Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 51

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

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The Butler Palladium and Republican Star was the pioneer paper of the town and county and was first issued August 17, 1818, by John Galbraith. Old copies of this journal still in existence show it to have been a four-page folio of four col- umns to the page. The local news is con- fined almost exclusively to the advertising columns and the foreign news is from a month to six weeks old. The subscription rate per annum was $2 in advance, or $2.50 if paid within the year, and the advertising rate $1 per square for three insertions.

John Galbraith, the founder of the Palladium, was a son of John Galbraith, Sr., a native of Ireland, who served in the War of the Revolution as a soldier in the Pennsylvania line, under General Wayne. The family came to Butler County in 1796, where the sons, John, Alexander W. and James, became well-known pioneers. The mother was a daughter of Matthew White, after whom Whitestown in this county is named, and brought from Huntington County a female slave who became free

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before the emancipation act of Pennsyl- vania was passed, but remained with the Galbraith family until her death. John Galbraith read law with William Ayres, and was admitted to practice November 10, 1818. Having established the Pal- ladium he devoted his attention to his newspaper until his removal to Franklin, Venango County, in 1819. He soon after- ward married Amy Ayres, a daughter of Rev. Robert Ayres, an Episcopal minister of Franklin. He was elected to Congress in 1832, and reelected in 1834. Previous to his election to Congress he served four years in the state legislature, beginning in 1828. He removed to Erie in 1837, and in the following year was again elected to Congress from that district. In 1851 he was elected president judge of the Erie district, a position he held until his death, June 15, 1860.

The successor of the Palladium was the Butler Centinel, which was established in October, 1820, by Moses and John Sulli- van, who were the editors and owners. This journal espoused the cause of the Federalist party, and in 1824 was intensely anti-Jacksonian. The editors of the Centi- nel adopted as the motto of their journal the following phrase of Washington : "Watching with zealous anxiety for the preservation of your National Union, and discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned." The Sullivans who were prominent factors in the pioneer history of Butler County published the Centinel for about four years and made the journal a fair newspaper for the time and place. The Centinel was the same size as its pre- decessor, being a folio of four pages of four columns each and printed in old time small pica. The news was generally for- eign and little attention was given to local matters.

William Stewart and Joseph Buffington bought the plant in the fall of 1824 and changed the name to Sentinel; they en-

larged the paper and extended its line of news. Joseph Buffington retired from the firm on the 14th of April, 1826, and Stewart continued the publication. In his salutatory he says: "Taught from the cradle to revere those principles for which the fathers of the Revolution pledged their lives and sacred honors; educated where alone Republicanism in its purity is to be found, in the cabin; it need not nor will it be thought strange that my predilections are strongly in favor of the Democratic party."

In May, 1826, the office was moved to the house then occupied by Rev. Isaiah Niblock, formerly used as a printing office by John Sullivan, on the corner of Wash- ington and West Streets. The prices which Stewart paid for type and printers' supplies in 1829 form an interesting com- parison with the prices of the same mate- rial in 1908.

In 1830 Parker C. Purviance and George W. Smith purchased the Sentinel, cleared the office of all Democratic tendency, and being true Whigs gave battle without quar- ter to the Democrats. The Anti-Masonic movement which had been gathering some force throughout the country had reached Butler in February of 1830 and found Smith among its strongest advocates. The new editors of the Sentinel not only made their paper strongly Whig, but also fiercely opposed the Masonic order. The Sentinel finally discontinued publication in 1840.

The Repository. March 14, 1823, Mau- rice and John Bredin established a news- paper in Butler called The Repository. The publishers as Democratic Republicans claimed the right of expressing their opinion on public men and affairs, but de- clared that the columns of The Repository should be open to the opinions of all. The journal was issued every Friday at the rate of $2 per year. In size and make-up it compared with its contemporary, The Sentinel, and in addition to the usual European and Asiatie news, which occu-

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pied nearly two pages, a half a page or more was devoted to state politics. The spirit of rivalry and competition was at work even at that early date, as appears in the following editorial item under date of December 3, 1824 :

"We have understood that Messrs. Stewart and Buff- ington, to whom the Butler Sentinel has been trans- ferred, have enlarged their paper. Although the support that a new country like this can afford a newspaper will scarcely meet the expenses incident to the publica- tion of a paper on a super-royal sheet, yet, being desir- ous that our readers shall have no reasonable cause of complaint, as to the size of our paper, we will make arrangements immediately for publishing The Repository on a larger sheet, and expect that in two or three weeks at farthest The Repository will appear in a new dress."

