USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 92
USA > Michigan > Berrien County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 92
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On the 8th of April Reuben E. Rhodes and Stafford Godfrey entered into a stipulation with the commissioners, agreeing to build a court-house, according to the specifica- tions on file in the county clerk's office, within eighteen months from that date, and thereupon the commissioners gave them an order on the treasury for two thousand four
365
COUNTY BUILDINGS.
hundred and ten dollars. Henry N. Rhodes gave a bond to finish the mason-work in the same time for four hundred and ninety-four dollars. Isaac W. Willard, as before men- tioned, gave the county a deed of lots 5, 6, 7, and 8, on block 12, in Paw Paw, as a site for the court-house; and the commissioners paid to J. T. Noyes three hundred and thirty- one dollars to clear the lots of incumbrances. Josiah An- drews was appointed to oversee the building of the court- house.
The work of building the court-house was not completed within the specified time, but in the summer of 1844 it drew near its close. On the 14th of August, in that year, the Board of Supervisors (which had resumed its former authority) ordered the purchase of twenty-four chairs for the court-house. The following day the workmanship and material of the court-house, built by Churchill & Godfrey (who had taken the place of Rhodes & Godfrey as contrac- tors), was declared to be according to the contract.
On the 18th of October, 1844, a resolution was passed allowing the citizens of Paw Paw to grub up such trees on the court-house lot as should be designated by a committee consisting of Major Heath, John Ramsey, and C. P. Shel- don, provided they would fill up the holes. Courts were held in the court-house in the autumn of 1844.
The court-house thus built, which is still occupied for that purpose, is a plain white frame structure, on the south side of Main Street in Paw Paw, with a steeple upon it, and in size and appearance very much resembles a village church.
THE PRESENT JAIL.
During the October session, 1854, the Board of Super- visors passed a resolution designating the village of Law- rence as the location of the county-seat, and submitting the question of removal thither to the people.
On account of this action, the leading citizens of the village of Paw Paw, for the purpose of retaining the county-seat at that place, presented to the board, at the January session in 1855, an agreement, in which they pledged themselves to " erect, build, and complete, in a good and substantial manner, at our own expense, and without cost or charge to the county, a good and substantial jail, for the use of and to be the property of said county. The jail to be constructed of such materials and to be of such size, construction, and finish, and be located on such lot or place in the village of Paw Paw, as shall be designated or or- dered by the Board of Supervisors, or a committee of the board duly appointed by the board and authorized by them to make such designation, and to be fully completed, to the acceptance of the board, or its committee duly ap- pointed, by the first day of January, 1856, and which shall be worth, when completed, not to exceed $3000. Provided, that the Board of Supervisors will pass a resolution not to take any further proceedings to present the question to the vote of the people, and wholly abandon the same."
This agreement was accepted on the part of the super- visors, and the jail was erected on its present location. In January, 1856, the Board of Supervisors resolved itself into a "committee of the whole, to examine the jail building." After the examination it was moved and carried that the jail be accepted and the bonds canceled.
POOR-HOUSE AND FARM.
Some action had been taken previous to 1865, by the Board of Supervisors, in reference to a poor-house farm, but with no results. On the 8th day of October, in that year, the superintendents of the poor of the county urged upon the board, then in session, the necessity and importance of purchasing a farm for the use of the county paupers. On the 11th of October the committee on county buildings recommended the board to purchase one hundred and sixty acres of good farming land, partially under improvement, for poor-house purposes.
After due consideration it was decided to purchase, and Robert Nesbitt, J. B. Potter, and Charles Sellick were chosen a committee to make a selection and report the location, price, etc.
On the 3d day of January, 1866, this committee re- ported several farms, with description of location, soil, im- provements, and prices. Several of the farms were visited, and it was finally decided to purchase the farm of Rufus Tillou, in the township of Hartford, containing one hun- dred and seventy-three acres, for forty dollars per acre. The committee reported this farm as " containing one hundred and seventy-three acres, with one hundred acres improved, thirty acres chopped, and twenty-five acres timbered, a good orchard of fifty bearing-trees (mostly apples), a substantial house twenty-eight by twenty-eight feet, barn thirty-three by fifty, with addition fifteen by thirty-three feet. This farm is located on the south side of the Watervliet road, three miles west of the village of Lawrence, and is the northeast quarter of section 13 and the south part of the southeast quarter of section 12." The purchase was con- summated, and the place in question has since belonged to the county. The buildings were improved and enlarged from time to time to their present condition .*
THE FIRE-PROOF BUILDING.
