USA > Minnesota > Redwood County > The history of Redwood County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 34
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
Rigby was of the nervous, restless type of newspaper man, and wanted things to move rapidly. The sparse population and the lack of wealth in Redwood county was not sufficient to gratify his nature and his ambition, and consequently he sought other fields. James Aiken was of the opposite temperament. Mr. Aiken enjoyed the work at the art of printing. He loved to work at new ideals and new schemes in the print shop. He believed in making friends all of the time, and avoiding the making of ene- mies, and in his very desire to keep out of entanglements he brought forth mild criticism. But in all of his newspaper con- nection he preferred the mechanical to the news or editorial desk, although he was one of the smoothest writers that wielded the
298
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
pencil in that section of the state. While he did perfect job printing, and made his advertisements models of the printer's art, he wrote without sting, and his newspaper brethren have always wondered how he did it. He avoided show, except as to his news- paper; he loved even his enemies, and while he never injected strenuousness into his efforts, he made friends of all who came into contact with him.
On Dec. 1, 1906, when the writer retired from the Gazette to move to St. Paul and assume the office of secretary of state, to which he had been elected the previous month, Mr. Aiken again went it alone. But he had taken on himself a big job printing business an increased size newspaper, and a general increase of all branches of the business, and he soon found that it was a larger task than his advanced age justified. During 1911 he dis- posed of the plant to Grove E. Wilson, a St. Paul reporter, who conducted it until about the close of the 1913 session of the legis- lature, when it passed into the hands of Mrs. Bess M. Wilson and Clemens Lauterbach, the latter the present postmaster at Red- wood Falls, and Mrs. Wilson, one of the best newspaper "men" in the state, as her writings in The Gazette clearly verify. In September, 1916, Mr. Lauterbach sold out his interest to Mrs. Wilson and she is now sole owner of the expensive plant.
Learning of the publication of this history of newspapers in Redwood county, Mr. Aiken has made the following voluntary contribution regarding The Gazette, and the young men who graduated from his printing office :
"The association of Julius A. Schmahl with the Redwood Gazette dates back to the fall of 1880, when as a boy of 14, he elosed a summer campaign devoted to managing a bunch of cat- tle for the Barber brothers in Vesta township and began his career as printer and office assistant in the Gazette office. The boy Julius was a live wire from the start, not limited to the routine of sweeping out the office, working at the cases and inking the forms printed on the Washington hand press and the only job press which Redwood county afforded at that time. His instinct for finding out everything that was going on in the community as well as in the office, was a valuable asset for the Gazette editor, then almost as new to the work of conducting a newspaper as his young assistant to the art of printing. This unquenchable de- sire to know things is the foundation of Mr. Schmahl's rapid ad- vancement in education and efficiency in most of the undertak- ings with which he has since been associated.
"At the end of three years' service in the Gazette office, young Julius found work in a printing office at Fargo and later on at St. Paul, where his brother Otto was employed in a drug store. Here his activities brought him into contact with the late Harlan P. Hall, among others, and gave him a chance to get busy
299
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
as a reporter on the newspaper which Mr. Hall was then con- nected with. The progress of the future editor of the Gazette from local scout to legislative reporter, Chatauqua student till his diploma was secured, editor of the Gazette, clerk of the Minnesota house of representatives and secretary of state continuously since 1906 were, of course, not accidental, but the result of natural ability and aggressiveness. Without even a high school educa- tion as a boy, as a young man he had followed up his Chatauqua course with an almost continuous reading in law which has en- abled him to save for the state more than his salary during his term in office.
"In August of 1892, Mr. Schmahl entered into partnership with H. V. Ruter, who also began his career as printer in The Gazette office, and purchased the entire interest of The Gazette owner. Mr. Aiken. New machinery and equipment was added, and the paper enlarged to its present eight-page form. Fifteen months later Mr. Ruter sold his interest in the firm to the former owner, and the firm of Aiken & Schmahl continued to guide the destinies of The Gazette until the latter was elected secretary of state of Minnesota, in 1906, when the secretary-elect sold the property to his partner.
