USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part One > Part 44
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Discharged: Private Jolin W. Lutz, Pri- vate Winfield S. Freeman, Sergeant Kent W.
Hughes, Corporal Herold Standish, Private. Benjamin F. Welty, Corporal James D. Arm- strong, Sergeant Domenic R. Cantieny, Cor- poral George Faurot, Private Walter K. Camp- bell, Private John Harlev Private Charles F. Reynolds, Private Foster B. Davis, Sergeant Fred B. Thomas, Corporal Homer. Heman, Corporal Roy V. Sellers, Private Lloyd Clark, Private Charles Naylor, Private Charles H. Kelly, Private W. C. Parmenter.
Transferred : Private Nicholas J. Rem- ackel to Hospital Corps; Private Corwin H. Post to Hospital Corps; Private Elmer W. Baumgartner to Signal Corps.
Died : Private John Gottfried.
The old Company C prior to the Spanish- American War was a famous company for its drills and correct drilling according to regula- tions. In 1892 they won the second prize at Omaha in national competition, Captain Bell. also winning a $200 sword as being the most efficient company commander.
In its early days the armory was in the as- sembly room of the Court House. About 1891 it moved to the Cincinnati Block and shortly after to the Donze Block, whence it was moved about 1896 to the present armory on South Main street. There were famous trips and camps in those days, to Cleveland, Philadel- phia, Findlay, Columbus (when all the State troops were gathered together in 1888), New York City in 1889, Presque Isle in 1890 and 1892, Bowling Green in 1891, World's Fair, Chicago, in 1893, Tiffin, Cleveland, Johnson's. Island and Chickamauga, the beginning of a new era.
In the "old guard" of the '80's were the Dugrays, Richmonds, Boone, Moyer, Jones, Hiner, Crum and others with "Flaxy" Cun- ningham as mascot and they made service in the old company one to remember. Jokes, pranks, dances, singing, zouave squads and good drilling, made for snap and vigor.
As the years go swiftly by changes come. and now the National Guard is becoming more and more on a par with the regular army, a consummation which the States are working hard to accomplish.
But still to those of the old regime the ear-
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lier days of Company C are pleasant to look back upon.
1
Old Company C thy memory lingers, Caressing my thought with gentle fingers,
As distance softens a bell's sweet chime.
Softened by the mellowing touch of time 1
In 1879 Capt. J. B. Kirk, who had himself been a soldier in the Civil War for over four years, organized the "Kirk Cadets." Before the close of the year the roster contained 40 names. Will Mowen was made captain and Stuart Pillars, Ist lieutenant. Some time af- terwards Mr. Kirk was elected captain and Mowen and Pillars, lieutenants.
After drilling and disciplining for some time, the company was equipped with guns and uniforms, the latter being white duck pants and jackets with caps of the same material, adorned with U. S. staff buttons, Their wooden guns were stained black and, to make them still more formidable and warlike, guards of tin and hammers made of shoe buttoners were affixed. About this time they received and accepted an invitation to attend the camp of the 11th Regi- ment, O. N. G., at Wapakoneta, as guests of Company G.
As their ages increased their love for their Quaker guns diminished and in 1881 they pur- chased 23 breech-loading rifles at a cost of $172.50. With increase of age also came in- crease of size and the boyish suits were cast aside for 27 new suits of cadet gray, trimmed in black, which were procured at a cost of $361.70. These suits were paid for through the liberality. of citizens and the receipts of a play.
In the fall of 1883 they visited the encamp- ment of the Second Regiment, O. N. G., at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, as the guests of Com- pany C of Lima, into which company they fin- ally merged.
The headquarters of the Second Regiment were at Lima after its reorganization in 1899, Col. James I. Ream was elected to the command of the regiment, which office he held until June 12, 1903. Col. E. S. Bryant was then elected and is the present incumbent. A very efficient staff has been chosen and the work of reor- ganization has progressed steadily so that the regiment may be regarded as a united, com- pact and efficient body of citizen soldiery. It comprises at present Companies A, of Find- lay ; B, of Carey ; C, of Lima ; D, of Van Wert; E, of Hicksville ; F, of Spencerville; G, of Ada ; H, of Bowling Green; I, of Kenton; L, of Sycamore; and M, of Ottawa.