Efforts had been made several times to provide a safe repository for the county records, but not until Oct. 21, 1873, was any action taken that promised success in that direction. At that time Messrs. Barnum and French were appointed a committee to draft plans and specifications for county offices. On the 13th of January, 1874, Mr. Cox was added to the committee. On the 6th of January, 1875, the records of the county were reported unsafe, and on the 8th of the same month a resolution was passed by the supervisors appropriating one thousand dollars to erect a fire-proof building for the use of the county officers, pro- vided the citizens of Paw Paw would raise the sum of two thousand dollars.
The building was erected in the summer of 1875, and completed in September of that year, at a cost of four thousand dollars.
# The superintendents of the poor, in their report to the Board of Supervisors in December, 1879, earnestly urged upon the board the importance of greater facilities and increased accommodation for the poor of the county. The statistics given below are taken from that report. The poor-house contains twenty-seven paupers. Sixty per- manent paupers are kept by the county outside of the poor-house. Twenty-one insane persons are kept at the asylum at Kalamazoo, at an annual expense of $2059.80. The amount paid out for farm ex- penses in 1879 was $2299.57, with a credit from products of $583.82. Total expenses for the year, $9509.92. Value of farm, $6840. Value of stock, $1131.55.
366
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
VAN BUREN COUNTY CIVIL LIST.
In this list are given the names of those citizens of the county who have held State or county offices, with the date of their election or appointment thereto.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR.
1860, Philetus Hayden. STATE SENATORS.
1849-50, John Mckinney ; 1851, Philetus Haydon; 1853, Fitz H. Stevens; 1855, Lyman A. Fitch ; 1859, Philetus Haydon; 1863, Samuel H. Blackman; 1867-69, Nathan H. Bitely ; 1871, George Hannahs; 1873, David Anderson ; 1875, Albert Thompson ; 1877, William O. Packard.
MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (STATE).
1842, Fernando C. Annable; 1844-45, John Andrews; 1846, Josiah Andrews; 1847, Philetus Haydon ; 1848, John McKinney ; 1849, John Andrews ; 1851, Morgan L. Fitch; 1853, Charles P. Shel- don; 1855, Joseph Gilman ; 1857, Elisha J. House; 1859, Fabius Miles; 1861, Jonathan J. Woodman; 1863-65, Jonathan J. Woodman, Buel M. Williams ; 1867, Jonathan J. Woodman, Amos S. Brown; 1869-71, Jonathan J. Woodman,# William H. Hurlbut; 1873, Samuel H. Blackman, Emory H. Simpson ; 1875, Alexander D. Copley, George B. Yeckley, William Thomas ;t 1877-79, James E. Ferguson, E. Parker Hill.
MEMBERS OF STATE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
Convention of 1836, Charles B. Avery ; Convention of 1850, Isaac W. Willard ; Convention of 1867, Samuel H. Blackman and Charles Duncombe.
CIRCUIT JUDGE.
1874, Darius E. Comstock, held till his death, in the year 1875.
JUDGES OF PROBATE.
1837-40, Jeremiah H. Simmons; 1844, Frederick Lord ; 1848-52, Elisha Durkee; 1856-60, Augustus H. Nash ; 1864, Chandler Richards; 1868-72, George W. Lawton ; 1876, Alfred J. Mills.
COUNTY JUDGES.
1846, Aaron W. Broughton; 1850, Jason A. Sheldon.
SECOND JUDGES.
1846, John R. Haynes ; 1847, Frederick Lord ; 1850, Lyman G. Hill. ASSOCIATE JUSTICES.
1837, Wolcott H. Keeler, Jay R. Monroe; 1841, Evert B. Dyckman, John R. Haynes; 1842, John R. Haynes, Henry Coleman ; 1844, W. H. Keeler, David Van Antwerp.
CIRCUIT COURT COMMISSIONERS.