"Mr. Schmahl was managing editor of The Redwood Gazette from August, 1892, to December of 1906-more than 14 years- and the files of that paper show that he was an indefatigable promoter for public and social betterments as well as for political success for those whom he championed. Naturally aggressive, his fearlessness brought on three libel suits within a single year, only one of which resulted in a nominal adverse verdict, and the ulti- mate effect was a large addition to the Gazette's subscription list which evened up the cost of the legal defense.
"The writer may be pardoned for calling attention to the connection of another Redwood county boy, now well known in Minnesota public life, who was the immediate predecessor of Julius A. Schmahl as office boy and assistant manager of the Redwood Gazette. Like Julius, he was of German parentage. In the summer of 1880 he began his newspaper experience- willingness to help, good nature and awkwardness being his nat- ural characteristics. It was the memorable winter of snow block- ades of the railroads lasting for a month or more at a stretch, and Anton's jokes and good nature helped to make the desperate situation, with green wood for fuel and no business or income to speak of, endurable for the struggling publishers. Anton shifted to more profitable employment in a store for a time, but the lure of the printers' ink ultimately claimed him. Anton C. Weiss was too clever a business man to long remain at the case and early became subscription solicitor for the Minneapolis Tribune, later Duluth representative of the Pioneer Press and
300
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
ultimately business manager and principal owner of the Duluth Herald, since that time continuously under his control and now one of two or three truly great newspaper influences in this state."
The Lamberton Commercial. Owing to the fact that the United States government gave the Indians, by the treaty of 1851, a ten-mile strip running south of the Minnesota river from a point in Brown county, west to the state line, the Winona and St. Peter Railroad Company, when it was incorporated for the purpose of building a railroad through this section of the state, and in order to secure the government land grant as a bonus for the construction, was obliged to keep away from this reservation line in order to obtain the full grant. The result was that on reaching Sleepy Eye, the railroad company was obliged to pro- ceed in a south-westerly direction and consequently passed through the southern portion of Redwood county. This was the first line of railroad built in the county, notwithstanding the fact that agitation had long before been commenced for the construc- tion of a railroad to Redwood Falls.
Among the first towns to spring into existence as a result of the construction of the Winona & St. Peter railroad through the southern portion of Redwood county was Lamberton, the town being named after Hon. Henry W. Lamberton, of Winona. Here in this village the second newspaper published in Redwood county commenced its existence. While the village was established in 1873 and the first building on the site was erected about that time, or a little bit later, the grasshopper plague gave the village, as well as the surrounding country, a set-back, and it was not until 1877 that a new start was taken and a substantial growth commenced.
The Lamberton Commercial was established in December of 1878, the publisher being W. W. Yarham, a young man who had some slight knowledge of the printing business, but Mr. Yarham found the venture a hard one, and in June of 1880, he sold out his interest in the newspaper to A. M. Goodrich. Mr. Goodrich was a native of Minnesota, having been born only 20 years before in Silver Creek, Wright county, and during the years between 1877 and 1880, he taught school in winter and worked at the printer's trade in summer. He continued the paper until Janu- ary 19, 1882, when, in a formal announcement of suspension he stated that he was obliged to discontinue publication for lack of a decent support.
Some time after the period of this suspension and July, 1889, there was a publication in the village under the direction of J. S. Letford, who had moved from Golden Gate, Brown county, to Lamberton, and had engaged in the general mercantile busi- ness. Mr. Letford had served as a member of the Minnesota
301
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
legislature from Carver county for three terms, and while he never had acquired any knowledge of printing, he had some knowledge of editorial work and continued a paper commensurate with the size of the town. It is apparent that it, too, was re- quired to suspend publication for the lack of support.
The Lamberton Leader. About July 1, 1889, the Lamberton Leader came into existence under the direction of that unusually energetic and pugnacious young newspaper man, W. D. Smith. Smith published an eight-column folio Republican newspaper, having a ready print for the inside. Smith was a genuine village Beau Brummel, wearing a silk hat on his visit to the county seat and setting himself up as one of the political leaders of Redwood county. This latter leadership was never disputed, partly be- cause Smith played the game of the real leaders. He was par- ticularly aggressive in his attempt to be the dictator of business and political policies of Lamberton, with the result that the sup- port continued to dwindle and on May 19, 1893, that support had reached the starving point and Mr. Smith, in announcing the dis- continuance of the Leader, stated that: "Because of trouble (withdrawal of patronage, etc.) with Lamberton's Business Men's Union, this is the last issue of the Leader under its founder. We feel we have been shamefully treated. We leave with not a single word of commendation from those for whom we have used column after column of our paper for their benefit. We thank our hosts of real friends for kind words and advice, and say Good-Bye, and God Speed You." It appears that Mr. Smith had accepted a number of advertisements from business men of Tracy, about eighteen miles west of Lamberton, for his paper, and the busi- ness men of Lamberton contended that this was disloyal and un- patriotic. At any rate, the business men were in the saddle and Mr. Smith left for other fields.
