USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > Steubenville > Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 20th > Part 43
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The Herald Company has lately ac- quired valuable property on North Fourth Street and begun the erection of a $60,000 building, equipped with all modern im- provements.
When the Herald declined to follow the Jackson wing of the Democratic party it was conelnded by the admirers of Old Hickory to start an opposition paper, in a building on upper Market Street directly across from the Herald office. It was called the Republican Ledger, although ad- vocating Jacksonian Democracy, another illustration of the looseness of political terms in those days. Frew & Laird were the proprietors, and the first number was issued September 20, 1826. Rev. J. P. Mil- ler, a minister of the Seceder denomina- tion, was a leading editorial writer, and his articles were trenchant and forcible. Sam- uel Frew remained with the paper but a short time when he removed to Elizabeth, Pa., where he died in 1859. His partner, Mr. Laird, continued the paper until 1830 when he sold ont, and went to Greensburg, Pa., where he edited the Argus for many years, dying at the age of ninety. The pur- chasers of the Ledger were Joseph Cable, born in Island Creek Township in 1800 of Hugnenot descent, and a Mr. Rippey. They changed the name of the paper, adopting the somewhat comprehensive. if not strictly accurate, title of The Jeffer- sonian Democrat and Farmers' and Me- chanics' Advocate. Hon. L. Harper, late of The Mt. Vernon Banner, learned the printer's trade in this office, and in 1832 went to Pittsburgh with James Wilson. then the publisher of The Herald, and es- tablished the first daily published in that city. It was a Whig paper and was named The Pennsylvania Advocate. The Advo- cate was in opposition to The Gazette, which was an Anti-Masonic organ. Mr. C'able sold The Jeffersonian Democrat to John S. Patterson and James Scott, who changed the name to The American Union. Mr. Cable went to New Lisbon, where he published The Patriot for some years, go- ing from there to Carrollton, where he pub-
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Jished a Democratic paper, and in 1848 was Fadden & Hunter purchased the Murray dwelling on the east side of Third Street south of Market, which was afterwards re- placed by a modern structure with perfect- ing press, linotypes and other improved machinery. On February 1, 1900, just twenty-five years after the firm was formed, Mr. Hunter sold out his interest to Mr. McFadden and engaged in the news- paper business at Chillicothe, where he died six years later. During his Steuben- ville residence Mr. Hunter took consider- able interest in artistic and historie sub- jects, particularly the latter. He was a member of the State as well as the local historical society, to which he contributed much valuable matter in a form which has been very useful to the writer in preparing this history. Mr. MeFadden conducted the paper under his own name until August 1, 1901, when he formed a joint stock con- cern under the title of The Steubenville Gazette Company, with an authorized cap- ital of $25,000, afterwards increased to $50,000. Mr. MeFadden has held a number of appointive state offices, has been the Democratic nominee for congress and other important positions, and he and his paper have always been recognized as im- portant factors in the councils of his party. The journal is one of the leading Demo- cratic papers in the state, and wields an influence only exceeded, if at all, by one or two of the large city dailies. The editor has his convictions and does not hesitate to express them. The news department of the paper is also up to the standard, and consequently, it has a large and increasing circulation. The office force is composed of H. H. MeFadden, manager editor; C. A. Aten, city editor: D. W. Case and John Nolan, reporters; J. F. MeFadden, book- keeper; J. H. Andrews, advertising agent. elected to Congress, serving two terms, and was distinguished for efforts that secured the passage of the Homestead Act, in this work dividing honors with Salmon P. Chase, who was in the Senate. He after- wards went to Paulding, where he con- tinued his newspaper work almost up to the time of his death, which occurred May 10, 1880. Although an old man, he took a very active part in the campaign of 1873, when William Allen was elected governor by the Democrats. He was noted for a long time as an infidel, but he was convert- ed and became an ardent Methodist. Pat- terson and Scott continued the publication of The Union. Scott was killed while on a pleasure excursion to Wellsburg with a party of young folks from Steubenville. The publication of the paper was continued alone by Mr. Patterson up to 1837, when it was purchased by Col. W. C. McCauslen and Lecky Harper, who were succeeded by A. L. Frazer and Justin G. Morris. Colonel McCauslen went to Congress, as did also his successor, Andrew Stuart. Stuart was succeeded by Mr. Sheridan, who, during the war left the Democratic ranks and made a Union