USA > Maryland > Washington County > Hagerstown > A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown > Part 70
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Among the leading Hagerstown physicians after the war were Dr. N. B. Scott, Dr. A. S. Mason, Dr. William Ragan, Dr. Thomas W. Sim- mons, Dr. Charles B. Boyle, Dr. J. McPherson Scott, Dr. O. II. W. Ragan, Dr. J. B. McKee, Dr. C. E. S. McKee and Dr. J. Walker Humrich- ouse.
Dr. N. B. Scott's career was a distinguished one and his practice extended over fifty years. Dr. Scott was born in Bruceville, Carroll County, then Frederick County, on May 8, 1819. He was a son of John Scott, a native of Belfast, Ireland, and Elizabeth Key Bruce, of Scotland. His mother was a first cousin of Francis Scott Key. Dr. Scott was educated at Brooke's Academy, the Frederick Seminary and St. John's College, Annapolis. He read medicine in the office of Prof. David Gilbert, professor in surgery of Penn- sylvania College, Philadelphia. He was one year in the University of Pennsylvania and after- ward entered the University of New York, grad-
uating in 1844 with the degree of doctor of medi- cine. He came to Hagerstown in May, 1844, and practiced his profession continuously with great success until 1894. He married Miss Catherine McPherson, daughter of John B. McPherson, of Gettysburg.
His son, Dr. J. McPherson Scott, began the practice of medicine in Hagerstown about 1872 and soon took a high rank in his profession. Dr. N. B. Scott's other son, Norman B. Scott, Jr., is a member of the bar.
Dr. William Ragan came of a family which has been identified with the history of Wash- ington County. He married a daughter of Otho Holland Williams, the nephew of Gen. O. II. Williams. His son, the present Dr. O. H. W. Ragan, has the name of his maternal grandfather and inherited his father's practice and wide pop- ularity.
Dr. A. S. Mason came from Virginia after the war. He is a member of the distinguished Virginia family of Masons, descended from George Mason of "Gunston Hall." He was in the South- ern Army and after settling in Hagerstown, he speedily acquired a large practice. One of his sons, J. Augustine Mason, is a prominent mem- ber of the Hagerstown Bar, having served as State's Attorney for Washington County and in other official places. Dr. Mason's oldest daugh- ter is the wife of Gen. E. P. Alexander, Lee's great chief of artillery at Gettysburg.
Dr. Thomas W. Simmons came of a Freder- ick County family. He spent his life since he was a young man in Hagerstown and besides his good work as a physician, he took a deep interest in public affairs and never failed to array himself upon the side of good and correct methods of government. He died in 1905.
Dr. Charles Brooke Boyle was like several of his colleagues, a Confederate soldier, who came to Hagerstown after the war to practice medicine. He is a son of the late John B. Boyle of Car- roll County. He is a good and faithful physi- cian, full of charity and good deeds. He married a daughter of Dr. Josiah F. Smith of Hagers- iown, who is now dead, leaving a number of cliil- dren.
Dr. J. Walker Humrichouse is a son of the late Charles W. Humrichouse of "Springfield" Washington County. He enjoyed the advantage of a splendid education and graduated at one of
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
the leading medical schools of Germany. Hle is a specialist of diseases of the eye and ear and
occupies a high position in the estimation of lus people.
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
CHAPTER XXX
N 1873 was begun the publication of the first daily newspaper in Washington County. Its publisher was M. Emmert Fechtig who is- sued on the 1st of February, the first copy of the Hagerstown Daily News from the office of the Free Press, published by A. G. Boyd. It was a feeble beginning, but it has lasted, with a change of name, down to the present time. Short- ly after the first issue, the paper was removed from the Free Press office to an office on the Pub- lic Square and George II. Nock became a partner with Fechtig. In the meantime Boyd started an opposition called the Hagerstown Daily, which however, did not last more than a few weeks. In June, 1873, Fechtig retired from the News, and the publication was continued by Nock and John U. Adams. In July 1875 Nock sold out to Wm. S. Herbert, a descendant of the publisher of the Washington Spy, the first newspaper west of the Blue Ridge in this State. The firm of Adams and Herbert continued to publish the News until 1881 when Herbert sold his interest to Peter A. Witmer. The news was then made a Democratic paper and its publication by Adams & Witmer was continued for many years. Later after brief ownership by others it was purchased, after Mr. Witmer's death, by the Hagerstown Herald, and since that time has been a Republican paper known as the Morning Herald, published by a corporation. It is now the Republican organ of Washington County. The editor is Mr. Vernon N. Simmons, and the paper is bright, able and newsy.