1838, Wolcott H. Keeler, Peter Gremps, Morgan L. Fitch; 1840, Andrew Longstreet ; 1841, Lyman G. Hill; 1852, John R. Baker; 1854-56, Nathan H. Bitely ; 1858, Samuel H. Blackman; 1860, Hiram Cole; 1862, John B. Upton; 1864, Joseph W. Huston ; 1866, George W. Lawton; 1868, Ashbel H. Herron; 1870, Wil- liam H. Tucker; 1872, Benjamin F. Heckert; 1874, Oran W. Rowland; 1876, Albert Jackson; 1878, John Knowles.
PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS.#
1840, Aaron W. Broughton; 1842, Frederick Lord; 1844, Aaron W. Broughton ; 1847, John R. Baker; 1849, Samuel H. Blackman; 1850, Frederick Lord; 2 1852, Wm. N. Pardee; 1854, Frederick Lord; 1856, Nathan H. Bitely ; | 1858-60, Chandler Richards; 1862, Hiram Cole; 1864-70, John B. Upton ; 1872, Darius E. Comstock ; 1874-78, Benj. F. Heckert.
* Speaker in 1869 and 1871.
Elected to fill vacancy caused by death of Mr. Yeckley.
# Walter Clark, a lawyer of Kalamazoo, was temporarily appointed by the court to act as prosecuting attorney at the terms held in Van Buren County in 1839, and perhaps earlier. On the 14th of Decem- ber, 1839, the supervisors of Van Buren County voted Mr. Clark $50, as a year's salary as prosecuting attorney.
¿ First election of prosecuting attorney by the people.
| Mr. Bitely was elected but could not qualify, as he was not a member of the bar of this State, although he had been admitted to practice law in Ohio.
TREASURERS.
1837, Daniel O. Dodge; 1838, Joshua Bangs; 1840, Frederick Lord ; 1842-44, John McKinney ; 1846, Theodore E. Phelps ; 1848-52, Emory O. Briggs ; 1854, Alexander H. Phelps; 1856-58, John M. Redlan ; 1860-62, Aaron B. Dyckman ; 1864, Samuel H. Blackman ; 1866-70, Edwin Barnum ; 1872-74, Stephen W. Dun- combe; 1876, Hannibal M. Marshall; 1878, Stephen W. Dun- combe.
REGISTERS.
1837-38, Jeremiah H. Simmons; 1840-42, Fitz H. Stevens; 1844, Emory 0. Briggs; 1846, Elisha C. Cox ; 1848, Joseph Cox, Jr .; 1850, Wm. H. Hurlbut; 1852, Eusebius Mather; 1854, Edward A. Thompson ; 1856, Samuel G. Blackman ; 1858-60, Thomas B. Irwin ; 1862-64, Stephen W. Duncombe; 1866, E. Parker Hill ; 1868, Don C. Rogers; 1870, Milan D. Richardson ; 1872-74, Kirk W. Noyes ; 1876-78, Samuel Ellis.
SHERIFFS.
1837, Samuel Gunton ; 1838, Andrew Longstreet ; 1840, John McKin- ney ; 1842, William Hill ; 1844, John Smolk, Jr. ; 1846, William Hill; 1848, Henry C. Clapp ; 1850, William Hill ; 1852, Henry C. Clapp; 1854, William Hill; 1856, Noble D. Richardson ; 1858, John H. Stoddard ; 1860, Calvin Durkee; 1864, Noble D. Richardson ; 1866, Edwin K. Farmer; 1868-70, William R. Sir- rine ; 1872-74, John E. Showerman ; 1876, John Wachsmuth ; 1878, Nathan Thomas.
COUNTY CLERKS.
1837, Nathaniel B. Starkweather; 1838, Edward Shultz; 1840, Jere- miah H. Simmons ; 1842, Joseph Gilman ; 1844, James B. Crane; 1846, Lyman H. Fitch ; 1848-50, S. Talmadge Conway; 1852, Franklin M. Manning; 1854-56, Stillman F. Breed; 1858, S. Talmadge Conway ; 1860-62, Martin Ruggles; 1864-66, Ashbel H. Herron ; 1868-70, Oran W. Rowland; 1872-74, Samuel Holmes; 1876-78, Henry S. Williams.