party organ of the paper, and the enterprise failed. In 1863 the Democrats established The Courier, which was edited by Mr. Logan, but it had a short life, the Democrats who furnished the money for the enterprise lost all they invested in the paper. About that time a little paper called The Bulletin was pub- lished by Mr. Donovan. On September 1, 1865, C. N. Allen, of Cadiz, established The Gazette, which he published as a weekly until October 1, 1873, when he added a daily which he continued until February, 1875, when the plant was purchased by II. H. McFadden and William H. Hunter. The Gazette was first printed in a building ou Rev. Z. Ragan established a weekly Re- publican and anti-slavery paper in 1855 at the northwest corner of Fourth and Mar- ket streets, which he published under the title of True American until he entered the army as chaplain in 1861. About the same the west side of Third Street between Mar- ket and Washington, and then removed to the Watson block opposite the present Na- tional Exchange Bank building, and then to the present Ruddicks shoe store on Fourth Street just north of Market. Me- time Mr. Con published the Dollar (week-
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ly) and Daily Messenger and the Steuben- paper. The first paper produced here was ville Democrat previously. He owned and published the Beaver Star for one year. He with Dr. Reed and Charles A. Mantz founded the St. Louis Post, afterward con- solidated with the Dispatch.
R. Schnorrenberg established a weekly German paper on August 1, 1876. For nwhile the firm was Schnorrenberg & Ge- scheider, but on April 1, 1879, the former retired, leaving Max Gescheider the sole proprietor. Joseph Niederhuber subse- quently purchased the paper and conduets it in connection with his job office and book bindery on Court Street.
After retiring from the Herald in 1874 John Palmer for about a year conducted a weekly paper under the name of Palmer's News, but it was discontinued. Subse- quently in the same building another paper called the Steubenville News was operated between 1898 and 1900. During the later seventies the Wool Growers' Bulletin was issued from the Tri-State woolhouse, giv- ing the latest information concerning that industry,
Several efforts were made in the way of starting Sunday newspapers in Steuben- ville, the first being the Local by A. M. Mat- lack in 1876, which operated abont three years, Chronicle by E. A. Elliott in 1879, News by G. G. Nichols the same year, Life by G. B. Huff and A. F. Beach, and Leader by B. Hipsley and others. The latest addi- tion to the city press is the Union Leader, published in the interest of the labor or- ganization. A local Italian paper has also been published here. Other enterprises of this character have been inaugurated from time to time, but they died and left no sign. The community is well served in this re- spect at present by the regular publications and parish and other smaller periodicals, to which has been added the Saturday Ere- ning Journal.
Mount Pleasant having been settled by a class of people above the average in the way of education and refinement was nat- nrally the first community in the county outside of Steubenville to publish a news-
the Philanthropist, a small quarto of eight pages, issued every Saturday at $3 per year. Charles Osborne was the printer, and the first number made its appearance on September 8, 1817. It printed the news of the day and discussed moral ethies. On October 8, 1818, Elisha Bates purchased the paper and converted it into a sixteen- page octavo on December 11. Its last issue was April 27, 1822. Here also was con- dneted the first abolition paper published in the U'nited States, The Genius of Uni- rersal Emancipation. Benjamin Lundy was the editor. He would set up his mat- ter in his office at Mt. Pleasant and take the forms across the country to Steuben- ville, where the paper was printed at the Herald office. On these visits to Steuben- ville he was a welcome visitor to the homes of those who sympathized with his cause, especially at the house of Dr. David Stan- ton, father of the great war secretary. He subsequently removed with his paper to Jonesboro, Ten., and then to Baltimore in 1824. The Village Banner, published in 1835, lasted one year. Elisha Bates pub- lished a religious paper in 1837-8, and later John B. Wolf a temperance paper, the Life Boot. On September 16, 1822, Mr. Howard started the Juvenile Museum, a semi- monthly magazine of eight pages. With the eleventh inmber it changed to a month- ly of sixteen pages, but the last issue was on September 27, 1823. Elisha Bates pub- lished a monthly periodical called the Mis- cellaneous Repository from July, 1827, to about 1832. There were other publications of which there is no record. There was also something doing in the book line, among the publications being Barton's Poems, 12mo. 1823: The Juvenile Expos- itor, or Child's Dictionary, by Elisha Bates, square 12mo., 1823; Sacred History, or the Historical Part of the Holy Serip- tures of the Old and New Testaments, by Thomas Elwood, 2 vols., Svo., sheep, 1854, with many others.