Company F, of Spencerville, was organized in April, 1900, by Capt. Jacob R. Welch; mus- tered into the National Guard May 25, 1900, as Company F and assigned to the First Bat- talion, Second Infantry. This is the first com- pany ever organized in Spencerville, although that city furnished 75 men to the volunteer and regular service during the Spanish-American War; some participated in the capture of San- tiago, but the majority were enrolled in various companies of the Second Ohio. The officers elected at the time of organization were: Cap- tain, Jacob R. Welch; Ist lieutenant, Cor- win H. Post; 2nd lieutenant, Vernon B. Post. Later Corwin H. Post was made captain and on March 8, 1905, F. E. Arnold was elected to that office, which commission he at present holds.
CHAPTER XIX
THE PRESS OF LIMA
First Printed News in Lima-The "Herald" -- The "Porcupine" -- Lima "Argus"-Lima "Reporter"-The "Gazette" -- The "Republican-Gazette" - The People's Press - The "Democratic Times"-The "Daily Times" -The "Times-Democrat" - First German Paper, the "Volksblatt"-The "Courier" - The "Daily News" -"The Sun" -- "The Moon"-The "Republican"-The First City Directory-Observations on the Olden Times-Some Interesting Advertisements -- Value of a Free Press to the World of Progress.
The beginning of the dissemination of news in print in Lima, was a small weekly newspa- per, called the Herald and edited by Messrs. Hollister and Bennett. The town was only five years old, and less populous than West Cairo is to-day. In that year Martin Van Buren was elected President; Eli Baldwin was the Demo- cratic candidate for Governor and was defeated by a Whig. The congressional district ex- tended over a territory of about 90 miles east and west and from the northern line of the State to the southern line of Montgomery County. The printers had small support for their paper and the Herald and its publishers disappeared.
The next paper was started in 1841 by Thomas Smith. He soon sold his office to Milton Gillett and Abelard Guthrie, who started the Porcupine. Guthrie was an able man, but was eccentric, wearing his hair long and abounding in mannerisms. He went West and was prominent in the early Kansas trou- bles. In 1843. George W. Andrews, later of Wapakoneta, purchased the office and changed the name to Lima Argus. Mr. Andrews soon made the paper a leading exponent of Democ- racy in the Northwest. In 1845 Mr. Andrews sold out to Mathias H. Nichols, who soon made himself famous by means of its columns.
In 1843 Edward Marrott and Hamilton Davison established the Lima Reporter, a Whig paper. This paper lived but three or four years, and the Argus was the only paper published in Lima until 1854 when Sydenham Shaffer published the Gazette. In 1855 the Parmenter brothers purchased the Gazette. Harvey Parmenter, however, soon retired, leav- ing the paper in the hands of Cornelius, the older brother, who published it until 1860, when he sold out to John Newton Cunningham and Tom Hussler. The next year Cornelius Parmenter repurchased the paper and contin- ued to publish it until 1872, when Cal Edmis- ton became a partner. In 1885 W. A. Camp- bell became proprietor and in 1887 H. D. Campbell became his partner. The paper under their management has been successfully con- ducted to the present time. It is published twice a week and visits many nooks and cor . ners of Allen County.
The Daily Gasette came into being on the 12th of March, 1887, under the management of F. T. Campbell. W. A. Campbell and H. D, Campbell. The first 2,000 copies were given away. It proved to be a wide-awake paper and was the first in Allen County to introduce tele- graphic dispatches, the company putting in a special wire of its own with its own operator
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in the office. In 1891 the Gazette consolidated with the Republican, the other morning paper then in existence, and has since appeared under the name of Republican-Gasette.
When Mr. Nichols was elected to Congress, he sold the Argus to T. E. Cunningham and William C. Thompkins, who published the paper together until the spring of 1854 when Mr. Cunningham retired and was succeeded by Thomas M. Robb. Thompson and Robb con- tinued until the fall of 1855 when they sold out to Cunningham and Poland, who started an anti-Nebraska paper, entitled the People's Press. This paper continued about a year, when Mr. Robb repurchased it and changed its politics to those principles supposed to repre- sent the convictions of the immortal Jackson. Soon Robb got tired and sold to J. P. Haller ; Haller sold to J. H. Berry; Berry soon sold to James Mackenzie, who came from Kalida, where he had won a State reputation as editor of the Kalida Venture. This was in 1858. He remained until 1861 or 1862, when he sold out to David S. Fisher, who afterwards became editor of the Hardin County Democrat. In 1874 Fisher sold out to H. B. Kelly, who suc- cessfully conducted the journal until his death, when Mr. Timmonds took charge of it.