SURVEYORS.
1837, Humphrey P. Barnumn ; 1838, John D. Compton ; 1840, Eleazer H. Keeler ; 1842, Alonzo Crane; 1844-46, Samuel H. Blackman ; 1848-52, Jeremiah H. Simmons ; 1854, William H. Harrison ; 1856-58, Samuel A. Tripp; 1860, Orville B. Abbott; 1862, Peter J. Speicher ; 1864, Charles J. Monroe; 1866, Charles D. Lawton; 1868-70, Almon J. Pierce ; 1872, Augustus H. Teed; 1874-78, Almon J. Pierce.
CORONERS.
1837, Junia Warner, Jr., John R. Haynes, Humphrey P. Barnum; 1838, Lyman G. Hill, Levi H. Warner; 1840, Junia Warner, Jr. ; 1842-44, Charles U. Cross ; 1846, Joshua Woodman ; 1848, Chas. P. Sheldon ; 1850, Alexander H. Phelps; 1852, Harrison Dyck- man, Nathan Jaquish; 1854, John Hunt, Nelson H. Marshall; 1856, John Hunt; 1858, Ashbel H. Herron; 1860, Jefferson Ed- munds, Stephen B. Morehouse ; 1862, Albert R. Wildey, Asahel S. Downing ; 1864, John Andrews, Abel Brown; 1866, John An- drews, Loyal Crane; 1868, Thomas A. Granger, Geo. L. Seaver ; 1870, Wm. R. Hawkins, Daniel Van Auken; 1872, Oscar F. Thomas, William P. Bryan ; 1874, Elisha B. Moon, Loyal Crane; 1876, Michael Mason, James P. Fox ; 1878, Henry M. Brodrick, Albert S. Haskin.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
By a law passed in the spring of 1838 three county com- missioners were elected, who superseded the supervisors and exercised their functions. The first three determined their terms of one, two, and three years by lot; afterwards one was to be elected each year, holding three years. The Board of Commissioners was abolished, and the Board of Super- visors resumed their former functions by a law passed in the spring of 1842.
1838, Peter Gremps (for three years), W. H. Keeler (for two years), Morgan L. Fitch (for one year); 1839, Silas Breed ; 1840, An- drew Longstreet ; 1841, Lyman G. Hill.
367
THE PRESS OF VAN BUREN COUNTY.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
THE PRESS OF VAN BUREN COUNTY.
The Pioneer Newspapers of the County-Journalism at the County- Seat-The Press of South Haven-Newspaper Enterprises at Deca- tur, Lawton, Hartford, Bangor, and Lawrence.
THE PAW PAW DEMOCRAT.
THE history of the press of Van Buren County began in January, 1843, when H. B. Miller, of Niles (known later as " Buffalo" Miller, of Chicago), sent his brother-in-law, one Harris, over to Paw Paw, with press and printing material, to start a newspaper, chiefly for the purpose of printing the county tax-lists. Harris got out a six-column folio weekly, which he called the Paw Paw Democrat. Its poli- tics were Democratic, and its office of publication was on Main Street just east of the present bank building. Har- ris was consumptive and did very little work. He died during the winter of 1842-43, and his death ended the history of the Democrat, Miller carrying the press and material back to Niles.
PAW PAW FREE PRESS.
During the next two years Van Buren County was des- titute of a newspaper, but in January, 1845, a lawyer named Samuel N. Gantt and a printer named Geiger brought a " two-pull" wooden Ramage press, and the other necessary material for a printing-office, by wagon, from De- troit to Paw Paw. On their arrival, they issued a four- page five-column weekly, which they christened the Paw Paw Free Press.
In the course of the season, however, Mr. Geiger became disgusted with the general course of events, and with Gantt in particular, and accordingly one night he carried off the screw of the press, threw it into the Paw Paw River, and fled to Detroit. Gantt mourned the loss of Geiger much less than that of the screw, the latter being indispensable to the working of the press. He offered a reward of ten dollars, and A. V. Pantland, who happened to know where Geiger had thrown it, fished it out of the river.
Mr. Gantt continued to publish the Free Press until the spring of 1846, when he sold it to John McKinney, then county treasurer, and began the practice of law at Paw Paw.
