History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Part 41

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1454

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Mr. Hildreth was a man of the strictest integrity. His experiences in life had made him something of a pessimist. He was naturally retiring and almost unapproachable by strangers, who were unable to understand the character of a man of such habitual silence and reserve. But those who knew him best had the utmost respect for him be-

Sincerely Yours

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cause of his many excellent qualities of mind and heart. We doubt if there is another printer in the State who has spent so many years at the "case" as had Mr. Hildreth. The final "proof" of his life has been taken, and we believe that it will be found to contain few errors.

The Herald was continued until 1849, when the plant was sold to William D. Bailey, Mr. Hildreth retiring to Stony Fork, where he engaged in farming.

THE WELLSBORO ADVERTISER.

In 1849 the Herald was purchased by William D. Bailey, who started a new paper, named The Wellsboro Advertiser, the first number of which was issued August 8, 1845. This paper was conducted with decided ability and was noted for its neat typo- graphical appearance. It was Whig in politics and gave that party unfaltering support. Like Hildreth, Bailey was a thorough printer of the olden time, and probably learned his trade in the office of the Pioneer or the Phoenix. On Septem- ber 30, 1853, Louis J. Cummings, of Muncy, Pennsylvania, became a partner with Mr. Bailey and assumed editorial charge of the Advertiser, the firm being Louis J. Cummings & Company. In December, 1853, Cummings retired, and Bailey resumed control. He continued to publish the paper until July, 1854, when he sold the plant to M. H. Cobb. The Advertiser then passed out of existence, and its successor, the Wellsboro Agitator, made its appearance.

After selling out to Mr. Cobb, Bailey worked for him a few years and then went to Williamsport to take charge of the jobbing department of the Bulletin. When the Bulletin and Gazette were consolidated, in November, 1869, he served as foreman of the daily for several years. Sometime in the seventies he went to Bellefonte to take charge of a religious publication, and there he died in the begin- ning of the eighties. His youngest son, Newton, is now the publisher of a temperance paper in Bellefonte called the Magnet.

THE WELLSBORO AGITATOR.

The first number of this paper appeared in July, 1854, the founder being M. H. Cobb. He was a brilliant and captivating writer; his style was clear and his choice of words singularly apt and appropriate. As partners he had Laugher Bache and W. W. McDougall. In 1857 Mr. Cobb purchased the interest of his partners and became sole proprietor and editor. But the brilliancy of his writing had attracted so much attention that, toward the close of 1858, he was solicited to accept a place on the editorial staff of the New York World, a journal then being started as a daily religious paper. The offer was a flattering one and he accepted. He then sold out to Hon. Hugh Young at a slight advance on the original cost of the plant, which was $850. Mr. Cobb retired from the Agitator January 27, 1859, and on the same day his successor published his salutatory.

Mr. Young was an accomplished and vigorous writer and under his management the paper prospered. He purchased new type and greatly improved the mechanical appearance, and also gave closer attention to the gathering of local news, which enhanced the value of the paper. During the exciting period preceding the out- break of the Civil War, Mr. Young spent six weeks in Washington and wrote a series of letters to the Agitator, which attracted much attention, on account of the valuable information they gave about men and affairs, and the outlook of war.

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HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.

When war came and the patriotism of the people of Tioga county was raised to the highest pitch, the Agitator was industrious in giving the news to the public, and the correspondence from eye-witnesses in the field and camp made it much sought after.

Mr. Cobb soon tired of his New York experience, and returning to Wellsboro in January, 1863, repurchased the paper and resumed his old place at the helm. In 1864 he put in a cylinder press. This was a long stride forward in local journalism. In December, 1865, P. C. Van Gelder acquired a half interest, and they straightway enlarged the paper to seven columns. It ran along in this way until January, 1867, when it was again enlarged. On January 1, 1870, Mr. Cobb sold his interest to John I. Mitchell (now president judge) and retired to accept a responsible position in the United States mint, Philadelphia. The new firm of Van Gelder & Mitchell lasted a year, when Mr. Mitchell retired and Mr. Van Gelder became sole owner. He employed George W. Sears to edit the paper. Mr. Sears had dabbled in literature considerably, was a poet of no mean order, and a man of extensive travel and keen observation.