The promise was carried into effect on December 17, 1824, when four five-column pages printed in long primer were pre- sented to its readers. With the exception of four advertisements and the announce- ment of the enlargement of the paper, the new issue did not contain a reference to Butler County affairs.

John Bredin was commissioned judge of the new Seventeenth Judicial District in 1831, and his retirement from journalism took place the previous year. Maurice Bredin also retired at the same time, and the office became the property of James McGlaughlin and John McClelland who ap- pear to have carried on The Repository until June, 1835, when it bears the imprint of MeGlaughlin and Ziegler. Shortly after David Shannon and John Little became owners and they carried on its publication down to May, 1842, when The Repository sunk its identity in the new Democratic Herald.

The Butler Herald. George W .. Smith, who was a member of the bar and one of the publishers of The Sentinel, in July, 1829, issued the prospectus of a new paper to be called The Butler Herald. He pro- posed to make the new journal the organ of the anti-Masonic and anti-intemperance people of Butler, as well as of the coloniza- tionists. The editor designed it as a semi- monthly periodical, then as a weekly, but

seeing the two papers already in the field, he concluded to abandon his proposed en- terprise.

The Freeman's Journal. In 1830 Peter Duffy proposed the publication of The Freeman's Journal, and issued a pros- pectus which appeared in the two local papers of the town under date of May 25 of that year. His object, or one of them, was to teach the dangers of class govern- ment, and he looked upon the opposition to the Masons as based largely upon selfish foundations. His newspaper project was not carried out as he concluded to use the columns of the two journals then published in Butler for the dissemination of his political ideas.

The Democratic Herald was founded in 1842 by James McGlaughlin and Jacob Ziegler, and was the successor to the old Repository established in 1823 by the Bredin brothers. McGlaughlin and Zieg- ler continued to publish the journal until November 19, 1845, when James Mc- Glaughlin retired as a publisher and Sam- uel G. Purvis became associated with Jacob Ziegler in its management and issued his salutatory. On June 27, 1848, the names of Samuel G. Purvis and Joseph McMurtry appear as publishers, and so continued until February 3, 1849, when James McGlaughlin again became owner with Cornelius Coll as a partner. On January 12, 1850, the name of Andrew E. Marshall was substituted for that of Mc- Glaughlin and the firm name was changed to Marshall & Coll. On March 15, 1851, Jacob Ziegler resumed his place as owner in the place of Coll and announced that "as long speeches are never read, we shall snap them short off by saying: We are Democratic in thought, word and deed, and shall endeavor to be as honorable to polit- ical opponents as their conduct deserves." In April of the same year the office was moved to the house formerly occupied by R. and J. Cunningham, on Main Street, where it was issued for some years. On

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the 5th of July, 1854, the editor charged that the Know Nothing journals were edited by foreigners and asserted that Know Nothingism was not a conviction but a pretense used conveniently by dema- gogues. The Whig suffered defeat and the editor stated that said party rarely, if ever, obtained victory, except by some kind of an "ism," or an unnatural and unhealthy excitement built on some "ism."

Another change took place in the man- agement of the Herald on March 21, 1855, when Jacob Ziegler retired as editor and Joseph P. Patterson assumed the duties of that office. The new editor continued the policy of his predecessor, but his career as editor did not last long. On November 28 of the same year John N. Negley assumed control of the Herald and continued until July 3, 1858, when he retired and Samuel and John C. Coll became the editors and publishers. Under date of December 4, 1861, it was announced that the Herald would be mailed to the subscribers of the Butler Union, according to arrangements made with Mr. S. P. Irvine. In the issue of December 11, Mr. Irvine announced his retirement and the consolidation of the Butler Union with the Herald under the title The Union Herald. On the last given date the new title appeared at the head of the old Herald with the firm name of J. C. Coll & Company as publishers. In 1867 Jacob Ziegler again became editor and publisher of the paper and with his son Alfred G. Ziegler purchased the plant from Coll & Company. In 1872 and 1873 the paper was called Ziegler's Democratic Herald, but this title was soon changed to the original name, The Democratic Herald.

