Butler County, Alabama - Chapter 42, 1885

The first newspaper was established in this county in 1834, edited by John W. Womack, and pubHshed by Thomas J. Judge. This was in the days of the Whigs, and these two gentlemen being strong advocates of the principles of their party, named the paper the Greenville Whig. They were both energetic and intelligent men, and soon made their paper a success. Thomas Judge afterward became a leading politician in the State. The first printing-office was over the store of Gafford & Co., afterward owned by John K. Henry & J. C. Caldwell.

In 1845, Curtis took up subscriptions for the Alabamian, and was afterward assisted in its publication by Moody. John S. Davies was their foreman, and subsequently bought the paper, and was both editor and business manager.

By this time, a number of persons in the county began to think that journalism was the most attractive occupation of the age, and the Southern Messenger was accordingly established, with Livingstone and Steele on the editorial tripod. Each editor of the town papers was very eager for the success of his own paper, often forgetting entirely the interests of all other journalists. This brought on a bitter rivalry between the newspapers, which grew into personal abuse, and came near ending in bloodshed.

When the Southern States seceded from the Union, the officers of the Government thought it more expedient to have the printers and editors employed shooting the Union soldiers, than to have them at home to spread the news of the defeat of the Confederates in the different battles; consequently, the voice of the press was hushed in many counties in the State during the unfortunate struggle of the South to protect her unquestionable rights.

In 1865, when the Greenville Advocate vjdiS ^stshlished, there was not a printing-office in Butler County, nor a piece of type, except at Judge B. F. Porter's residence, where he had a job press for printing legal documents for his own use.

In 1864, the Southern News W3.s irregularly published by Captain George L. Henry, and in a part of 1865-66 by W. W. Beasly, assisted by Hon. Benjamin F. Porter.

In 1869, the Sout/i Alabamian was revived, with J. R. Thames at its helm. Its pages sparkled with the burning thoughts of Mrs. I. M. P. Henry, the following year. In 1871, this interesting writer was a member of the editorial staff of the Mobile Register. Dr. J. M. Jennings made his salutatory in 1872, but unfortunately his obituary was written in the same paper three weeks later. J. R. Thames resumed his seat in the editorial chair in 1873. The paper was purchased the following year and published by Porter, Drake & Harbin, with J. D. Porter as editor. Later, Perdue purchased the interests of Drake and Harbin, but soon sold his interest to Porter, who continued to publish the Alabamian until August, 1876, when he retired to enter the ministry. The name of Dr. T. J. Parmer then appears as editor, until the paper was suspended in October of the same year.

In the hotly-contested county campaign during the summer of 1880, the Echo budded and bloomed in favor of Hon. John L. Powell, for Judge of. Probate, and was edited by J. R. Thames. At the untimely death of this earnest quill-driver, Mrs. I. M. P. Henry lent her glowing pen for a few months, until Rev. B. H. Crumpton purchased the outfit and assumed the responsibilities of its management; but his active ministerial duties prevented him from continuing its publication long, and it died in 1882.

In the same campaign that brought the Echo into existence in 1880, the Voice \^2i?> heard to proclaim to the people of the county in favor of J. C.

Richardson, Esq., for Probate Judge, and was encouraged in its work by Colonel J. M. Whitehead. It did not have such a long life as the Echo^ but died a natural death after the election.

Colonel William C. Howell made his polite bow to the people of this county in 1883, in the form of the Butler County Citize7i. Colonel Howell has edited a number of papers in different parts of the State, but his experience was to no effect in this county, as he had to compete with the Advocate. The Citizen was suspended before the end of the year.

It will not be out of place to give the Greenville Advocate^ with its editor and associates, a more extended notice in the history of the county than we have given any other paper, as it has, undoubtedly, a much greater reputation for general information than any of the other papers ever published in Butler County.

James Berney Stanley was the founder of this newsy journal, the prospectus of which appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser in the latter part of 1865. He had not long returned from the war, and was a young man of considerable energy, but had never had any experience in journalism. After canvassing the county soliciting subscriptions for the paper, he bought the outfit for its publication, paying 1^150 in cash and giving his note for the remainder, which was paid three months afterward. Under these disadvantages, the Greenville Advocate ^ a six-column weekly, made

The people, immediately after the war, were not especially interested in any particular kind of literature, but gave their time and attention almost entirely to the adjustment of their financial and domestic affairs. The different journals consequently received but little encouragement from them for some time.

Mr. Stanley managed to save up enough money to buy out the interest of Leatherwood in 1867, paying that gentleman ^2,500. The Advocate has been directly under his management ever since that time. In 1876, he issued a four-column daily, then a tri-weekly, then a semi-weekly, and subsequently enlarged the Advocate to an eight-column weekly, which has the largest circulation of any paper in the State of Alabama.

This paper is not only regarded as a good paper by the intelligent and competent people of the county, but the whole South, it being awarded the First Premium of $100 and Gold Medal, at the Southern Exposition, Louisville, Ky., October 23, 1883, for being the best county weekly printed in the Southern States. This is no ordinary compliment ; however, it simply confirms the earnest convictions of its many readers. The Advocate now goes to over 500 different post-offices, from Canada to Mexico; the circulation in some towns reaching as high as 150 copies. Thousands of dollars are annually distributed to its many subscribers, and yet the manager makes more money from the paper than any other journalist in the State. The Advocate owes a great deal of its literary success and reputation for containing matter of general interest, to the associate editors. We will now notice these briefly.