C. M. Mayne started n job printing of- fice in Smithfield in 1875, and on February
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14, 1876, inaugurated the Smithfield Inde- tor, starting a daily on August 17, 1890. pendent. It was published regularly until December, 1877, when it was discontinued.
Several papers have been started at Iron- dale, under the names of Record, Courier, Eagle, etc., but they were short lived.
In 1879 a little paper called The Banner of Zion was published at Knoxville by Stokes Bros., who had a small job office. The same year T. M. Daniels started the Weekly Tribune at Toronto, and in 1880 Frank Stokes moved there and entered into partnership with him, under the firm name of Daniels & Stokes. Mr. Daniels died in 1884 and Mr. Stokes became sole proprie-
Mr. Stokes being elected county clerk in 1894 he leased the plant to C. H. Stoll, but at the expiration of his term again took charge. The paper was recently sold to H. P. Boyer and John Bray, who are mak- ing a very successful publication.
Richard A. Bryant conducted a paper at Mingo in the later nineties under the title of Mingo Advocate. There was also the Mingo News, and a paper of the same title at Brilliant operated by W. J. Murphy. At Richmond there were the Radiator and one or two others.
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CHAPTER XIX
THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
Controlling Position of the County-Hundreds Helped to Freedom-An Experiment in Colonization-Its Partial Success.
That a strong anti-slavery feeling should impossible to stifle the feelings of morality have prevailed in Jefferson County was and humanity. Then the lower end of the county as well as the upper end of Belmont County adjoining had been largely settled by members of the Society of Friends, who accepted the words of the Declaration of Independence as meaning just what they said, and many of them had migrated from North Carolina and other slave states for the express purpose of getting out of the slaveholders' domain. Had slavery con- tinued to decline in the South, as the framers of the Constitution expected, until there was a prospect of its gradual extinc- tion, there never would have been any Abo- lition party, but the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 and subsequent enormous de- velopment as a consequence put a different face on matters, and the prospect was not only of the indefinite continuance of slavery within its original territory but ex- tension, if not without limit, yet so great as to make this republic practically a nation of slaveholders and slave catchers. Hence while the great majority of the people here as elsewhere in the northern states were sincerely in favor of adhering strictly to all the compacts which had been made for the benefit and protection of slave- owners there was a small minority whose consciences did not permit them to do any- thing of the kind. As we have said this sentiment, although not confined to the quite natural. In the first place it was on the border line between the free and the slave states. True the visible signs of slavery in this section were not very nn- merous. In 1860, Hancock, the upper coun- ty of the Virginia Pan Handle only con- tained two slaves, and Brooke County, in- mediately south, had eighteen. The former county had one free colored man, and Brooke fifty-one, the white population of the two counties being 9,687. These two counties, which fronted Jefferson nearly their full length, had a smaller colored population than the latter, which at that time reported 707. The upper end of Ohio County, just below Brooke, also fronted on Jefferson, and that portion of it may have had half a dozen slaves ont of the one hun- dred in the county. Bnt although the "pe- culiar institution" eut little or no figure in the industrial development of the com- munity it did not fail to furnish an object lesson. Wheeling had a public slave mar- ket where human beings were publicly sold at auction, and from accounts which have come down to us, the scenes there were fully as horrible and repulsive as any re- lated of New Orleans or St. Augustine. To visitors from the Ohio side this was a fes- tering sore, for, however it might be re- garded from a legal point of view, it was
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Friends, was particularly strong among them. So it was perfectly natural and in accord with the fitness of things that the first Abolition paper in the United States should have emanated from Jefferson County (it will perhaps have been noticed by this time that Jefferson County was first in a good many things), and that the first Abolition convention in Ohio should have been held at Mt. Pleasant in the same county. An account of Lundy's newspaper enterprise has already been given but a reference to the man himself will not be out of place. He was a Friend, and was born at Handwich, N. J., January 4, 1789, dying at Lowell, Ill., August 22, 1839. He went to Wheeling at the age of nineteen, and thence to Mt. Pleasant, going from there to St. Clairsville, Belmont County, where in 1815 he formed the first anti-slavery so- ciety under the name of-Union Humane So- ciety, writing an appeal based on his ex- perience with slavery at Wheeling, where, like Lincoln at New Orleans, "I heard the wail of the captive, I felt his pang of dis- tress, and the iron entered my soul." Ever after he was slavery's determined and per- sistent foe. He engaged in newspaper work in St. Louis for two years, and then returned to Mt. Pleasant where, in Janu- ary, 1821, he began the publication of the Genius of Universal Emancipation. In 1825 he visited Hayti to arrange for the settlement of emancipated slaves. He met William Lloyd Garrison in 1828, and in 1829 removed to Washington. He was as- saulted for his attacks on slavery and inci- dentally censured by the court. He trav- eled in Canada and Texas in 1830-31, also in 1833, and also visited Mexico in the in- terest of his work.