On January 1, 1872, A. F. Barnes, of Bath, New York, bought a half interest in the Agitator, and September 1, of the same year, Mr. Van Gelder sold his remaining interest to Arthur M. Roy, of Wellsboro, and the firm became Barnes & Roy. A new dress of type was soon purchased, and in 1873 a new Potter power press was added to the office equipment. The size of the paper was also increased to nine columns, making it one of the largest weeklies in the State. Under the management of Messrs. Barnes & Roy the Agitator has not only been prosperous and progressive, but is conceded to be one of the ablest weekly newspapers in the State. In its typographical appearance it is exceedingly neat and clean. It is edited with great care. Mr. Barnes is a close political student and a strong and lucid writer. Mr. Roy edits the local department and gleans the news of the week with care and assiduity. His attention is also given to the mechanical and publish- ing departments. Excelsior has ever been the word in the Agitator office. As early as November 10, 1874, steam was introduced to drive the presses and machinery; and this was the first time that a paper was printed by steam in the county. This was afterwards supplanted by a water motor, which gives better satis- faction. For a weekly paper the Agitator is superbly equipped in every department. In politics it is staunchly Republican.

As evidence of the high standard attained by this paper, Newspaperdom, of New York, in November, 1895, reproduced a whole page of the Agitator in miniature, the size being reduced about three by three and three-fourths inches. Every letter is distinctly legible under a strong glass. Referring to the paper Newspaper- dom says:

The Wellsboro Agitator is a fine example of the big-page newspaper. We have reproduced the editorial page of this paper, because the many good qualities of the newspaper are here so well combined as to form an object-lesson in newspaper making.

The Daily Record was issued for five mornings in May, 1882, from the Agitator office by The Record Publishing Company, composed of Barnes & Roy, of the Agitator, and O. S. Webster and S. E. English, employes in the office. It was a small but neatly printed sheet and was started for the purpose of publishing the proceedings in the trial of Floyd Whitney, of Chatham, who was indicted for

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homicide. The trial ended in his conviction for manslaughter. The paper then suspended.

THE TIOGA EAGLE AND ITS SUCCESSORS.

In 1838 the attitude of the Herald antagonizing the Democratic party in the county, and a recent transfer of the Gazette, of Williamsport, being inimical to the party's success in this congressional district, five citizens of Wellsboro and one of Tioga, contributed $643 for the establishment of a strictly Democratic organ at the county seat. All the preliminaries having been arranged, James P. Magill was invited to take charge of the new paper, which was named The Tioga Eagle, its motto being, "Equal Rights and No Monopolies."

Mr. Magill conducted the paper with marked ability and success until August, 1848, when Alva R. Jones obtained an interest in it, and the firm of Magill & Jones published the Eagle until October 21, 1848, when Jones retired. Mr. Magill con- tinued the paper alone until January, 1850, when he was succeeded by J. and W. Kirk. On January 1, 1852, Mr. Magill again assumed control, and the Eagle soon afterward appeared with the following as its motto: "That country is the most prosperous where labor commands the greatest reward." This was an extract from one of the speeches of James Buchanan, who was then a rising politician and ex- ponent of Democratic principles. Mr. Magill continued as editor and proprietor of the Eagle until 1856 or 1857, when he removed to Philadelphia.

Col. James P. Magill was of Irish descent, his parents emigrating from County Antrim about the end of the first decade of the present century. Their children, James, William and Eliza, were educated at the Germantown Academy, near which the family had settled. James and William became compositors in the Daily Pennsylvanian office, conducted by John Rice. In 1851 Mr. Magill was elected register and recorder, and served until 1854. He married Sarah Eliza, daughter of James Goodrich, of Tioga, December 4, 1845; was elected major general of the Ninth division, Pennsylvania Militia; was vestryman of St. Paul's Episcopal church, and also a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows societies of Wellsboro. Gov- ernor Packer made him an aid-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, hence the title by which he was generally addressed. He subsequently appointed him collector of the North Branch canal, with station at Pittston. On his purchase of the Sunday Mercury, of Philadelphia, jointly with G. W. Jones, in 1857, Governor Packer commissioned him one of the eleven notaries public of that city, and securing the business of four of the banks, he was retained by them by annual election for thirty-one years as their notary, and until his death, which occurred May 2, 1889, in his seventy-seventh year. His wife died March 19, previously, which had much to do in hastening his own death.

