Newspapers / Forest City Courier (Forest … / Feb. 13, 1930, edition 1 / Page 8
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Rutherford's First Newspaper Was Published 100 Years Ago First Issue of North Carolina Spectator and Western Advertiser Printed February 19, 1830 —Brief Sketch of a Century of Newspaper History. (Note: —The information contain-." ed in the following article has been : Lincoln counties, and frequently gathered from a large number of sources, and through many iinter views with individuals, over a per iod of several years. A list of these references would occupy a great a mount of space, and for practical purposes are omitted here.) One hundred years ago next week | the first newspaper published in i Rutherford county came from the j press. This was the North Carolina j Spectator and Western Advertiser,| which was published at Rutherford-' ton and dated Friday, February 19, | 1830. This newspaper was one of j sixteen being; published in the state at that, time, and was published farther west than any other news-! i paper. N. C. Spectator and Western Ad-1 vertiser. j This paper was five columns, 4j pages, 13x20 inches. The make-up; of this paper, in' contents, was al- J most uniform each week, as follows :| first page, first column, and if neces-j sary second column; advertising, ag riculture; second page: news from Congress and state legislature or political matter; third page!, editorial and few local notes, general intelli gence comprising notes from other states and from state papers, and one or more columns of advertising Fourth page: poetry, literature and occasionally a few ads. Practically all advertising, of whatever nature, was single column, in form of read ers. Few illustrations were used. Oc casionally a "runaway negro" or "Taken Up Negro" ad carried a cut of a negro with a stick and satchel. Some of the ads in the firs: few months issues were those of Martin Beam, of the Rutherfordton Hat Factory; Maurice McCarthy & Co., Boot and Shoe Manufactory. The first column of the first page of each issue carried the following masthead: "Published every Friday morning by Roswell Elmer, Jr., Terms of subscription $2.50 per an num, if paid in advance; or $3.00 if paid within the year:—but if de layed after the close of the year. 25 cents will be added. No paper will be discontinued until all arrearages are paid, or at the discretion of the publisher. Advertisements inserted I on the usual terms. All persons ad- j vertising will please note the nun ber of times they wish to have them j inserted or they will be continued and taxed accordingly." ! As no other paper was published j in Western North Carolina, the Spec-' tator carried legal advertisements and court notices from Rutherford, Macon, Buncombe, McDowell and THERE is nothing that has ever taken the place of Bayer Aspirin as •n antidote for pain. Safe, or physi cians wouldn't use it, and endorse its use by others. Sure, or several Bul lion users would hare turned to some thing else. But get real Bayer Aspirin Cat any drugstore) with Bayer on the box, and the word genuine printed in tb« trade mark ®ayer Maaufaetnr* « Monoa—ttractrt—f t of SaUsyUeui* By CLARENCE GRIFFIN. from other counties ' was a northern man of Whig prin ' ciples. Little is known of him, other s than he was well educated, a man iof talent and ability, and well quali- Jfied for the work at hand. His paper | was well edited and compared fav j orably with the best in the state, f Elmer edited and published the t Spectator about six years. On March j 21, 1835, he carried an advertise ; ment under the masthead in which I |he pictured, in glowing terms, the J fine field and the bright outlook of > the Spectator, and advised that he ■ would like to sell, or lease the plant i to some printer, as he was about to I relinquish the work for another pur- J suit. In the same advertisement he | gave an inventory of the shop's j equipment. From this inventory may Ibe gathered the fact that the shop | was one of the Jbest equipped in i North Carolina. Shortly afterwards Gray Bunyan either purchased 'or leased the shop and began the publication of the Carolina Gazette. Little is known a bout the editor of this paper. ' In the year 1836 there were only 1 22 other papers in North Carolina, ! and the number increased to a total |of only 31 by 1840. One authority Isays "In a period when approximate ly 30 per cent of the adult white j population of North Carolina was I illiterate and the state was charac- I terized by a considerable degree of 1 economic lethargy, social stagnation j and political apathy, too much must ! not be expected of journalists with 'in the state. While North Carolina ! had several forceful newspapers be j tween 1835 and 1861, most of the I papers were under the editorship of j men of mediocre ability who divided i their attention between the incon f sistencies of the 'opposition press' I and the inconsiderateness of delin | quent subscribers who made the call j ing of journalism a perilous econo i mic undertaking." The only copy of the North Caro lina Gazette examined by the writer was the issue of the first week in October, 1836. This issue did not compare favorably with its predeces sor, The Spectator. The principal item of news in that issue was in reference to the formation of Cleve land county and is as follows: "A numerous assemblage of the! citizens of the lower part of Ruth-I erford