The IIagerstown Evening Globe was estab- lished in 1879 by the present proprietor, Mr. Ira
W. Hays. From the first it was a business suc- cess and distinctly a newspaper, strictly non-par- tisan. It has gradually expanded in its circula- tion, its facilities have increased, and it has not only been a profitable business venture, but has gained for itself a high reputation for honesty and accuracy of statement. The Globe is a strik- ing object lesson in the publication of County pa- pers. Its success shows that politics is not an es- sential to a newspaper and that it can succeed without political patronage. . The Globe has been content to give the political news along with other news fairly and dispassionately without the expres- sion of opinions. It began in a small way and increased its size and facilities along with the de- mands of business. It is now one of the best equip- ped and most successful . papers in Maryland. Its success is not due alonc to the sagacity of Mr. Hays, the proprietor, but a share is due to the ex- cellent work of Mr. Leslie C. Beard, associate ed- itor.
In 1890 the third one of the daily papers of Hagerstown, namely the Daily Mail, was estab- lished by Edwin Bell and T. J. C. Williams. The Daily Mail was established as the afternoon edition of the Hagerstown Mail, one of the oldest papers published continuously under one name, in the State. In 1828 a majority of the people of Washington County were in favor of Andrew Jackson for President and there was no newspa- per in the County to advocate his cause. There- upon a number of leading Democrats got together and raised money to publish The Mail. James Maxwell of Martinsburg, Va., was appointed edi- tor and the first issue was sent out on the fourth
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
day of July, 1828-a day famous in Maryland and history.
On that same day John Quiney Adams, Presi- dent of the United States, broke ground at George- town for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Charles Carroll, of Carrollton began the work of building the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. This first issue of the Mail announeed that "the prin- ciples of this paper will be as purely Republiean as those contained in the Declaration of Inde- pendenee," whether the promise has been kept or not, it is impossible to say, but it has always adhered to the party for the support of which it was establishd, namely what was then called the Republiean, but now the Demoeratie party. The first publication office was in the Indian Queen · Tavern, on Washington street between the Court House and the Bank.
In 1831 Mr. Maxwell left the Mail and bought the Courier, a literary paper which he changed into an opposition Demoeratic paper, but it was short lived. Thomas H. Kennedy, foriner- ly Senator from Washington County and at the time postmaster of Hagerstown on April 1, 1831, succeeded Maxwell as editor of the Mail. During Mr. Kennedy's engagement as editor, his son, Dr. Howard Kennedy, did the editorial work. No- vember 11, 1831, John D. Ott's name was publish- ed as printer ; and on January 9, 1831, William Weber eame into the business. For many years the paper was published by the firm of Ott & Weber. Weber finally sold his interest to John A. Freaner, and the firm beeame Ott and Freaner. In 1848 Ott sold to William F. Brannan, and the firm was for a time Freaner and Brannan. Freaner afterwards moved to Oakland, California, where he lived and practiced law until recent years. Mr. Brannan went to Iowa, where he pros- pered and became a leading citizen. After Bran- nan went West Mr. Freaner was the sole publish- er until 1849, when he sold out to John Rob- inson. In 1855, Daniel Dechert of Pennsylvania, bought the paper. In 1856 he installed a IToe cylinder press, the first in the County. Deehert published the Mail during the war time and al- though he was a Northern man, the conduet of the paper gave great offense to the Union people. On May 24, 1862 a rumor reached Hagerstown that the 1st Maryland Regiment, U. S. Volun- teers had been destroyed at Front Royal and Col. Kenly the commander, had had his throat eut. The rumor about Col. Kenly was of course untrue,
nevertheless the people were so wrought up over it that that night a mob gutted the Mail office, smashed the presses and all the furniture, de- stroyed the files of the paper, reaching back to 1828, and sowed the type broadcast in the Publie Square. The ollice of the paper at the time was on the north side of the Square on the corner of Potomac street on the second floor.