In 1880, Lucien J. Walker, a young man from Lowndes County, who had shown a decided literary talent, made his bow to the public. The columns of the paper soon sparkled with the news as it was recorded by his glowing pen. It was while he was connected with the Advocate that it attained its reputation for sprightliness and originality. He left the Advocate in the summer of 1 88 1, to take a position on the Daily Times, at Selma, but did not remain on that paper long before he accepted a position on a paper in Eufaula. In the fall of 1883, he went to Washington City, as a special correspondent to several of the Southern papers, and was soon appointed secretary to an important committee in the House of Representatives, a position which pays him very handsomely for the amount of work done. He is still at Washington, engaged as secretary of the committee and correspondent of the different papers, and is generally regarded as a very interesting correspondent as well as a young man of much promise.

In 1 88 1 the responsibilities of associate editor fell upon the shoulders of Charles R. McCall, of Bullock County, who was graduated first in his class at the University of Alabama in 1879, ^^^ was an assistant professor in that institution for the next two years after graduation. As this inexperienced youth ascended the tripod and made his unpretentious bow, it was generally conceded that the interests of the paper would flag; but greatly to the surprise and pleasure of the many readers, the interest grew with each edition of the paper after his connection with it. He did a great deal to raise the general tone of the paper, and put the editorial department abreast with the other papers in the State, and succeeded admirably. He remained with the Advocate two years, and resigned to enter upon the duties of editor of the Troy Messenger, a weekly published in Pike County, which position he still holds, to the great satisfaction of the many readers of his paper. Few writers wield more scholarly and gifted pens than the accomplished McCall. He still entertains fond hopes for Greenville (?), and pays her (?) a number of visits each year, thinking, probably, that he may yet make Butler County his home.

Since the summer of 1883, Mrs. I. M. P. Henry has been associate editor. A short sketch of the useful life of this accomplished lady will be found in another chapter of this book.

We will next turn our attention to Colonel James B. Stanley, the successful editor and proprietor of this well known paper. He was born in Hayneville, Lowndes County, August 9, 1844, and was the fourth son of Robert H. and Emma

He attended but few schools until after the age of fourteen. His first work, of which we have any record, is his connection with the Southern Messe?tger, a weekly paper printed at Greenville, his father's family having already removed to that place. He entered the office of this paper as an apprentice in 1858, and remained here for three years. He was then entered as a student of the Glenville Collegiate and Military Institute in Barbour County, but did not remain here long before the whole college, aroused by Southern patriotism, entered the army in defense of the Southern Confederacy. The subject of this sketch joined the celebrated Seventeenth Alabama, and remained in its ranks until the close of the war. Although he was in active service all the time, and witnessed some of the bloodiest of the fights, he was wounded in but one battle. On the memorable field at Franklin he received two severe wounds, which disabled him for several months, and the marks of which he will bear while life lasts.

Immediately after the war, the people of the South were financially embarrassed, and those who wished for early prosperity entered the first employment which presented itself On Mr. Stanley's return home he took all the money that he had in the world, which was only j^ioo, and in- vested it in a family grocery and notion store in Greenville, and by close attention to his business, and strict compliance with the laws of economy, he soon saved enough hard cash to invest in a paper, which was unfurled to the breeze in 1865 as the Greenville Advocate.

Mr. Stanley started the publication of this paper against the advice of many of his friends, who thought it useless to attempt such an enterprise while the country was in such a condition. Fortune smiled upon the proprietor, and the Advocate flourished as the green bay tree. Day by day the paper grew more and more in the favor of the people, and new names were constantly added to the subscription list, until to-day the newsy sheet is welcomed in thousands of families. Mr. Stanley deserves special recognition as one of the first newspaper men after the war who fostered home talent by the substantial encouragement of remuneration.

Although he is a stanch Democrat, and a strong advocate of the principles of his party, he is not particularly fond of politics, and has never shown any desire for office. If he should ever wish to enter politics, he is too honest to resort to the various schemes by which the majority of the officers of our Government now receive the nomination by the Democratic Conventions. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but is a man of views too broad to believe that there Ts but one church, and that all th^t is good and holy is in that church. As all earnest Christians should be, he is constantly striving to impress the minds of the young with the sacred teaching of the Holy Scriptures, and is rarely ever absent from the Sunday-school.

In May, 1882, on a steamboat on the Alabama River, the editors of the State unanimously elected Mr. Stanley President of the Press Association of Alabama. The members of the press showed their appreciation of his abihties as an officer by re-electing him the following year at Selma. At Eufaula, in May, 1884, he was made President by acclamation. He takes a great interest in the brotherhood, and does everything in his power to make each meeting of the Association as instructive and pleasant as possible.

The success of his paper and the noble qualities of his character have won for him a wide reputation and given him a high rank among the different journalists of the country. Many of the Southern papers have tendered him positions on their editorial staff, and several persons have, at different times, offered to buy his interest in the Advocate, but his sound judgment tells him to "let well enough alone."

He was united in marriage to Miss Lulu Reid December 17, 1867. His wife is indeed a helpmeet, whose worth is only rivaled by her modesty. His happy family consists of one son and four daughters. Being energetic, persistent, painstaking and scrupulously honest, he deserves all the