The Lamberton Star. About two months later W. C. Starr appeared in Lamberton and commenced the publication of the Lamberton Star, the first issue making its appearance about the middle of July. Mr. Starr was a well developed newspaper man, and in addition had well defined ideas as to the policies he should pursue in making editorial and local comment upon the acts of public men and upon things in general occurring in and around Lamberton. He continued an aggressive paper until some time in 1910, when circumstances induced Mr. Starr to close out his interests in the paper to E. M. Wilson, who had previously con- ducted the Echo at Milroy, Redwood county. Mr. Wilson contin- ued as publisher of the Star until after he was defeated for county auditor of Redwood county in 1914, when he disposed of his interests to Hoagland Bros., the present proprietors, Mr. Wil- son moving to Marshall county and establishing a new paper in one of the towns of that county. His predecessor, W. C. Starr,
302
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
moved to Redwood Falls shortly after closing out his interests at Lamberton and purchased what was then known as the Red- wood Reveille.
The Redwood Reveille-Now the Redwood Falls Sun. Dur- ing the autumn of 1885 a second paper was launched in Redwood Falls, called the Redwood Reveille. The projector and owner was Charles C. Whitney, of Marshall, the publisher of the News- Messenger at that place, while the editor and manager was W. M. Todd, who founded and published the Lyon County News of Marshall and the Trumpet, of Tracy, Lyon county. Mr. Whitney, now deceased, began his newspaper career in Lyon county with the Lyon County News, which he purchased from Mr. Todd, but later on he purchased the Marshall Messenger from C. F. Case and adopted the hyphenated name of News-Messenger.
It is doubtful if it was seriously thought by anyone that Red- wood Falls at that period furnished a field large enough for two newspapers. There were probably very few, if any, who would have said the field was not already amply and ably filled. It is more probable that Mr. Whitney, who still had on hand the type, presses and equipment which he acquired with the purchase of the Messenger, simply took his chances on the field with the view of utilizing this idle equipment until such a time as he could dis- pose of it.
Of course, there are in every place, a few who have at one time or another taken umbrage at something printed in the local paper. A few have resented the opposition of the paper to their political ambitions or schemes, and others have thought that, considering their friendship for the paper, its support was dis- appointing in its lack of warmth. Some have doubtless thought the accomplishments and loveliness of their sons or daughters were not sufficiently amplified in the accounts of their weddings, and others that the virtues of their deceased relatives were obvi- ously slighted in the published obituaries. There were naturally a few of these in Redwood and they as naturally welcomed the advent of the new paper. Still no bonus was offered and no pledges of support. The glad hand was extended, and that was all.
The first issue of the Reveille was struck off Nov. 7, 1885. The paper was an eight-column folio and all printed at home. Mr. Todd had won some renown as a journalist during the editor- ship of his former papers, and his salutatory as well as the name of the new paper was characteristic.
When a newspaper that has long enjoyed a monopoly of its field suddenly finds that it is to have opposition it generally be- comes a little uneasy and almost unconsciously goes into train- ing for a scrap which it instinctively believes to be inevitable. Its columns begin to give more news and every feature of the
303
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
paper shows increased enterprise. In other words, it tries to show its coming rival that it must "go some" to beat it. This was true of the Gazette all the while the Reveille was getting ready for its first issue. The Gazette man watched the Reveille as a hen watches a hawk and the Reveille man slept at night with one eye open and focused on the Gazette building. But the scrap never occurred. It may be that "one was 'fraid 'n 'tother das- sent." Neither paper saw a chance for honest criticism of the other; on the other hand each became convinced that the other was doing all it could in the interest of the place and its people. Each paper was better for the existence of the other, just as one political party is better for the existence of a jealous rival party, and the two editors became and have since continued fast friends.