The successor of The Tioga Eagle appears to have been The Wellsboro Weekly Democrat, established under that name in 1858. The issue of October 2, 1858, was No. 3, of Vol. XX, and the publishers claimed that the Democrat was "the oldest Democratic journal in this section of Pennsylvania," thus showing that, in everything but name, it was practically a continuation of The Tioga Eagle. At this time C. G. Williams was the editor and R. Jenkins the publisher. In December, 1861, the office was destroyed by fire, and for several months no Democratic paper was issued in

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HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.

Wellsboro, and there was some little dissatisfaction among the Democrats on that account.

Efforts were finally made to found another paper. In April, 1862, R. Jenkins was pursuaded to procure new material and start a paper, under the promise of liberal support. He did so and called it the Tioga County Banner. But it only appeared for a few months, when he sold it to a company at Tioga and it was removed there. The faction at Wellsboro was greatly chagrined over the triumph of the faction down the river, and some boisterous talk was indulged in. The result was that the paper did not long remain at Tioga. A spirited contest for Congress was going on between Stephen F. Wilson, of Wellsboro, and Theodore Wright, of Lock Haven. Mr. Wright had been the editor of the Gazette, at Williamsport, in the early fifties; then of the Democrat, at Lock Haven. On the discovery of oil at Titusville he was among the early speculators; was lucky, and soon accumulated a handsome fortune. The Democrats nominated him for Congress in 1863, and being possessed of ample means he at once entered on a vigorous campaign. Finding no Democratic paper at the county seat of Tioga, Mr. Wright purchased the Banner, brought it back from the village of Tioga to Wellsboro and handed it over to the Democratic county committee. The committee then employed Prof. M. N. Allen to edit and publish a Democratic paper. The campaign was animated and bitter, being conducted at the most exciting period of the war. Notwith- standing Mr. Wright's generosity, he was defeated by Mr. Wilson. The paper was only continued about a year, when it suspended. In the meantime Mr. Wright, having lost his fortune, returned to journalism. For twenty years or more he has been the accomplished and able managing editor of the Philadelphia Record, one of the brightest, ablest and most progressive dailies in the Quaker City.

After this last suspension the Democrats were without a paper for a year or more, when, in 1866, C. H. Keeler purchased the material of the Tioga County Banner, changed the title and began the publication of the Herald of the Union. In 1867 he sold the paper to the Democratic county committee, Charles G. Williams was appointed editor, and the name was changed back to Democrat. Mr. Williams published the paper until the fall of 1869, when Mr. Jenkins again became the publisher and so continued until July, 1873, when the plant passed into the hands of Messrs. Ferguson & Schlick. The connection of Mr. Schlick with the paper was of short duration, and Mr. Ferguson assumed control and continued its publication about a year.

THE WELLSBORO GAZETTE.

Another effort was now made by the county committee to found a permanent Democratic paper. In November, 1874, F. G. Churchill, of Elmira, was persuaded to come to Wellsboro and take charge of the new paper. He was an active, enter- prising man, and had some training in journalism on the Gazette of that city. Liberal support was promised him. . The material of the old Democrat was consolidated with the job office of Dr. Robert Roy, and a new paper entitled the Wellsboro Gazette was issued. Under the vigorous management of Mr. Churchill it started off well.

During the exciting trial of the First National Bank robbers he published a bright little daily, commencing December 2, 1874, and ending December 12, which gave the proceedings in full every morning. It was highly prized during the pro-

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gress of that exciting event. A bound copy is now preserved among the county archives in the commissioners' office.

Early in 1877 Mr. Churchill associated with him S. N. Havens. On August 1, 1877, Frank Conevery bought Mr. Churchill's interest, and the latter accepted an appointment in the auditor general's office, at Harrisburg, the Democrats having elected William P. Schell to the head of that department. The firm then became Havens & Conevery. They at once put in a steam power press and a full line of jobbing and other material. In November, 1881, Mr. Havens sold his interest to Herbert Huntington, who, in November, 1885, sold to F. K. Wright. On January 1, 1895, Mr. Wright disposed of his interest to Mr. Conevery, who has since been the "editor and publisher.

The Gazette, like all the papers of Wellsboro, is noted for its neat typographical appearance and close attention to the publication of local news. It has a large circulation; is thoroughly Democratic in principle and sturdily maintains the doc- trines of its party. The office is well equipped with material for job printing. After the introduction of the water works system, steam was discarded and a water motor substituted.