Mr. Ziegler continued to publish the Herald from 1867 up to his death in May, 1888. During that time the paper enjoyed a fair share of prosperity and its pages bore the imprint of the originality of its editor. After his death Judge Bredin and Stephen Cummings, the administrators of

the estate, were the actual managers of the paper until October 26, 1888, when the office was sold to William G. Ziegler, a nephew of "Uncle Jake," and James A. McKee, who were its editors and publish- ers until June, 1889. Messrs. Ziegler and McKee sold the office to P. A. Rattigan & Sons, of Millerstown, who combined The Democratic Herald and The Millerstown Herald and removed the plant of the latter paper to Butler. Soon after this change was made the title of the paper was changed to The Butler Herald. P. A. Rattigan, who was the editor and senior member of the firm, died on the 25th of January, 1901, and since that time the paper has been published by P. A. Ratti- gan's sons, Harry T. Rattigan and W. J. Rattigan. The paper continues to be the organ of the Democratic party of the county and enjoys a fair share of patron- age. Since Jacob Ziegler's time the office has experienced four removals, first from the old Beatty Hotel building on Main Street, now the present site of J. G. & W. Campbell building, to the frame building at the rear of Troutman's store, formerly the postoffice kept by Thomas White; and again in August, 1893, to the brick Demo- cratic Herald building on West Cunning- ham Street, in rear of Troutman's store. In 1901 the office was removed to a frame building on East Cunningham Street in the rear of the old Heineman store building, and again in 1905 to its present quarters on the second floor of the Geis building adjoining the Majestic Theatre.

The Butler County Whig. William Haz- lett revived the old Sentinel in 1846, and under date of June 24, issued The Butler County Whig as its successor. The Whig was opposed to Know Nothingism and to secret and oath bound societies. October 10, 1850, J. L. Bredin became associate publisher and editor, and this partnership was continued until August 25, 1852. In April, 1855, Mr. Hazlett sold the Whig to

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William B. Lemmon and the paper eventu- ally lost its identity in The Butler Amer- ican.

The Butler American. The new editor of the Whig appeared to have different opinions from Mr. Hazlett, for he had no sooner purchased the Whig when in April, 1855, he bought The Star Spangled Ban- ner, the organ of the Know Nothing party, from Johnston, its publisher. The title of the Whig had been changed to The Butler American and the two papers were con- solidated under the title The Butler Amer- ican and Star of Liberty, and Mr. Lemmon declared the combination ready to espouse Know Nothingism in any shape. Edwin Lyon became part owner in 1859, and in 1861 Mr. Hazlett again got control of the paper and was its editor and publisher. Hazlett continued to publish the American up to October, 1865, when the plant was purchased by Thomas Robinson, and the material removed to the office of the Citizen. Two years after disposing of the American, Mr. Hazlett established the But- ler County Press, and continued its pub- lication until the spring of 1869, when he sold it to John H. Negley, and retired permanently from the newspaper field.

The Star Spangled Banner was a small paper published in 1853 to 1855 by a man named Johnston, and was known for the viciousness of its editorials and the mis- statements of its news columns. As a "yellow journal" it would compare with some of the later day productions about which there is so much complaint. The Butler American and Star of Liberty was much the same kind of a sheet while under the control of W. B. Lemmon.

The Butler Union was suggested late in 1860 by Samuel P. Irvine, who was the editor and publisher of the paper until December 11, 1861, when the Union was merged into the Democratic Herald, and the title changed to The Union Herald. The Union Herald was published by J. C. Coll & Company, and on January 21, 1863,

its volume number was 21, and issue num- ber 29, showing it to be The Democratic Herald of 1842 under a new name. Clark Wilson was then the editor and publisher.