As stated, the first Abolition convention in Ohio met at Mt. Pleasant in the spring of 1837 with Gamaliel Bailey, afterwards of the Cincinnati Herald and Washington National Era, as secretary. Among the others at that convention were James G. Birney, candidate of the Liberty party for President in 1840, John Keep, William Donaldson, Christian Donaldson, John
Rankin, A. A. Guthrie, Major Nye, George Whipple, President Fiuney, of Oherlin, Asa Mann and others. As another protest against slavery the people of Mt. Pleasant established in 1848 a free labor store which should contain no product of slave labor, which was conducted for about ten years.
But the war against slavery was not con- fined to newspaper publications, passage of resolutions or boycotting of slave products. What was known as the fugitive slave law was to these men a nullity and abomina- tion. Not only was it regarded as morally wrong in itself, but its abuse by which free negroes had been kidnapped from the North and sold into slavery, and the in- creasing demands of the slave power, were intensifying the opposition to it. Back of all was the "higher law" which command- ed assistance to any human being seeking freedom. Hence arose what was known as "The Underground Railroad," a general name given to the systematic aid extended to negroes fleeing from the South to Can- ada in search of freedom. A favorite point of crossing the Ohio was at the north- ern end of Wheeling to Martin's Ferry, and the first "stations" were the resi- dences of Joel Wood in that town, Jacob Van Pelt on the hill, and Joshua Cope at the head of Glen's Run in Belmont Coun- ty. One line diverged from here towards Mt. Pleasant, and Judge Cochran in his little book, Bonnie Belmont, relates that at one time a party in pursuit of a runaway slave surrounded the Charles Wright (now Linley Bracken) house and demanded the right to search it. This was refused by Wright until they should secure and pro- duce a search warrant, which they had to do by one of the parties going more than a mile to a justice of the peace. This took up considerable time and in the meantime the fugitive, who was really not at the Wright mansion, was taken to the Mill- honse place of concealment, a mile or two distant, which had a concealed clothes press built in a chimney recess. The searching party was directed to Mt. Pleas- ant, and it is needless to say they never
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found their property. To the slave hunt- ers, when a fugitive once reached Mt. Pleasant, the language applied to a certain bridge seemed most appropriate: "Wlio Enters Here Leaves Hope Behind." The underground railroad was not confined, however, to Mt. Pleasant and Smithfield townships, but extended the whole length of the county, and its officers were not con- fined to the Friends but included men and women of every religious faith. The start- ing points, however, were generally in the Short Creek Valley, its headwaters being just over the divide from the headwaters of Wheeling Creek in Harrison and Bel- mont counties. There were several stations at the month of Short Creek, one kept by George Craig and one by William Hogg. One was kept by Joseph Medill (grand- father of W. L. Medill, Esq.), on Warren Ridge, near Hopewell M. E. Church. There were many in Mt. Pleasant, the slaves be- ing kept during daylight in any of the houses in the village, and there is authority for the statement that one good Friend kept a number of strong negroes on his farm from corn-planting until after har- vest ! The house of Rev. Benjamin Mitchell was a noted station, there being a trap- door in the kitchen floor through which runaway slaves reached a large hole in the ground when slave hunters were searching the premises. The Updegraff house, a mile west of Mt. Pleasant, and that of David Robinson, west of Trenton, were also well known. The Bracken house in Mt. Pleas- ant was so constructed that the negroes could enter an attic by means of a trap- door in the roof after climbing a ladder. Benjamin Ladd (the Quaker philanthro- pist) kept the Smithfield station. Over the line one at Lloydstown, named for Jesse and Isaac Lloyd, was kept by Eli Nichols; one at Unity kept by Rev. John Walker, Seceder minister; at Hammond's Cross Roads, Alexander and John Ham- mond, John Hammond, Jr., and Joseph Rodgers being conductors between that point and Hopedale; one at the house of Cyrus MeNeely (founder of Hopedale Col-