THE TIOGA BANNER.

This paper, the original name of which was The Troy Banner, made its appear- ance in Troy, Bradford county, May 24, 1846, with W. C. Webb, "printer, proprietor and editor." The issue of November 12, 1846, contained the following:

Our friends in Tioga are determined to have a regular Democratic press in their county, and they have proposed that we remove our establishment to their county seat.

The invitation to locate in Wellsboro was accepted and the plant removed. The first issue bearing a Wellsboro date was that of November 26, 1846, and it contained the following editoral announcement:

It will be our purpose to support and advocate the true principles of Jeffersonian Democracy, honestly believing that the true policy of our government is founded upon them.

Previous to its removal to Wellsboro the Banner was issued once in every two weeks. After the removal its name was changed to The Tioga Banner and it appeared weekly. "Brick" Pomeroy learned the rudiments of typesetting in this office. It continued to be published regularly for several years. The issue of June 20, 1848, contained an announcement that the paper would be enlarged with the next number. This is the last number in the file examined, but it is presumed the enlargement took place and the publication continued for some time afterward.

THE HERMAIO JOURNAL.

This paper was started October 3, 1871, as the organ of the Hermaic Society, Arthur M. Roy publisher. This society was founded May 11, 1869, by the young men of Wellsboro as a debating and literary society. During the winter of 1871 such eminent lecturers as Frederick Douglass, Anna Dickinson, "Petroleum V. Nasby," Mary A. Livermore, and others, lectured before the society. The Journal was a neat and spicy little paper, but its career ended with the eleventh number, which contained a statement of the receipts and expenditures of the society during the lecture season,

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HISTORY OF TIOGA COUNTY.

from which it appears that the receipts were $1,366.50 and the expenses were $1,308.60, leaving a balance in the treasury of $57.90.

THE TIOGA COUNTY LEADER.

This paper was started in 1878 by O. S. Webster, the material used in printing The Idea at Westfield having been brought to Wellsboro for that purpose in a two- horse wagon. It being dark when the party arrived, the team was driven into the barn of the old Coles House for safety during the night. But the load being heavy broke through the floor and sunk a foot or two without damage to the horses or wagon. Mr. Webster went into the hotel and said to Mr. Coles: "Well, the team, wagon and whole Idea, have broken through your barn floor, and what shall I do?" The wreck, however, was recovered and the Leader started in due time. It was pub- lished until 1881 as the organ of the Greenback party, when it suspended and the material was sold.

THE REPUBLICAN ADVOCATE.

This, the youngest of Wellsboro's papers, was founded July 16, 1884, by Charles G. Fairman and J. Lewis Whittet, his son-in-law. The material was moved from Batavia, New York. Mr. Fairman had been for several years the editor of the Elmira Advertiser, the leading daily newspaper in the southern tier, and was a bril- liant and able political writer. While preparing to issue the Republican Advocate, Mr. Fairman was taken ill, and died at the Coles House, Wellsboro, where he was temporarily staying, a few days before the first issue of the paper. His death was a severe loss to his friends and to the enterprise, but it was not abandoned. His son- in-law issued the paper, published it under the firm name of Fairman & Whittet until September 24, 1884. The interest of the Fairman heirs was then purchased by James H. Matson, who, in connection with Mr. Whittet, continued the publication of the paper until January 20, 1886, when Mr. Whittet retired. November 3, 1886, W. L. Shearer purchased an interest, and the firm became Matson & Shearer. On March 10, 1891, Mr. Matson sold his interest to Mr. Shearer, who has edited and published the paper to the present time. The office is well equipped, the machinery being driven by a water motor. The paper is neatly printed, ably edited, enjoys a large and increasing circulation, and, as its name indicates, is Republican in politics.

A NOTED CORRESPONDENT.

The noted newspaper correspondent, Henry J. Ramsdell, was foreman in the Agitator office when the war broke out. He was born in Chautauqua county, New York, August 11, 1839, and was therefore about twenty-two years of age when the call for troops was made. He was among the first to volunteer from Wellsboro and became a sergeant of Company H, Sixth Pennsylvania Reserve. Mr. Ramsdell saw much service and was wounded at Antietam. When discharged he entered journalism and soon made his mark as a correspondent. In 1865 he became attached to the staff of the Tribune in Washington, and afterwards was correspondent for the Cincinnati Commercial, and the Philadelphia Times and Press. He accompanied the congressional commission to San Domingo and Alaska. President Garfield appointed him register of wills for the District of Columbia, and the last paper signed by the president (July 2, 1881,) before he was shot by Guiteau, was Ramsdell's com-

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mission. President Cleveland removed him from office. He was a warm friend and admirer of Blaine and did much to promote the political interests of that eminent statesman. Mr. Ramsdell died at Washington, May 25, 1887. His wife was a daughter of William Garretson, of Tioga.