After the war, in 1868, Deehert sued the Mayor and Couneil of Hagerstown for damages for not affording him protection against the mob and he recovered a judgment for $7,500 for which the town issued bonds which figured on the tax bills for many years. The publication of the paper was interrupted by this mob, and at several other times during the war. Shortly after the mob, Mr. Deehert sold a half interest in the paper to Charles J. Nesbitt, who afterwards went to Missouri. On January 27, 1867, another disas- ter happened to the Mail. The office at the time was in the old Eagle Tavern on the west side of the Square in the northwest angle. The building burned and the machinery, type, furniture and files were destroyed. For four weeks the paper was published in a redueed form and then a new outfit was provided. In October, 1866, James Wason purchased a half interest. He died August 14, 1867.
In August. 1867, a steam engine was intro- dueed in the office the first to run a press in the County. In October, 1867, Edwin Bell and Rob- ert Wason each purchased a one-third interest in the paper, Dechert owning the other third. Dechert soon became insolvent ; his interest had to be sold, and several changes in the proprietorship aeerued in quick sueecssion. Georg T. Leiter bought Deehert's share and Thomas B. Grimm bought Wason's. Then, in a short time, Calvin P. Heikes bought Grimm's interest and in August. 1874, T. J. C. Williams bought Leiter's interest. Shortly afterwards Mr. Bell and Mr. Williams together bought Mr. Ilcikes' third and Bell and Williams owned and eonduetd the paper until il was changed into a corporation, they retaining a majority of the stock and continuing the publi- cation.
The ineorporation took place in 1884. The first president of the company was Frank Kon- nedy. whose father. Dr. Howard Kennedy, had been the editor of the Mail a half century before. The company bought a property on South Jona- than street, erected a large building, and moved
433
OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
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the publication office there from the north-west corner of the Square, where it had remained for many years. During the period of the editorship of Messrs. Bell and Williams, the Mail became ilie leading exponent of the reform movement within the Democratic party, in State politics, which was led by Governor Hamilton. The Mail's edi- torials were copied by newspapers throughout the State and the paper became a strong factor in the movement which finally worked a great improve- ment in the conduct of public affairs, and the establishment of a debt paying policy by the State government.
In the fall of 1891 Messrs. Bell and Wil- liams sold their stock in the Mail Publishing Com- pany and retired from the management. They were succeeded by Mr. Richard J. Hamilton, eld- est son of William T. Hamilton, as editor, and Mr. James T. Briscoe as Business Manager. Un- der the management of these gentlemen the Mail has prospered and its circulation, especially that of the Daily Edition, has greatly increased. New offices on South Jonathan street, adjoining the rear of the Court House have been erected, and a perfecting press and type-setting machine liave been installed. In connection with the paper is a finely equipped job office and book bindery. In every department, the Mail now has a splendid plant. The Mail has been especially fortunate in its employes, two of them, Andrew J. Zinkand and J. Frank Futterer having served it faithfully for nearly forty years.
The Hagerstown Herald is the lineal descend- ant of one of the first papers in the whole United States published west of the Blue Ridge Moun- tains. This paper was the Washington Spy, a complete file of which is preserved in the library of the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. The publication of the Spy was begun by Stewart Herbert and this pioneer paper made its. first ap- pearance on New Year's day, 1790. It seldom contained an item of local news. But its general news was of a high order although limited to a folio of three wide columns to the page. It had some account of the doings of Congress and a good deal of foreign news, all of course gathered by exchanges brought by the infrequent mails. The best insight given as to the local conditions comes from the advertising columns.
Five years after the beginning of the Spy, in April, 1795, Stewart Herbert died, and the publication was continued by his widow, Phebe
Herbert, and John D. Cary. Cary left after a few months, and Mrs. Herbert published the Spy until she was married to Thomas Gricves, who then became the "printer." The Spy was discon- tinued early in 1797, and was succeeded by the Maryland Herald, published by Grieves, with the same type and presses that had been used for the Spy. In point of fact it was the same paper, with a change of name and somewhat enlarged size. The price of the Herald was $2.25 a year. In 1813, Mr Grieves' step-son, Stewart Herbert, entered into partnership with him in the publica- tion of the Herald. This was the only newspaper published in the English language until 1813, when William D. Bell founded "The Torch Light." Dr. John Reynolds had purchased the Ilerald from Grieves & Herbert, and shortly after the Torch Light was founded Mr. Bell bought the Herald. Down to 1858, it is said, some of the indentieal type which had been used in the pub- lication of the Spy, was still in use in the Torch Light.