The staff of the Reveille during the period of Mr. Todd's man- agement included Peter Larson, foreman; J. A. Schmahl, now secretary of state; Miss Charlotte Schmahl, now Mrs. John J. Palmer, of Duluth; Fred Peabody and William Bigham. Mr. Todd ceased his connection with the Reveille with the issue of Jan. 1, 1887, and accepted the position of deputy insurance com- missioner, tendered to him by Gov. A. R. McGill. He was, for several years, a reporter on the St. Paul daily papers, but for the last ten years has been chief clerk of the state grain inspection department at Minneapolis. He has never lost his inclination or ability to write, and is a frequent contributor to magazines and periodicals.
With the retirement of Mr. Todd from the editorial position on the Redwood Reveille, there came into the life of that paper Stephen Wilson Hays. Mr. Hays had long been a resident of Redwood Falls. During the eight months prior to April 29, 1880, he had acted as editor of the Gazette under William B. Herriott. He came from Pennsylvania. As a result of his earlier newspaper affiliation and on account of friends in Pennsylvania, he was appointed postmaster at Redwood Falls, a position which he held for a number of years. He was not engaged in any special line of work when Mr. Todd retired, and he became editor of the Reveille. Mr. Hays was one of the most genial, good natured men that ever came to Redwood Falls. He continued a pleasing Republican policy in the editorial columns of the Reveille, and gathered the local news in a commendable manner. Mr. Whit- ney continued as publisher until March 16, 1889. During Mr. Hays' editorial career he got into the good graces of Wm. D. Washburn, United States senator from Minnesota, and just be- fore his retirement Mr. Washburn had secured for him a position in the federal revenue service. This was the cause of his retire- ment and for some years thereafter Mr. Hays continued to work for the U. S. government, most of his time being spent in the
304
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
sugar plantations of Louisiana. With the change from a Repub- lican to a Democratic national administration, Hays was dropped from the service. He returned to Redwood Falls without any work or business in sight. One Saturday evening he was with a crowd of young men of the town-a group that he had known during his earlier years- and while they noticed certain peculiari- ties in his actions, they did not dream of what Mr. Hays appar ently had in his mind at that time. The following morning, and it was a cold Sunday morning, his lifeless body was found on the ice of the Redwood river, one-eighth of a mile below the falls of the Redwood. It appears that he had lived up to his income and having no available means and no position, he decided to pass into the next world by the laudanum route.
Some time prior to March 16, 1889, there came to Redwood Falls a distinguished old veteran of the Civil War, W. L. Ab- bott, who brought with him his wife, three charming daughters and a son. Mr. Abbott was a printer without employment, and when Mr. Hays retired from the Reveille to accept the federal position, Mr. Whitney, the publisher, made an arrangement with Mr. Abbott whereby he became the editor and news gatherer of the Reveille. Mr. Abbott took with him his son, William, into the plant and there the young man, who afterwards went to Mankato and then to St. Paul to continue the printing business, received his first lessons in the art preservative, but the elder Abbott did not remain long with the Reveille, his name being removed from the top of the editorial column of the paper on Saturday, Sept. 14, of that year, the last issue under his editorship appearing on the Saturday previous. Mr. Abbott was a pleasing person to meet, and gave the Reveille a good standing in Redwood county. He passed away years afterwards, and his remains now lie in the Redwood cemetery.
About the time that Mr. Abbott retired from the publication, Mr. Whitney had as foreman of his excellent printing office at Marshall, George B. Hughes, a whole souled, clever young man, who possessed practically everything in his nature but aggressive- ness. Mr. Hughes was anxious to launch into the printing busi- ness for himelf, and it is apparent that Mr. Whitney sent him to Redwood Falls with a view of becoming acquainted with the plant, and if he deemed it worthy of purchase, and the town suit- able to the tastes of Mr. Hughes, to permit the latter to purchase the same. At any rate the Reveille continued without an an- nounced editor until Saturday, Oct. 11, 1890, when the name of George B. Hughes appeared at the masthead as editor and pub- lisher, and on Dec. 26, 1891, the paper was changed from a four- page folio to an eight-page quarto. Mr. Hughes had in the mean- time married Miss Mattie Maxson, a charming young lady, em- ployed in the office of the Marshall Messenger, and when she
305
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
came to Redwood Falls with her husband, she added very mate- rially to the society news and prestige of the paper. Mr. Hughes continued as the publisher of the paper until Wednesday, July 4. It was several months previous to that time that in a postoffice contest between James Aiken of the Gazette, and Mr. Hughes of the Reveille, the friends of the latter prevailed upon Repre- sentative MeCleary of the Second Congressional district, to recommend Mr. Hughes for appointment. The appointment was accordingly made, and shortly after Mr. Hughes took possession, the editorship and control of the paper was turned over to two young men under the firm name of Barnes & Kruse, but the pro- prietorship still vested in Mr. Hughes.