The Democratic Times made its appearance in the latter part of November, 1879, with O. B. Selfridge, Jr., and E. B. Halladay, proprie- tors, and in 1884 the Daily Times, with Oliver B. Selfridge, Jr., as editor, was established. Five years later the Times was consolidated with the Allen County Democrat, and the pres- ent name, Times-Democrat, adopted. The Times Democrat is a newsy evening journal, well printed and well edited, and a power in its party and the community. There is also a semi- weekly edition of the paper published on Tues- days and Fridays.
The Volkblatt, the first German paper of Allen County, was established by A. Zwanzig in 1879. It expired before its fourth issue. The Courier, founded by George Feltz, August 30, 1877, was also a German paper. It was bought in 1890 by Adolph Weixelbaum, and became the leading German newspaper not only of the city but of Allen County. Mr. Weixelbaum
has recently bought out the Delphos Kleeblatt, and has consolidated the two papers under the name of Lima Courier and Delphos Kleeblatt.
The Lima Daily News is a non-partisan paper, founded by a Mr. D'Armand in 1897. The next year it was purchased by E. W. Jack- son and J. R. Finnell. The paper has recently come under the control of the News Publish- ing Company, with E. W. Jackson as president and J. R. Finnell, general manager and editor.
About 1870, two boys, A. B. Coe and H. L. Medsker, "Dell" and "Harry" they were called, came into possession of an old. army printing press and a small outfit of type. They did odd jobs of printing and in the year of 1874 pro- ceeded to publish a paper, calling it The Sun. It never acquired a large subscription and was bought a little later by Rev. Lockhard, a minis- ter from Columbus Grove, who used it as a me- dium for publishing some of his religious views. It acquired something of a local reputation dur- ing the year or two of its existence and then was bought by John Junkins and the Hazelton brothers. The character of the paper was again changed to a local newspaper and it was quite a success. In 1876 it was bought out by J. C. Edmiston, who changed the name to The Moon. In an editorial of the first issue it was announced that when "the 'Sun' set, the 'Moon' arose and that this particular 'Moon' unlike its editor would only be full once each week." Mr. Edmiston sold in 1877 to the Campbell brothers, when the name was again changed, to the Republican. In 1880 the paper passed into the hands of Charles L. Long & Company, and in 1882 they moved the printing office into. the Opera House Block, occupying the space where McCauley's millinery store and the American Express Company's office now are. The printing office was the first tenant of the building. Colonel Long made the paper a daily, and the first issue was published August 15, 1882. In 1891 the Republican and Gazette. were consolidated, as stated above.
In the early '70's was issued the first city directory. It was a modest affair gotten up by the Hazelton brothers, and was bound by Gale Sherman, who had started a book-bindery in Lima.
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The Lima Argus, whose motto was "Lib- erty, Morality and Wisdom, coexistent, co- equal and inseparable," and whose policy was to fight banks of issue, favor war with Mexico, and oppose the extension of slavery, was edited several years by Mathias H. Nichols. It has been the good fortune of the writer to come in possession of some of the old files of this paper, and we propose a little review.
When Mr. Nichols became the editor, the Mexican War was agitating the country ; Lowell, with his mastery of affairs, and his keen wit, expresses the views of this part of the country under the name of "Hosea Bige- low" in the following words :
Parson Wilbur ses he never heerd in his life
That the Apostles rigged out in their swallow-tailed coats
And marched round in front of a drum and a fife To get some on 'em office, and some on 'em votes ; But John P. Robinson, he Ses they didn't know everthin' Down in Judee.
Nichols in his quick, intolerant way insisted on "carrying the war into Africa" and in brand- ing every one as the biggest kind of a traitor who did not share his particular views. The "liberty of the press" in those old files is freely exercised in scathing satire of every description.
We are constantly making history and there is no better record than that made by a newspaper. It has the advantage of being on the ground, and of being in a position for mak- ing running comment. True, many of our idols are shattered, and men whom we have been taught to revere by our histories are ruth- lessly commented upon. Horace Greeley. Henry Clay and General Scott are delineated as possessing anything but faultless characters. Even our Presidents, whom time and the his- torians have made so perfect, have suffered from the savage attacks of an impartial press. All this as long as the man lives; when he gets beyond all praise or blame, then nothing but good is said of him. In 1848 John Quincy Adams passes to the great beyond, and the beautiful tribute that our editor saw fit to give to him might, if uttered sooner, have served its
purpose better. In April of the same year the French Revolution culminated in the abolish- ment of the House of Peers, and the doing away with titles of nobility. England, Bel- gium, Switzerland and the United States at once recognized the new republic.