The American Citizen was established by Thomas Robinson and Maj. Cyrus E. Anderson and issued December 9, 1863. Owing to his duties in the provost mar- shall's office requiring all his attention, Major Anderson retired in April, 1865, and Mr. Robinson assumed sole control. On October 11, 1865, William Hazlett closed his connection with the Butler American, and the office became the property of the American Citizen. Major Anderson again became owner and editor of the paper on December 12, 1866, when he purchased the interest of Mr. Robinson, and continued to publish the paper until April 14, 1869. On April 7, 1869, John H. Negley purchased the Citizen from Major Anderson, and in the following month he bought the office of the Butler County Press, which had been established by William Hazlett in 1867, and combined the two papers, as the But- ler Citizen.

The Butler Citizen is the lineal descend- ant of the Centinel of 1820, and all the Federal, Whig, American and Republican newspapers published here prior to 1870. In its foundation are found the old Centinel, the Butler County Whig, the American Citizen, the Press, the Butler County American, and the Star Spangled Banner. Mr. Negley, the first owner and publisher of the paper purchased the plant of the American Citizen and that of the Butler County Press in 1867, and issued the two papers under the title of The But- ler Citizen. In 1872 he took his son, William C. Negley, into the office as his partner, and the firm continued until 1888, when William C. Negley became sole owner. During its career of almost forty years the Citizen has been noticeable for its attention to pioneer matters such as deaths of old residents and historical notices. The office has experienced two or

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three changes in its location since first established, having been moved from the Reiber Building on Jefferson Street to the old Negley Building on Diamond Street, and again in 1901 to its present quarters in the building formerly occupied by the Eagle on Main Street. On the 1st of November, 1908, the plant, subscription list and good will of the Citizen was sold to A. M. Christley and L. E. Christley, who are the present owners, the latter being the editor and manager. The new firm erected a handsome brick building on South Mc- Kean Street to which the office was re- moved on the 1st of March, 1909. William C. Negley, who had been the previous owner for twenty years, retired from the newspaper business on the 1st of January.

Laurell E. Christley, editor of the Citi- zen, was born in Cherry Township, Butler County, October 31, 1872, and is the son of Thomas F. and Anna C. (Hill) Christley, both deceased. He was educated in the common schools of the county, at West Sunbury Academy, and at Slippery Rock State Normal School, and subsequently taught school in the county for several terms. During the summer of 1893 he was engaged in business in Chicago, and in 1894 he returned to Butler County and en- gaged in teaching in the public schools. He taught several terms at Callery June- tion, was principal of the Mars schools for two years and held the same position in the Evans City schools' for two terms. During the summer months he was em- ployed by the American Book Company. He was elected clerk of courts in Butler County in the fall of 1905, and in 1906 was elected school director from the second ward of Butler borough, of which he is a resident. After the completion of his term as clerk of courts he was employed by the American Book Company until the fall of 1908, when he formed a partnership with his brother, A. M. Christley, and pur- chased the Butler Citizen.

Mr. Christley was married October 11,

1905, to Miss Effie M., daughter of George S. and Sarah M. Mason of Rocky Grove, Venango County. They attend the Metho- dist Episcopal Church of Butler, and take an active interest in the work of the differ- ent church societies. Mr. Christley is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Masonic Order, and of the Woodmen of the World. In politics he is a Republican, and for the past ten years has taken an active part in the affairs of his party in the town and county.

The Butler County Press was established by William Hazlett, August 14, 1867, and was carried on by him until its suspension in 1869. In the latter year the office was purchased by John H. Negley, as stated previously, and a short time afterward the publication ceased.

The Fair and Festival. The first daily paper issued in Butler was offered for sale December 26, 1868, and continued publica- tion until January 14, 1869. The paper was called The Fair and Festival, and was suggested by Maj. J. B. Butler for benevo- lent purposes. Though only a one-column daily, it showed the editorial, advertise- ment, and news division of a modern jour- nal. The little paper was devoted entirely to the interests of the Ladies' Fair and Festival which was being held that winter for the benefit of St. Paul's Catholic Church. Major Butler, with whom the idea originated, was the editor of the paper. He died in 1893, and his remains rest in the Catholic Cemetery north of the city.

The Northwestern Independent was a monthly paper edited by Clark Wilson, the first number of which appeared in July, 1869. The life of the Independent was brief, and it appears that the editor aban- doned his enterprise in Butler in the latter part of the year to establish the Oil Man's Journal at Parker.