A. M. Welles, for a long time a reporter on the Minneapolis and St. Paul papers, afterwards superintendent of schools at Red- wood Falls, and still later holding down a position at one of the desks of the Omaha Bee, returned to Redwood Falls prior to July 4, 1900, and once more became so attached to the city as to cause him to buy the Reveille plant from Mr. Hughes. Welles ruled the schools over which he was principal with a rod of iron, and as he carried on his reportorial and editorial career with bitterness, he allowed a portion at least of that spirit to enter into the Reveille upon his assuming control. For six years he struggled to give the Reveille the prestige of being the lead- ing paper in Redwood county, and was in a continuous newspaper fight with Schmahl of the Gazette, for that prestige. The writings of either were bitter at times, and jealousy even entered into the securing of business for either office. During the rise of Schmahl to the post of chief clerk of the house and his four successive elections, Welles became bitter from a political standpoint, and after Schmahl's nomination for secretary of state on June 13, 1906, Welles directed a continuous weekly fusilade at that can- didate. As a result of the bitterness growing out of that cam- paign, Welles became tired of conditions in Redwood Falls and Redwood county, and on Friday, March 15, 1907, he announced the sale of the paper to a corporation known as the Gopher State Realty Company, with S. G. Peterson as editor and publisher. Welles has always possessed an exceptionally bright mind, has always shown a real talent for excellent newspaper work. He afterwards published the Sauk Center Herald and now is pub- lisher of the Worthington Globe.
S. G. Peterson had just retired from the mercantile business in Redwood Falls. Prior to engaging in the latter business he had been engaged with a newspaper in McLeod county, and in his individuality there lurked the call created by the smell of printers' ink, but after running the Reveille for about a year and a half, or until Friday, Sept. 19, 1908, he disposed of the same to L. L. Thompson, who came to Redwood Falls from Iowa, and
306
HISTORY OF REDWOOD COUNTY
who had more or less experience in the newspaper business. Mr. Peterson has been engaged in various occupations since that time and is now in business at Hutchinson.
Mr. Thompson continued as editor and publisher of the Re- veille untill Tuesday, June 28, 1910, when after a varied career as the guiding hand of that newspaper, he disposed of his interests to W. C. Starr, who had a short time before disposed of his in- terests in the Lamberton Star, and was looking for that new field which he found at Redwood Falls. The name was changed to the Redwood Falls Sun, and Mr. Starr continued as editor and publisher up to Friday, Oct. 16, 1914, when the publication was given to the Starr Publishing Company with W. C. Starr as editor and H. L. Starr as local editor. Mr. Starr and Mrs. Starr have a number of bright young Starrs in their family, and all of them are employed in getting out the weekly edition of the Sun and also in helping in the job department. The Sun is a well edited newspaper filled with local news and thoroughly cov- ering the Redwood county news field.
The Morgan Messenger. The history of The Morgan Messen- ger is closely associated with the history of the town itself and its growth has kept apace with the progress of the village. Its first issue appeared on April 30, 1890, the year after the village was incorporated. The founder of the paper was Guy Small, who ran it for a year, and disposed of the paper to W. R. Hodges, editor of the Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch. Its first home was a little shack, located on Vernon avenue, but which at that time had not come into its own as the main business street of the town. With the change in ownership the new publisher placed The Messenger in charge of Asa P. Brooks, who ran it for Mr. Hodges for over two years when Dan McRae took over the plant. Some years later, while publisher of the New Ulm Review, Mr. Brooks gained considerable notoriety as the eye witness to the murder of Dr. Gebhart.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.