Mr. Mckinney owned and published the paper until January, 1846, when he disposed of it to E. O. Briggs. After a newspaper experience of thirteen months Mr. Briggs sold the Free Press in January, 1848, to S. Tall- madge Conway, who had been a printer in the office since August, 1846, and who had done a little newspaper work on the Paw Paw Democrat as early as 1842. Mr. Conway retained the ownership for the previously unprecedented time of six years and a half. The paper then (July 10, 1854) passed into the hands of a stock company. A few weeks' experience, however, was enough for the stockhold- ers, at the end of which they transferred the Free Press to I. W. Van Fossen. Soon after this gentleman went into possession the Paw Paw Free Press ceased to exist, so far as the name was concerned, though the publication still continued.
PAW PAW PRESS.
This was the new name by which the Paw Paw Free Press was baptized soon after Mr. Van Fossen became the owner. Even this did not satisfy him, and in the early part of 1855 he took the whole county into the scope of his paper's name.
VAN BUREN COUNTY PRESS.
Such was the appellation upon which Mr. Van Fossen finally settled, and this appeared to be satisfactory to all concerned, for under this name and by the same publisher the paper was issued for nearly thirteen years, until the 3d of January, 1868, when the office was destroyed by fire. This interrupted the publication for a few months, but in the summer of 1868 Mr. Van Fossen revived his paper, and continued to publish it until 1872. He then leased the office to Frank Drummond, who during the campaign of that year supported the cause of Greeley and Brown. In the winter of 1872-73, Mr. Van Fossen sold the prop- erty to E. A. Lanphere and G. W. Mathews, who deter- mined on another change of name.
PAW PAW COURIER.
With the change came a change of politics, for Messrs. Lanphere & Mathews, eschewing the Greeley issue of the year, made the Courier an exponent of Republican princi- ples, and published it as such until the beginning of 1877, when they sold it to E. A. Blackman and E. A. Park. These gentlemen made it a Democratic paper, and published it until the 4th of August, 1877. Then they consolidated another journal with it and extended its name, as will be related below.
VAN BUREN COUNTY PRESS (No. 2).
During the ownership of the Courier by Lanphere & Mathews, Messrs. E. K. Park and George F. Sellick, job printers at Paw Paw, started a new Democratic paper there, to which they gave the old name of the Van Buren County Press. Perhaps Mr. I. W. Van Fossen was attracted by the name with which he had so long been identified, for he soon purchased the Press. He speedily transferred it to O. D. Hadsell, who changed its name to another, which had, like that one, already seen service in the county.
PAW PAW FREE PRESS (No. 2).
Under this name Mr. Hadsell conducted his venture until the 4th of August, 1877, when he sold it to Blackman & Park, the owners of the Paw Paw Courier.
PAW PAW FREE PRESS AND COURIER.
The Free Press and the Courier were then consolidated, and in order to please the readers of both sheets Messrs. Blackman & Park consolidated the names as well as the papers, issuing the new journal under the name of the Paw Paw Free Press and Courier. Like both its prede- cessors, this was a Democratic sheet, and has flourished in that faith to the present day. On the 23d of November, 1878, Mr. Park withdrew, and Mr. E. A. Blackman has since been the sole editor and proprietor.
It will be seen that the present Free Press and Courier is the legitimate successor of the first newspaper established
368
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in Van Buren County, except the old Paw Paw Democrat of 1842, as well as of another line of papers now united in the same channel. We have, therefore, briefly sketched the journals of various names whose shades may be sup- posed to linger around the sanctum of their successor before delineating the career of others.
THE TRUE NORTHERNER.
This journal boasts a continuous existence under the same name of twenty-five years, and in that respect is the oldest paper in the county. It was founded in March, 1855, as a Republican weekly journal, on the very first organization of the Republican party, by George A. Fitch, then pub- lishing the Kalamazoo Telegraph, and has maintained that political status since then without change. Mr. Fitch sent John B. Butler over to edit and publish the True North- erner, but in August of that year Butler retired and Fitch sold the material to John Reynolds and E. A. Thompson, pledging himself, however, to edit and publish the paper until March, 1857. R. C. Nash was employed as editor, but retired in January, 1856, and was succeeded by L. B. Bleecker and S. F. Breed. On the 19th of February, 1856, Samuel H. Blackman and S. F. Breed became the sole pro- prietors of the True Northerner. In 1858, Thaddeus R. Harrison purchased the paper from them and remained the owner until 1866, although during the latter part of that period it was leased to Charles P. Sweet. In the year last named Mr. Harrison sold the True Northerner to Thomas O. Ward, who retained possession until the 28th of August, 1870.