The visions of the new Eldorado which poor Ponce de Leon tried so hard to find, were, in the year 1849, made a reality to those who were brave enough to break asunder for the time all family ties, to suffer hardships innum- erable, and to entertain the possibility of utter and hopeless defeat. As an offset to these gol- den dreams, we have, as in these later times, accounts of the ravages of the yellow fever and. the dread cholera.
Abraham Lincoln, of whom America's greatest poet so beautifully and truthfully says,.
Nature, they say doth dote And cannot make a man Save on some worn-out plan Repeating as by rote ;
For him her old world moulds she flung aside, And choosing sweet clay from the breast Of the unexhausted West
With stuff untainted shaped a hero new, Wise, steadfast in the strength of God and true.
This man I say was in those days just plain Mr .. Lincoln, of Illinois-a member of the House ..
The "old times" advertisement is a source of perennial enjoyment and he who runs may read many quaint and amusing "signs of the times." Patent medicines and cure-alls were advertised as extensively then as now ; and even in those far-off days the sure cure for consump- tion existed, and no doubt did the customary land office business.
Apprentices were advertised for, and those who have tired of their masters, with rewards offered for their apprehension. They even ad- vertised for school teachers.
Lima had her select school in those days. Rev. Seth W. Washburn conducted one in 1846 and later. Lectures and temperance meet- ings also played their parts in primary ed- ucation. All evening meetings were ad- vertised to take place at "early candle- lighting." The outside educational factors were the metropolitan newspapers and Ar-
18
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thur's Magazine for Ladies and Gentle- men." Among its contributors were Edgar Allan Poe, Mrs. Osgood, and T. S. Arthur, the author of "The Withered Heart," "Ten Nights in a Barroom," and other highly moral and in- structive works.
In 1847 all the produce sold in Lima was brought by wagon from Delphos, to which place it came by canal. The first merchants in Lima gave long credits, and consequently did not reap the rich harvests that J. W. King did, who came here from the East and sold for cash and cash only.
In 1847 Editor Nichols, after a long period of pitying and reviling other fellows who were caught in Cupid's net, at last succumbed, mar- rying Sylvia Fisher, daughter of Capt. Hollias Fisher, the hotelkeeper.
Then as now the follies and foibles of wom- ankind were themes of never dying interest, and the bustle and hoop skirt were alternately laughed at and preached against. The first hoop skirt hung up-for an advertisement in a store window was taken to be a squirrel trap.
Poor Nichols, with all his brightness and ability, found it hard to keep the wolf from the door by means of the scant collections that found their way into his coffers. Little hints like the following appear from time to time- "A man who loves his family will take a paper -a man who respects his family will pay for it." In another issue he offers to furnish the Argus to new subscribers for one year, for two bushels of wheat delivered on or before the first of November. With all his drawbacks, he managed to support his family, at the same time editing his paper and studying law. That sort of a man is rare in these days.
SOME INTERESTING ADVERTISEMENTS. (Taken from old newspaper files.)
The advertisements of the early day in many respects do not resemble those of the pres- ent time. There was not much opportunity for display, as they were generally limited to the width of a column. The originality of the sub- ject matter, however, usually made up for the lack of striking display heads. The advertise-
ments, or, more properly speaking, business cards, were usually printed without change in quite a number of issues, sometimes running as long as a year.
As has been told in a previous chapter, Sam- ucl A. Baxter, Sr., was engaged in business in Lima as a hatter for some years before he was admitted to the bar. The following advertise- ment first appeared in the Lima Argus on July 7, 1846 .-
Lima, Ohio, July 7th, 1846. I year. TARIFF REPEALED.
The - subscriber returns his thanks to the citizens of Allen and adjoining counties, for their liberal support since he has commenced business among them, and would inform them that he continues to manufacture all descrip- tion of hats, at No. 1, north corner of the public square, in Lima; which for durability he warrants to be equal to any in the state; he promises to give better bargains (for ready pay) than any other establishment in these parts dare do. To enable all to buy hats and give no excuse to any to go bare headed; he will receive in exchange for hats, corn, oats, rye, barley, flax-seed, timothy, clover-seed, flour, bacon, butter, and chickens, building stone, hewn timber, shingles and all kinds of sawed timber for building, muskrat and all kinds of furs, and 1,000 pounds of clean lambs wool, and everything else that can be eat or drank (except that makes drunk,) wore, sold, or given away for good purposes. Please call and look at my hats be- fore buying elsewhere, you might save a dol- lar by it SAMUEL A. BAXTER. Lima, Ohio, July 7th, 1846. 1 year.
