Coshocton County, Ohio - Chapter 15: Newspapers, 1876

The old citizens tell how they and their cotemporaries used to watch for the arrival of the stage from Zanesville bringing the Weekly Messenger. Wm. K. Johnson and other young store-clerks of that day read themselves hoarse for the edification of the customers and loafers, a number of whom were not very good readers, and then, besides, a paper wonld thus go fartiier. A President's message, only four days from Washington, was a wonderful thing.

One Dr. Maxwell (who, besides printing the paper, had on sale in the oiEce " Godfrey's cordial," " Bateman's drops," etc.) is credited with having started the iirst paper in Coshocton county - the Coshocton Spy - in the latter part of 1825. It was a sheet twelve inches by eighteen, issued with much irregularity. The concern, after a brief career, was turned over to John Frew, who had furnished supplies from his store for some time. Maxwell went to Mount Vernon, and, in consequence of criminal charges, subsequently fled the country, and the paper was put in charge (as foreman) of one O'Hara, Frew being still the publisher, and steadily paying a little for this honor. O'Hara at length fell a victim to delirium tremens, and Burkit E. Drone became the editor and printer, having also a half interest in the ownership of the paper. After a time, Joseph Medill, afterward famed in Cleveland, and still later and more largely in Chicago, as editor of the Tribune and mayor of the city, became associated with the paper. The name of the paper at that time was the Democratic Whig. Drone went to Cincinnati, and Medill also removed, and the paper became the property of H. Guild, who at length suspended publication, as some of his predecessors had done. The name at that time was The Eepublican. After some time the office became the prop-

" In August, 1853, Mr. II. Guild, the editor and proprietor of the old Whig newspaper in Coshocton called on me and desired to sell me his interest in it. He had ceased its publication two or three months previousl}^, having lost hope in its success. I told him I was not a Whig, had been a Democrat, but was now a Freesoiler; that my party in Coshocton count}^ only included about fifty people, and that I saw little or no prospect of establishing a paper in advocacy of my own principles. I also distrusted my ability to do justice to my own cause, never having had any experience as editor, nor even as a printer. I gave him no encouragement, and he went away. But in truth he had awakened a desire ill my mind to engage in the work of publicly advocating my principles, which I believed would finally triumph. I thought over the matter, talked with my father and some leading Whigs and independent Democrats, and finally embarked in the enterprise. I was assisted greatly by Hon. James Matthews, and his brother-inlaw, Thomas W. Flagg, was taken in as associate editor. I called the paper the Progressive Age. The first number was published in September, 1853, and was outspoken on the subject of slavery extension and the fugitive slave law, and strongly advocated the cause of temperance. Wra. A. Johnston was foreman in the printing ofiH.ce. I sent the paper to all the old subscribers of the Whig paper, and also to all the Democrats whose names I could get. I soon found plenty of papers returned ' not taken out of the postoflice.' In two months, however, after my first issue, I had only about two hundred and fifty subscribers, but I did not get discouraged. In a few months, by most persistent efibrts, my subscription-list was greatly enlarged, and at the end of a year it had reached seven hundred. The following year the Age took part in the formation of the Republican party, and the new party having succeeded in electing nearly all their candidates for county offices, the Age came in for a share of the public printing, which gave it a firmer footing. I continued the publication about three 3'ears, and the Republican party was in power in the county when I sold the paper to A. R. Hillyer, who published it about a year, and then sold it to J. "W". Dwyer. I assisted Dwyer about a year, and then left the count3^"

J. W. Dwyer succeeded Hillyer, making out of the paper very little direct pecuniary gain. He left it to take office in the treasur}^ department under S. P. Chase.

Asa L. Harris, from Columbus, became the proprietor of the paper in 1861. He changed the name from Progressive Age to Coshocton Age. About the close of the war, Harris went to Georgia to become postmaster of Augusta (having served in like capacity in Coshocton) ; and the paper, after being run for a time by J. W. Dw3'er and "VY. A. Johnston, became, in 1866, the property of its present publisher, T. W. Collier, who had resided in Cadiz and Xew Philadelphia, and had been in service as adjutant of the Eightieth Regiment, O. V. I. The present circulation of the paper is reported at 1,200 copies.

In 1831 John Meredith began the publication of a paper at East Union, Perry township. It was called the Castle of Liberty. In 1832 it was removed to Coshocton, and was published until after the presidential election in that year, when it was discontinued. It advocated Democratic principles and the re-election of General Jackson to the presidency. James Matthews assisted in the editorial department for a time.

About 1836 the publication of a Democratic paper, called the Western Horizon, was begun at Coshocton. Wm. G. Williams, then county treasurer, was the proprietor, and Russell C. Bryan the editor. For a time John Oliver managed the paper. Subsequently Messrs. Weeks, Wagstatf, T. W. Flagg, and Chauncey Bassett were connected with it. In 1840 its publishers were Flagg & Bassett. It was then about half the size of the Democrat of to-day, and bore that name. About 1845 A. W. Avery, who had been a minister of the M. P. Church in Coshocton, was its editor. He removed to Illinois. In the fall of 1850, A. T. Walling, now member of Congress from the Columbus dis- trict, was editor and publisher of the paper. In 1853 Rich and Wheaton were publishing it. In the spring of 1856, Asa G. Dimniock, who had edited the Cadiz Sentinel and the Cosmopolite at Millersburgh, and had just iinished his service as warden of the Ohio Penitentiary, became editor and publisher. When nominated for prosecuting attorney in 18(32, he disposed of the paper to A. McJ^eal, a young man from Bethlehem township, who had just served as county recorder. He was drowned while fishing in the Tuscarawas river, a few miles above Coshocton, in August, 1862. Wash. C. Wolfe ran the paper from McNeal's death until after the election, when Dimmock resumed, and soon thereafter (November, 1862) J. McGonagle, formerly of the Cadiz Sentinel, became a partner with Dimmock, and continued for some two years. He removed to Shelby, 0. In the spring of 1866, the present publisher, John C. Fisher, of Muskingum county, who had been connected with the !Newark Advocate, became a partner with Dimmock. The health of the latter was at that time seriously broken. He spent the most of the summer in visiting among friends, and died that fall at the home of his brother, in Montrose, Pa., and Fisher became the proprietor and editor of the paper, continuing as such unto this writing, except that during Mr. Fisher's absence in the State Senate it was edited by W. R. Gault and other temporary editors, and that during the summer of 1875, for a few months, W. C. Brownlee (now of Chillicothe) was associated with him. It is understood that in its earlier history the paper frequently required the help of its party friends, and none of its numerous publishers have been able to retire with a large fortune. Its appliances are better now than in any past period of its history. Its circulation is reported at 1,000 copies.

For a couple of years (1849 and '50), a paper, called the Practical Preacher, was published some months, at Coshocton, by Rev. Mr. Wirick, then residing at Jacobsport, was the Methodist preacher on the circuit.* He had been a printer before becoming a minister. Rev. Mr. Calhoun and other ministers furnished matter for publication. It was printed in the Age ofhce - did not thrive - was short-lived.

At least two ladies of Coshocton - Mrs. E. W. James and Mrs. E. T. Spangler - have made some reputation as paper and magazine writers. The latter is also the author of a book, the Physician's Wife, history of Coshocton, partly historical and partly "bar-room stories." The writer of these, in a recent letter, says that the historical matter, then published in the Preacher, is found in Howes Historical Collections of Ohio, Doddridge's Notes, and other readily accessible publications.