county and the upper part of Lincoln county convened; at the > dwelling house of Teator Beam on { Thursday, September 22nd, for thej purpose of consulting together upon J the expediency of petitioning to the j next General Assembly for redress i of their grievances so long endured J by reason of the extent of territory J composing the two counties and the j consequent remoteness from their j respective court houses, whereupon | the meeting was organized by ap pointing George Cabiness, Esq., chairman and William Roberts sec retary. On the mqtion of Dr. W. J. T. Miller, a committee of six from each county was appointed to take* the subject into consideration, to! wit: John Niell, James S. Oates, j John Roberts, Robert Falls, Joshua | Beam and William Graham on the part of Lincoln county, Samuel 1 Bailey, Yancey Reisendine, Thomas! Roberts, Isaac I. Irvine, George Cabiness and William Covington for the county of Rutherford, who re ported that the secretary prepare a petition to be presented to the citi zens of said counties for their sig natures and that the same be laid j before the ensuing General Assembly j praying that a new county be es-1 I tablished, beginning on the South. I Carolina line at a point so that a j line due north will strike the mouth of second Broad River, thence aj direct line to Burke line so as to pass J near the cross roads at John Smith's! and thence by Seretzie's, thence with; the Burke line to the Lincoln line,^ Roswell Elmer, Jr. The editor, Roswell Elmer, Jr., Carolina Gazette. Formation of Cleveland. THE FOREST CITY COURIER, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1930. thence to the South Carolina line i running near Thomas Black's, Isaac ! White's, William Cloteese's on I Crowder Creek, thence with the i South Carolina line to the beginning. Which reports being unanimously concurred in, the proceedings were ordered to be published in the "Car olina Gazette" and the "Lincoln Transcript" for the space of thirty days." "GEORGE CABINESS, Chairman "William Roberts, Secretary." Oct. 6, 1836." The make-up of this paper was characteristic of all other state weeklies pi'ior to the War Between the States. Local news items were a small factor in their pages. Agricul ture, foreign news, art, poetry, and clippings from other newspapers com posed the major portion of the read ing matter. Western Star of Liberty. The Carolina Gazette was publish ed until 1840. Thomas W. Young took charge of the plant about April, 1840, by purchase and changed the name to "The Western Star of Lib erty". Mr. Young said in his pros petus in the issue of May 19, 1840. Prospectus of the Western Star of Liberty. "The undersigned having assumed the entire control of the Western Star of Liberty, (Formerly known by the title of Carolina Gazette,) deems it necessay in issuing a pros pectus to the public to state the rules and principles by which he shall be governed and guided, in as short and precise manner as possi ble. j "With respect to those in power J we are perfectly aware that they are ; those who cannot, or will not ad- I minister the Government agreeable •to the general welfare of the coun try. For an illustration of this look at the manner in which our govern -1 ment has been administered for the I spast ten years. Once we were a | happy people, enjoying all the com «, forts and privileges which a free and independent people could boast i of. But now fraud and corruption | stalks in open day light spreading a deadly blight over the virtue ano interest of our people. Our pecun iary resources and agricultural in »' terests deranged, and "crippled in j the most tender point." [ "We shall be governed by the ! principles taught by our forefathers, ias we are perfectly convinced of j the truth of Republicanism as un | derstood by che founders of our gov ernment "practised by Washington I and Madison" with a heart and hand ever ready, we will exert our in fluence to its fartherest, unlimited extent, to prevent the union of the j purse and sword, to preserve the in- I tegrity of the laws and the rights jof the states. To diminish the pat ' l onage of the Executive, which now [ has become so powerful and disas [ trous, as to bear irresistable upon I the freedom of the press and of the elective franchise. Also for a strict accountability of public officers, and ' a diminution of the extravagant and ! unprofitable expenditures of the Government. Consequently we are bitterly opposed to the re-election of the present incumbent. "We will give our friendly sup port to the cause of agriculture, which has been so much overlooked by the public journals of the day. We will also give a prominent place to the cause of Literature, and our best efforts to the prosperity of Christianity. "We expect shortly to issue our journal in a new form and dress as soon as we can procure a new supply of type. The terms of The Star will be as here mentioned. THOMAS W. YOUNG, Editor and proprietor. Terms of Publication. "The Western Star of Liberty will be published every Tuesday at Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, in advance, or Three Dollars if payment is de layed till the expiration of three months. "No paper will be discontinued un til all arrearages are paid, unless at the discretion of the editor. "Subscriptions received for one year, and failure to notify the edi tor to discontinue at the end of the year will be considered as new en gagements. "Persons