One of the most original advertisers of the early days was R. Bower, as the following ad- vertisement, taken from the Allen County Dem- ocrat of October, 28, 1863, will show .-
WAR, WAR, WAR.
The Crisis is now upon us, the Union is dissolved; Ft. Sumter is evacuated the inde- pendence of the Southern Confederacy is not yet acknowledged by our government-and probably never will be-but I will tell you one thing that happened, and that is acknowl- edged,
R. BOWER
Has seceded from the old firm of Bower &
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Whitaker, and established a firm of his own in the name of R. Bower, and his independ- ence is acknowledged all around the world, he with his cabinet, feels competent TO COMPETE WITH THE WORLD. In the manufacture of Carriages, Buggies and Wagons;
His counsellors are all men of great skill and much experience in wood, iron and paint; they have gained for themselves an enviable reputation as being all first class mechanics ; Bower, himself, like John C. Keenan, chal- lenges the world for a competitor in his branch of trade; this sounds large for a small town, but we let it stand. Friends, we invite you to call and see us at our place of busi- ness, we wish to astonish you in the lines of Buggies, Carriages and Wagons; for cheap- ness they are the cheapest; and for neatness they are the neatest you ever saw; come in we want to prove it by your own admission- this is fair; don't mistake the shop; not the old shop of Bower & Whitaker, remember we speak of a
NEW SHOP in a new place, called the EXCELSIOR CARRIAGE SHOP !
A few doors South of the People's Store, on Main Street, in the town of Lima; look for the Excelsior Carriage Shop, R. Bower, Pro- prietor, this is the place to get your patching painting, spokeing and smithing done cheap, neat and durable. He keeps constantly on hand a large assortment of Carriages, Bug- gies and Wagons of all descriptions; a man can come in, make a choice, hitch up and drive home rejoicing that he was so lucky as to find the Excelsior Carriage Shop. Come in and see my Wagons !
Now friends, you see, no war I mean, Nor yet this heavy braggin', I only wish to let you know, Where you can get a Wagon; And if perchance, you wish for ease, And feel some worse for wearage, Just call and see my little stock, And buy a nice new carriage ; And if you are a single man, And want a lass to snuggie, Just call and see old Bob, I say, And buy a little buggy; And if you want to go alone, Just come along, I have for you,
A pretty little sulkey ; Now, if you have a job to spoke, To patch, to paint or varnish, Just try old Bob, you'll always find, Him ready in the harness; I've just one thing more to tell, That is, my motto is "Excel," I mean to keep the champion's floor, And paint "Excelsior" o'er my door ;
So when you into Lima drop, And wish to look at work, don't stop, Until you find, The Excelsior Carriage Shop.
R. BOWER.
Lima, May 15, 1861.
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INFLUENCE OF THE PRESS OF TO-DAY.
The influence of the press of to-day is exert- ed in a very different manner from that of 30 years ago. In the days of Horace Greeley, the el- der Bennett, Dana, Medill, Godkins and Bowles the editor swayed public opinion by his edi- torials, in fact he made public opinion. In most cases the editor owned the paper, hence he was master of the situation. There was no clash be- tween opposing interests, for the editor was the paper. He was then a power in State and Na- tion, and he was consulted by party leaders with respect and deference. The New York Sun under Dana from 1868 to 1892, the New York Herald under the elder Bennett and the London Times under the Walters had a world-wide in- fluence, and can never be forgotten. These pa- pers stood for the opinions of their editors, and . these opinions were, for the most part, not af- fected or colored by the counting room. They came from fearless and honest men.
To-day we seldom see the old-time editorial and if it does appear, no one reads it seriously. The news columns are consulted and constantly read. From that source the public becomes its own editor and writes its own editorials.
Perhaps the most conspicuous example of the old editor still at work is Henry Watterson and his Courier-Journal. Mr. Watterson is the Courier-Journal. The paper is what he is and no more. Its readers have come to know this.
Most people to-day, however, want the news, and they want the news to be as close as .
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possible to the truth. Dana's Sun gained its greatest fame from the belief that it always told the truth. "If you see it in the Sun, it's so." Just as surely do the people want the truth to-day, and without editorial comment. A prominent Ohio judge, at the opening of an important trial, appealed to the papers to publish only the facts, without any comment. Let the reader form his own conclusions.
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