CHAPTER XXI.

WELLSBORO (CONTINUED).

INCORPORATED AS A BOROUGH-FIRST ELECTION-EARLY ORDINANCES-BURGESSES, CLERKS, TREASURERS AND JUSTICES-BOROUGH BOUNDARIES-FIRE DEPART- MENT-WATER WORKS SYSTEM-THE WELLSBOROUGH ELECTRIC COMPANY.

A S early as 1829 the project of incorporating Wellsboro was discussed. At that time the village lay in Delmar township, which was set off from Tioga township in 1805. This step was warranted by the growth of the village, its increase in popu- lation, and an encouraging outlook for even more rapid development.

Judge Samuel Wells Morris, always active, alert and enterprising, had proven himself a sagacious and progressive man, and he commanded the respect which had been so freely accorded his worthy father. Finally through his influence, with the assistance of Benjamin B. Smith, editor of The Phoenix, John F. Donaldson, William Bache, Sr., James Lowrey and others, the legislature was induced to pass an act incorporating the town as a borough March 16, 1830. It is true it was a very small town at that time, containing less than 400 inhabitants, but the legislature did not object to numbers then. Williamsport, with a less number of inhabitants, had been incorporated in 1806. The residents of Wellsboro, or certain ones rather, desired corporate laws because they would be enabled to improve the streets and adopt a uniform system of grades, pass ordinances for local government and thereby benefit the whole community. Steps were at once taken to comply with the act, and an election for officers was held May 3, 1830, with the following result:

Burgess, John Norris; council, John Beecher, Justus Goodwin, Israel Mer- rick, Jr., and Benjamin B. Smith; constable, Ebenezer Jackson; supervisor, Amos Coolidge; overseer of the poor, Israel Greenleaf.

These were the first borough officers. No time was lost in effecting an organi- zation and in making such appointments as were required. Josiah Emery was ap- pointed clerk to the council; William Bache collector, and James Lowrey treasurer.

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EARLY ORDINANCES.

The first requisite was the adoption of a seal to be affixed to all official papers, and the first ordinance passed disposed of this matter as follows: "That until an appropriate seal can be procured, the eagle side of an American half dollar shall be the corporate seal of the said borough." This ordinance was passed June 28, 1830.

The second ordinance forbid horses, cattle, sheep, swine and geese from run- ning at large within the borough. The adoption and publication of this new law caused a howl of indignation from many of the citizens. For nearly thirty years the inhabitants of the village did as they pleased with reference to their stock, con- sequently restrictive laws were regarded as a great hardship and there was much complaint, and the first borough fathers were subjected to sharp criticism.

Benjamin B. Smith, the editor of the Phoenix, who was a member of the council, and had a hand in making the new laws, referred to them in his issue of July 3, 1830, and defended them in these words:

At last our bye-laws are published, and we hope soon to see our streets cleared of sheep, hogs, and cattle which have hitherto been really a nuisance, especially in the night. Depredations have already been commenced on some of our gardens-and unless cattle are shut up at night, we can expect nothing but that our vegetables will, as last year, be entirely destroyed. We borough folks expect now to be quite happy. The squalling of geese at daylight, the bellowing of cattle, the kicking of horses, the audacity of swine, and the "innomi nutus" odor of sheep, acompanied with their disagreeable bleating shall entirely cease from annoying us, and we shall go forth at morning and evening, at sun-setting and sun-rising, and fear no evil except from dogs, which, by the by, our burgess and council have entirely forgotten-and mad dogs, too, are they not subjects of legislation as well as geese ? We expect, however, to have a "revised code" and then all things will be perfect.

To be serious, the by-laws we have no doubt will be rigidly enforced, and for the good of our citizens we think it absolutely necessary they should be.

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History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Part 41

Author: Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown Number of Pages: 1454

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Harrisburg : R. C. Brown
Number of Pages: 1454