At that time S. Talmadge Conway, whose connection with the press of Paw Paw has already been noticed, became editor, publisher, and proprietor of the True Northerner, and has so remained to the present time.
The True Northerner has a circulation of about two thou- sand, and ranks among the leading Republican papers of Western Michigan.
THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENT.
In March, 1878, Charles S. Maynard founded the Na- tional Independent, at Paw Paw, as a Greenback organ, issuing the first number on the 8th of that month. Mr. Maynard conducted the paper until the 15th of January, 1879, when he sold it to R. C. Nash. In April following the Independent was transferred to Smith & Wilson. Mr. Wilson soon retired, and W. E. Smith became sole editor and proprietor. The National Independent suddenly ceased to exist in the latter part of December, 1879.
VAN BUREN COUNTY TRIBUNE.
This paper, published by T. O. Street, was the pioneer of Decatur journalism, but its career was so very brief that it is difficult to ascertain even the date of its existence. It was, however, about 1864.
·
DECATUR CLARION.
The Tribune was succeeded by the Decatur Clarion, which flourished (or languished) for an equally brief period, under the editorship of Moses Hull, and then became forever silent.
VAN BUREN COUNTY REPUBLICAN.
This is the first permanent newspaper in Decatur, and was founded in 1867, by E. A. Blackman and C. F. R. Bellows (the latter being then the principal of the union school, and now the occupant of a professor's chair in the University of Michigan). Mr. Bellows retired after a brief experience, leaving the control of the paper to Mr. Blackman. Under his control the Republican expounded the principles of Republicanism until 1872, when it sup- ported Greeley and Brown. In 1873 it passed into the ranks of the Democracy. In 1876, Mr. Blackman sold his paper to H. C. Buffington (formerly of the Cass County Republican), who brought it back into the Repub- lican fold, where it has since remained. In December, 1879, Mr. Buffington disposed of the paper to A. M. Wooster, the present proprietor .. The Republican is a four-page, twenty-eight-column journal, issued every Wed- nesday, and is one of the prominent newspapers of the county.
THE IRON CITY AGE.
This was a weekly publication, established in Lawton in 1860 by Joseph Twell. It expired in 1867.
THE LAWTON GAZETTE.
After the decease of the Age, George W. Lawton, Esq., began the publication at Lawton of the Lawton Gazette (weekly), which, however, was printed at Paw Paw. The Gazette lasted until 1869.
LAWTON TRIBUNE.
In September of the year last named J. H. Wick wire established the Lawton Tribune, a four-page, six-column journal, sixteen inches by twenty-two. It passed success- ively into the hands of Cowgill & Jennings, Ambrose Moore, Jr., Orris Strong, and Ezra Hayden, and expired in 1873.
HARTFORD DAY SPRING.
The first number of this paper was issued Thursday, Nov. 16, 1871, by O. D. Hadsell and Alonzo H. Chandler, the latter, however, retiring in a few weeks. It was con- tinued by Mr. Hadsell until Oct. 28, 1876, when it was purchased by Wm. H. H. Earle. He edited and published the Day Spring about a year, when Luther Sutton assumed the editorship, since which time Mr. Earle has been the proprietor and publisher and Mr. Sutton the editor.
SOUTH HAVEN SENTINEL.
The South Haven Sentinel was founded in June, 1867, by Capt. David M. Phillips, of Albion, as a six-column neutral paper. In June, 1868, it was sold to Dr. Samuel D. Tobey, who transferred it to Capt. William E. Stewart in September of the same year, he having been in charge of the mechanical department since August, 1867. Capt. . Stewart has successfully conducted the Sentinel during the period of almost twelve years which has elapsed since his purchase, and in 1870 was enabled to enlarge it from six to eight columns per page.
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