by furnishing four new subscribers to The Star will be en titled to a paper gratis for one year. "Terms of Advertising—Advertise f ments will be conspicuously and cor j rectly inserted, at SI.OO per square | tor the first insertion and 25 cents | for each continuance, Court orders , and Judicial advertisements will be ! charged 25 per cent higher. Persons I who desire to engage by the year ' will be accommodated by a reason i able deduction from the above J I charges for transient custom. "All communications MUST be postpaid." | The author has had the privilege : of examining one copy of this paper, i that of May 19, 18-40. Three of its | four pages are filled with political I news and advertisements of candi dates for public offices. "The West ern Star of Liberty" was a Whig | newspaper, and the second page is devoted entirely to the campaign of i William Henry Harrison for presi dent of the United States. The polit i ical sentiment is very bitter. An | editorial on "The voice of the peo- pie"—the Injured People," another on the Virginia elections which state "that the bonds of party power have been burst asunder and Virginia stands forth in all her original dem ocratic purities." Those interested in the "cause of agriculture" were obliged to search for information on this sub ject on the last page where but two articles were fou'nd, one on "The Bee Moth'' and an elaborate "Agri cultural Analysis." Three long poems under the head ing of "Literature" shows that this subject fared a little better than did I agriculture. All in all local news was conspicious by its complete absence from this paper. Not a single local • adorned its four pages of five col umns each. Appearing in the advertisements in this issue of the Western Star of Liberty are a number of names yet familiar in Rutherford county, or who took a large part in the ac tive affairs of the county. Among them was William Wilkins, who was clerk of court and carried a legal ad. John H. Wilkins, W. B. Ruther ford and R. G. Twitty carried a small ad. A card signed "Many \ oters" endorsed John G. Bynum for the Senate and Dr. W. J. T. Miller, Wm. E. Mills and Col. Thom as Jefferson for the house of com mons in the approaching election, while others announced that they were authorized to place the name of J. H. Alley, Jr., as candidate for sheriff of the county. The Republican. It is not known how long the West ern Star of Liberty survived—pos sibly about three years. The next paper published in the county was The Republican." which came on the scene about 1843 or 1844. It was edited by James M. Webb, a grandfather of Hon. J. L. Webb, at present a superior court judge in this state. Mr. Webb was clerk of the super ior court of Rutherford county from 1833 to 1849. The Republican was superceded by "The Mountain Banner," which had a long and tumultous history. The first issue was probably published June 22nd, 1848. Thomas A. Hay* den was the publisher and was assist ed by Frank I. Wilson. Mr. Hayden was a native of Florida and was a bout 42 years of age when he be gan editing the Mountain Banner. Mountain Banner. The prospectus of the Mountain Banner, dated June 22nd, 1848 states that* "no pains will be spared to give general satisfaction by pres enting such a variety of news that everyone may be able to find some thing to suit his own peculiar taste". It will be the aim of the editors to render this journal a welcome visitor not only to the politician, the mer chant and farmer, but to all profes sions ; and above all to the family fireside. Besides the current news of the day its columns will embrace tales, sketches, essays, poetry, wit, hum or, etc. Mindful of the old adage that 'persuasion is better than force' its political matter will be calm and dispassionate, aiming rather to in culcate its doctrines by reason and truth than by violence and ultra partizan rage. Terms two dollars per year, i n advance, or if paid within three months; two dollars and fifty cents within six months and three dollars at the end of the year." In an issue dated December 20, 1848 an advertisement of the Ruth erfordton Male academy was carried. Mr. F. I. Wilson was principal of this academy and Dr. John McEntyre was president of the board of trus tees. Wiley and Carrier announced the opening of a carriage factory; R. G. Twitty advertised a track of land for sale on the Hickory Nut Road, also ten shares of stock in the Hickory Nut Turn and ten like- ly negroes. The editor states that he will receive in payment for subscrip tions: "Wood, corn, fodder, shucks, corn cobs, horses, donkeys, calves, sheep, coons, 'possums, hogs, geese, turkeys, chickens, eggs, butter, green hides, cotton, cotton seed, gold silver, bank bills, or any kind of produce." This paper carried some political news," but local items were a scar city. Frank I. Wilson. In 1852 Mr. Hayden sold the pa per to Frank I. Wilson, his associate. Mr. Wilson was a native of Caswell and a lawyer by profession. He later moved the paper to Salis bury and published the "Republican Banner." (At a still later period it was removed to Rutherfordton and published again under the name of "The Mountain Banner," for three or four years until it was burned.) In 1854 Wilson was employed by W. W. Holden as associate editor of the Raleigh Standard. He was a man of attractive personality, good business ability, and well educated. He remained with the Standai'd five