The Butler Eagle. In 1870 a company was organized the leading spirit of which was Thomas Robinson, with the object of

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providing the county with a newspaper which would expound the ideas of the sol- dier or military element of the Republican party and inculcate lessons of patriotism from their point of view. The directors of the company were Walter L. Graham president, Hugh Morrison, F. M. Eastman, J. B. Clark and Cyrus E. Anderson, all veterans of the Civil War. The Eagle was established in February, 1870, and was issued at first from the old George W. Smith building on the corner of the Diamond on the site of the Y. M. C. A. building. The editorial staff consisted of Thomas Robinson, political editor; John M. Greer, local editor; Edwin Lyon, agri- cultural editor; and Frank M. Eastman, business manager. Owing to differences of opinion Mr. Robinson resigned and Hugh Morrison and J. B. Clark were ap- pointed his successors. Changes in the management did not prove satisfactory, and in 1871 the company disposed of the office to Mr. Robinson, who became the sole owner. Mr. Robinson continued to edit and manage the paper until January 1, 1879, when he disposed of his interests to his son, Eli D. Robinson, who had been associate editor for some time previous. In February, 1881, James M. Carson pur- chased an interest in the plant and as- sumed the position of associate editor, and in 1885 the quarters of the paper were changed from the old George Smith build- ing on Diamond Street to the brick building on Main Street, now occupied by the Citi- zen. Under the new management the Eagle prospered financially and took a leading rank among the country news- papers of western Pennsylvania. Prof. P. S. Bancroft held a position in the local department of this paper from March, 1888, to October, 1889. In February, 1895, Mr. Robinson purchased the interest of Mr. Carson and again became sole pro- prietor. The same year George W. Shie- ver, who had previously been foreman of the printing-room, purchased an interest

in the paper and became associate editor, filling that position until May, 1902.

The Daily Eagle, an evening paper, was established in May, 1902, by Robinson & Shiever, who were then owners of the Weekly Eagle, and it was issued from the brick building on East Cunningham Street, to which the plant had been removed the previous year. Shortly after the Daily Eagle was established, George W. Shiever disposed of his interests in the daily and weekly Eagle to Mr. Robinson, who con- tinued as sole proprietor until the 29th of January, 1903, when The Butler County Observer was merged with the Eagle. At this time a stock company was organized and capitalized at $25,000, of which Eli D. Robinson was president, Raymond Locke, secretary, and Levi M. Wise, treasurer. These officers, with A. L. Weihe, and Ber- tha L. Wise, composed the board of direc- tors. The company took over the plant of the daily and weekly Eagle, and the plant, subscription list, and good will of The But- ler County Observer at Evans City. The publication of the Observer was discon- tinued, and the Weekly Eagle thus ob- tained the largest subscription list, with a few exceptions, of any country weekly paper in western Pennsylvania. On the 21st of October, 1903, Mr. Robinson dis- posed of his interest and stock in the plant to Levi M. Wise, who then became the principal owner, and the business is now carried on under the title of The Eagle Printing Company. The officials of the company were Levi M. Wise, president and treasurer; Bertha L. Wise, secretary, and Willis Briggs, managing editor. On the 1st of April, 1904, the plant was removed to the Wise Building on West Diamond Street, which has been enlarged and fitted up for a first-class printing office. About the 1st of January, 1907, George I. Woner succeeded Willis Briggs as managing editor, and Ben. Courtney was employed as local editor. The Daily Eagle is a seven-column eight-page paper, well

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printed and edited, and has a circulation of over four thousand, which is still in- creasing. The Weekly Eagle also has a large circulation, and occupies a leading rank among the Republican newspapers of western Pennsylvania.

The Oil Man's Journal. Clark Wilson, who was interested in a number of news- paper enterprises in Butler as editor and promoter, established the Oil Man's Jour- nal at Parker in 1869. In November, 1872, his son, H. C. Wilson, was admitted as a partner in the business, and in January, 1877, the office was moved to Butler, where the journal was issued from the old office of the American Citizen on Jefferson Street, opposite the Hotel Lowry. While the journal was published in Butler, Clark Wilson was the editor and proprietor. Finding that the newspaper field in Butler was already well occupied, the publication of the journal was finally suspended, after an existence of a few years, which were full of trouble.

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 51

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526