The Torch Light, from 1813 to Mr. Bell's death in 1841, was the leading Whig paper in Western Maryland, and exercised a wide and pow- erful influence throughout the State. It was an ardent supporter of Henry Clay and bitterly hostile to General Jackson, especially after he vetocd the Maysville Turnpike bill, and so put an end to all hope of Federal construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio canal, and of the continued extension of the National Turnpike road. From 1841 to 1849, Mr. Edwin Bell, son of the found- er, was editor of the Torch Light. Then he went to California, and left the editorship in the hands of his brother-in-law William Motter, afterwards Judge. In 1851 Mrs. Bell, who owned the paper after the death of her husband, sold it to Mittag and Sneary, the proprietors of the Herald of Free- dom, a paper which had been founded in 1839 by James Maxwell, the first publisher of the Mail.
After the consolidation of the Herald of Freedom with the Torch Light, the paper was known as "The Herald and Torch Light." Many changes were made in the proprietorship. But through them all, with one brief interval when C'arridan & MeCurdy owned the paper, John R. Sneary was the "spirit of the machine" until, on aecount of failing health in 1879 he sold his inter- est to Charles Negley. Mr. Sneary was almost the last survivor of the typical country editor, or
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
"printer," as he was called in the early years of the nineteenth century. He inherited no advan- tages ; what he achieved was the reward of his own merit and industry. The son of a poor woman in Hagerstown, he was taken as an appren- tice boy or "printer's devil" by William D. Bell, into the office of the Torch Light. He had no education except the art of reading. and the small- est knowledge of the four first rules of arithmetic. He edueated himself at "the case," read the news- papers constantly and carefully, and a few good books. In this way he became thoroughly ac- quainted with the politics of the country, and also acquired a style of writing which, while ex- ceedingly homely, was admirably suited to his purpose. He could tell his readers in language so simple that the most illiteral among them could understand him, just what he desired to say.
His nature was kindly but he was an intense partisan. He never troubled himself to look upon both sides of a political question. His own side was good enough for him, and he supported it with all his might. He kept at his work from early morning to the quitting hour in the eve- ning. He wrote all the editorials, all the local news, set type when necessary, and pulled the lever of the Washington hand press upon which the Herald and Toreh Light was printed, until after the war. As any one who has ever tried it knows, this is most exhausting labor; and during the war period. when the Herald and Torch had a eircu- lation of 2500 copies, this meant 5,000 impressions on the press. This labor bent the shoulders of Mr. Sneary until he became almost a hunch-back. The office of the paper was for many years at the northeast corner of the Square and East Washington street, on the second floor. There was a bench on the pavement beside the door, and here every evening in pleasant weather, Mr. Sneary would sit for an hour after the day's work was done, sometimes alone, but generally some one would sit with him and talk. lle was for a long period the most influential man of the County in the Republican party. But he was never an office- holder, nor an office-seeker, and did not use his power for his own benefit, except so far as his paper was concerned. Mr. Sneary died October 24, 1879.
The publishing firm of the Herald of Free- dom and the Herald and Torchlight from 1839 down to 1866 was Mittag and Sheary; in 1866
they sold a half-interest in the paper to Petcr Negley.
Mr. Negley was born in Welsh Run, Pa., in 1818, was graduated at Mereersburg College in 1844, and studied law with J. Dixon Roman in Hagerstown. He was admitted to the bar in 1848. In 1851 he was Whig candidate for State's Attorney but was defeated by Thomas Harbine, Democrat. At the beginning of the war, he was eandidate for the House of Delegates on the Union ticket, and was a member of the Constitu- tional convention of 1864. He early abandoned Jaw and became eashier of the Hagerstown Sav- ings Institution, and continued in it after that concern became the First National Bank of IIag- erstown. In 1870, he was appointed Umted States Sub-treasurer at Baltimore, by President Grant, and continued in that important office for twelve years. He was for a time President of the Hagerstown Agricultural Implement Manu- facturing Company, and always took an active part in publie affairs and business enterprises of a public nature but left the conduct of the news- paper almost entirely to his partners Mittag and Sneary.
Thomas E. Mittag had more especial charge of the job work of the office. He "set up" and printed the big sale bills which were in those days so important an item in the work of every country newspaper office. He went among the people more than did Mr. Sneary, looked after the books and attended to the outside affairs. He wrote little, but took a personal part in politics. He was a companionable man and enjoyed a wide popularity.