lege) between Hopedale and Unionvale, house of Judge Thomas Lee near Cadiz; one at Miller's Station by David Ward; one at Richmond by James and William Ladd. From there the line ran across the country to the home of Judge Thomas George on Yellow Creek, and then to Salem, Colum- biana County, from which point it followed the line of least resistance to the lakes and Canada. James George, of Ross Town- ship, grandson of Thomas George, gives additional particulars as follows in rela- tion to this line :
"Judge Lee was station agent at Cadiz; James Ladd and brother at Richmond; David Ward at Miller's Station (then Works Postoffice) ; Dr. A. Lindsay, Salem; Thomas George, Moore's Salt Works; James and William Farmer, Salineville; Horton, Salem. There was another line through from Cadiz by way of Seroggs- field and Mechanicstown, Carroll County, Dr. Lindsay having removed from Annap- olis (Salem) in Jefferson County to one of these places.
"We were located about half way on the line from Cadiz and Mt. Pleasant to Saline- ville. Henry Crabbs kept a station on the hill overlooking the George station in the valley. The Richmond station kept by the Ladds was on a sidetrack, which was used in emergency.
"The line on which Moore's Salt Works was located was in operation from 1827 to 1837, but some of the older citizens say the first date should be earlier. Station agents rarely knew beforehand that fleeing slaves were to arrive, and they were received be- caase conveyed by known friends. In 1830 Old Man Work brought through two slaves, arriving at the house of Judge George a little before daylight. They were secreted in the barn, fed and eared for by George until opportunity gave chance to take them to Salineville. In 1830 the writer has knowledge of a gang of five males and three females going through. This party was conveyed to George's by the Ladds, kept until night and conveyed to Farmer station at Salineville. In 1534 a gang com-
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posed of seven men, two women and a child, was brought to George's station, and hid- den in the loft of a brick house occupied by Robert George. They were conducted to Salineville by the conductors, Robert, Thomas and A. W. George.
"A remark which may not be out of place : On the line to Salineville was a small village, on the corner of whose street lived a man antagonistic to abolitionism, who was dreaded by the conductors. The night the last mentioned party went through, the village was very dark and the rain poured until after they passed this residence, after which the clouds broke and the night was clear. No doubt a Provi- dential interference. In an old diary I find mention of many fugitives passing through, but no incidents are mentioned. In 1837 a woman was brought to George's from Ladd's and covered with straw in the barn, and was jabbed with a pitchfork by a hired man who was feeding the stock. Another incident occurred in 1840. A gang of twen- ty was conveyed from Crabbs'. Arriving at about daylight, he ran them into a pine hollow. Early in the morning, a laborer on his way to work, seeing the negroes, re- ported at Judge George's that 'the hills were covered with d-d niggers; they would all be killed if something was not done.' The Judge joked with him and as- sured him that it was all imagination; but the Judge took in the situation and gave the laborer employment. [Those who har- bored fugitive slaves ran great risk, the penalty in Ohio being $1,000 fine and im- prisonment.] During the day these slaves were removed to Crabbs' barn, where they Whence came the name Underground Railroad? Prof. W. H. Siebert, of Akron, answers as follows: "A fugitive named Tice Davids traveled one of the Ohio routes in 1831 from Ripley to Sandusky. The slave set out upon his journey under unusual circumstances, no doubt, for his master, a Kentuckian, was at his heels from the start till the Ohio River " was reached. There the master was delayed were fed by Mrs. Annie Crabbs, and dur- ing the night they were conveyed to Saline- ville and then to Salem. Shortly after this came three robust negroes armed with re- volvers. They were on foot and claimed they had purchased their freedom. In 1847 a mother, daughter and son came to our station, conveyed by conductors under David Ward. Judge George, taking a fancy to the boy, concluded to keep him, by search for a skiff, but found one in and sent the mother and daughter to North time to keep the runaway in sight, now
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