years. During this same period there was apparently another newspaper being published in Rutherfordton. Mr. H. L. Carpenter has in his possession receipts for The North Carolina Star. One is signed by Thomas J. Lemay for the North Carolina Star from February 1, 1851 to July 1, 1853, issued on August 28, 1854. Another receipt, issued same date, for Wil liam C. Doul, is for the Star from July 1, 1853 to July 1, 1854. This shows that Doul evidently took over control of the Star from Lemay on or about July 1, 1853. How long this paper was published after 1854 i« unknown. The Western Eagle. In 1855 C. H. Chapin, a Northern school master and L. P. Erwin es tablished the "Western Eagle." As the war came on Mr. Chapin sold his interest to Mr. Erwin and left Ruth erfordton. Mr. Erwin in turn sold the paper to A. J. Gilkey. This paper was published by him until about 1858 and discontinued. About the same date the "Inquirer" was estab lished with R. W. Logan publisher and L. P. Erwin editor. The Enquirer. A receipt in possession of the writer reads as follows: "Mr. Wm. j L. Griffin, to L. P. Erwin, Dr. for The Rutherford Enquirer, Vol 3, No. 1 to Vol. 3, No. 29, $1.25, Received Payment, L. P. Erwin, Prop. Aug. 4, 1860." According to the receipt the Ruth erford Enquirer must have been es tablished about January 1858. This paper was discontinued sometime dur- j ing 1860. Mr. Erwin was associated! with Col. C. T. N. Davis in raising i a company of volunteers in Ruther-1 fordton for service in The War Be tween the State. He was made lieu tenant of this company, which was afterwards designated as Company G., 16th Regiment. He left Ruther ford with this company in June 1861, and it is presumed that after his going away the paper was sus pended. Mr. Erwin was promoted to Captain in 1862 and in 1864 was made major of the Junior Reserves. The War Period. During the war period, 1860 to j 1866 no papers were published in Rutherfordton except a few copies of "The Mountain Banner" which was revived by Thomas Hayden. Al- | so a few copies of the Rutherford ] Press printed in 1861, editor un- ' known. ] 0 New Policies. ] Following the War Between the | States a change was seen in practi- ' cally all of the newspapers in the ' state, in their makeup, change of policy and improvement of the code \ of ethics. In the early the weekly news- j paper had more influence among- its readers than the metropolitan daily had at a much later date. Its columns ' were eagerly scanned by an interest ed constituency and its statements usually went unchallenged. Without quick mail facilities or telephones the newspapers of the first half of the nineteenth century were an un pretentious institution, but compara tively of immense power. An exam ination of the political relations ex isting between the newspapers be fore the War Between the States re veals some cordiality and much ac rimnious controversy. The papers' copied material from one another freely, commended their brethern of the type for good services rendered the party, and welcomed new papers into the field. Still, the relations be tween the Democratic papers were not always congenial. The controver-, sies between Whig and Democratic ! papers were continuous. (Continued Next Week.) tmmf* as milk ? I Cl io) i- New^P delight in Cheese flavor Still another Kraft-Phenix triumph! New digestibility, health qualities and delicious new flavor added to cheese. In Velveeta all the valuable properties of rich milk are retained. Milk sugar, calcium and minerals. Good for every one, including the children. Velveeta spreads, slices, or melts and toasts instantly. Try a half pound package today. KRAFT V/elveeta w The Delicious New Cheese Food | SAME PRESCRIPTION I | HE WROTE IN 1892 | When Dr. Caldwell started to practice medicine, back in 1875, the needs for a laxative were not as great as today. People lived normal lives, ate plain, wholesome food, and got plenty of fresh air. But even that early there were drastic physics and purges for the relief of constipation which Dr. Caldwell did not believe were good for human beings. The prescription for constipation that tie used early in his practice, and which 3i«' put in drug stores in 1892 under the name of Dr. Caid well's Syrup Pepsin, is a liquid vegetable remedy, intended tor women, children and elderly people, *nd they need just such a mild, safe Itowel stimulant. This prescription has proven its worth ;irr2 is now the largest selling liquid laxative. It has won the confidence of ;>>ople who needed it to get relief from :(m laches, biliousness, flatulence, indi gestion, loss of appetite and sleep, bad breath, dyspepsia, colds, fevers. At your druggist, or write "Syrup Pepsin, * '•ept. liß, Monticello, Illinois, for free "Hal bottle. New Warmth in ;; BLANKETS ;» Wool blankets soil easily. ► The delicate fibers that catch i> the dust quickly mat together. J The fabric when it loses its ° freshness, loses much of its ► warmth. We wash your blan- !t kets in pure soft water, dry " them in currents of warm air, J J and return them to you soft * * and fluffy with one hundred ! per cent of their warming power restored. You know J how heavy they are to do at J home. The Laundry does them best. * Rutherford County Laundry | Forest City, N. C. f
Forest City Courier (Forest City, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 13, 1930, edition 1
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