper for children, issued its first number in the fall of 1828; it was published by W. & S. B. Ives. The cut of a bee hive adorned its first page and its contents were mostly selected. It existed two years and was Salem's first real exclusive paper for children and youth.
The Ladies' Miscellany, a small weekly folio, commenced January, 1829, by John Chapman; it had as a subscription rate one dollar per year and supplied both amusing and instructive reading to the ladies of Salem . and vicinity. After numerous struggles this paper finally, in its second volume, suspended for lack of financial support.
The nineteenth paper established in Salem, the Essex County Mer- cury, started really by the publication of a small weekly paper in 1831, by the proprietors of the Gazette, named the Salem Mercury. It was later considerably enlarged, and in the eighties was known as the Essex County Mercury, Danvers, Beverly and Marblehead Courier. It was made up largely from items found in the Gazette.
The Salem Advertiser, begun April 4, 1832, by Edward Palfray and James R. Cook, was the first organ of the modern Democratic party. At first it was published as a semi-weekly. The office was in Central build- ing, over the Savings Bank. It was a strong supporter of General An- drew Jackson, and strove hard to build up the Democratic party for seven- teen years. After one year it had annexed to its title, Essex County Journal. It was then published weekly. In 1837 Palfray & Cook sold to Charles W. Woodbury, who issued it again as a semi-weekly, under the name of the Salem Advertiser. It was published until its final issue in August, 1849. Among those who edited or partly edited this paper are recalled such men as William B. Pike, H. C. Hobart, F. C. Crowninshield, Messrs. Varney, Parsons and Perley, also Eben N. Wal- ton, who began in 1847 and continued until the paper suspended. Mr. Woodbury, one of its earlier editors, became postmaster in Salem; he was the third person to go into the Union army in Civil war days, and was drowned while en route home from the service of his country. Be- fore coming to Salem he had published the Gloucester Democrat.
The Saturday Evening Bulletin was the title of a small neutral paper, published weekly, by Palfray & Cook, at the Advertiser office. Price, one dollar a year. It continued only about one year. It was edited by Nicholas Devereux.
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The twenty-second paper in Salem was the Constitutionalist. This paper was the political successor of the Bulletin. After the Congression- al campaign, in which Joseph H. Cabot was a candidate, had ended, or for a term of about six months, it suspended publication.
The Landmark was the next paper launched in Salem. The date was August, 1834 ; it was a semi-weekly paper of goodly proportions. Its days of publication were Wednesday and Saturday each week; it was first edited by Ferdinand Andrews, formerly of the Gazette, but sub- sequently publisher of the Boston Traveller, and then edited largely by Rev. Dudley Phelps. This paper stood out boldly for three things-then great issues of the times-anti-slavery, temperance and opposition to the teachings of the Unitarian religious faith. Unfortunately, this paper published a communication from Rev. George B. Cheever, then the young pastor in Howard street church, Salem, entitled "Enquire at Giles' Distillery." It was a stinging, radical article, denouncing the manufac- ture and drinking of liquors, and had personal reference to a prominent deacon of the First Church, then a distiller. It was decided by the court to be a libel, and the usual fine was imposed upon the editor, who was forced to apologize in his next issue. But public excitement was high, and two weeks later, Rev. Cheever was whipped by the foreman of the Giles' Distillery, the place being in Essex street and the whip being one made from rough, hard cowhide. Ham, the foreman, was fined fifty dol- lars and Cheever was later tried for libel; although that great lawyer, Rufus Choate, defended him, he was found guilty, and sentenced to a fine of one thousand dollars and imprisonment in the Salem jail for one month. Later, Mr. Ham became a very ardent temperance worker. Cheever left the Branch Church and commenced his well-known career in New York City. The Landmark was more than a decade in advance of public opinion and was not supported, so it ceased November 2, 1836. It is doubtful whether there can be found a city of its population, and its age, in the entire country, where so many different papers have been started as in the city of Salem.
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