Charles Negley, son of Peter Negley, beeame proprietor of the Herald and Torehlight. He sold it to C'aptain John M. Mentzer who was publish- ing the "Odd Fellow" in Boonsboro. This paper was removed to Hagerstown and merged into the Herald and Torchlight. After his death, a few years later, the paper went into the possession of Charles W. Adams, of Sharpsburg, a leading Rc- publiean politician, and James P. Matthews. The next change was to convert the proprietorship into a corporation, of which Louis E. MeComas, Ed- ward Stake and other influential Republieans were large stockholders. The company bought the Hagerstown Daily News and began the publication of a daily morning paper, called the Morning Herald. This paper is now conducted with mark- ed ability and success by Mr. Vernon Simmons.
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
Shortly after the establishment of the Wash- ington Spy in 1790, John Gruber began the pub- lication of the Western Correspondent. It was published in the German language. A few years later, Gen. Samuel Ringgold induced Gruber to publish an English paper to support the Jeffer- sonian party. The paper was ealled "The Sen- tinel of Liberty," but it died young. After the Western Correspondent was discontinued, Mr. Gruber founded Gruber's Hagerstown Town and Country Almanae. In the century during which this almanae has been published, most of the time in a German and an English edition, nothing has contributed so much to make the name of the town of Hagerstown familiar throughout the United States as this little annual. F. J. Waltz, in an article published in the Popular Seience Monthly of October, 1905, says :
"Nearly all countries have had their alma- naes, but they were particularly popular in Ger- many and England. In America, probably, the almanae which has been more widely read and its weather forecasts more generally credited than any other, is the Hagerstown Almanac, which has been published regularly every year sinee 1794. Yet the weather predictions appearing in it were based entirely upon the time of day the moon en- tered into any one of her four quarters. For in- stanee, if this happened between midnight and 2 A. M. it indicated fair weather in summer, and fair with hard frost in winter, unless, the wind be south or southwest. While, on the other hand, if this change oceurred between noon and 2 P. M., it indieated very rainy weather in summer, and rain or snow in winter. And so a table, claimed to be constructed on a due consideration of the attraction of the sun and moon in their several positions respeeting the earth, was prepared for all the hours, and thus was weather forecasting simplified and made easy. The full moon las usually been associated with elear, cold weather. This is probably beeause we notice the full moon so much more when the weather is clear, and also elear nights are cooler on account of more rapid radiation of the earth's heat than when blanketed with elouds. Also sinee the moon's path on the heavens is so near the ecliptic, and full moons are always 100 degrees from the sun, they are far north in winter, and thus longer above the horizon in the northern hemisphere than they are in summer, and thus we associate full moons with our long, cold, winter nights."
During the entire life of this remarkable publication, it has been owned by the founder and his deseendants. His son-in-law, Samuel May, aided in printing the almanac, and his children owned it down to the twentieth century. Dr. Christian Boerstler was one of its early contrib- utors. At the present time, the agent for its pub- lieation for the proprietors is Mr. Wilfred H. Mc- Cardell, who has eondueted it many years with unvarying sueeess.
There have been many newspapers published in Washington County which have passed away like a bird through the air or a ship through the sea, leaving no traek behind. In 1809, the Ga- zette was started in Hagerstown by William Mc- Pherrins. It lived four years. In 1828 "Our Country" was established to support John Quiney Adams. It lived but a few months. The Week- ly News was published for a short time before the war by Andrew G. Boyd, who in 1862 estab- lished the Free Press. This paper lasted about fifteen years and was bought by the Mail. "The Bloomer" appeared in August 1851, published by Blair and Ragan. It too was short lived. The Hagerstown Times and Farmers Advertiser was published in 1822, by Marshall and Brittinghanı. But its career was as short as its name was long. In 1852, John C. Wise moved the Clearspring Whig to Hagerstown where it speedily died. In 1852. John A. Freaner and John W. Boyd estab- lished the Weekly and Semi-Weekly News which lasted two years. In 1870, Norris, Gruber and Fechtig established the "Hagerstown Twice-a- Week." It continued a number of years, and was purchased about 1826 by Dr. M. A. Berry. It was afterwards changed into the "Yoemans Guard" and then ceased to exist.
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