LaPorte County, Indiana - Chapter 24: Newspapers, 1904

In 1829 the Pottawottomie and Miami Times of Logansport, established in August of that year, was the only paper north of the Wabash. In 1831 its name was changed to the Cass County Times. In 1833 it was changed to the Logansport Repubcan and Indiana Herald. In 1834 it was succeeded by the Canal Times . By this time other papers had been established north of the Wabash, and LaPorte county not yet having any newspapers of its own, its legal notices were published in the papers of other counties. One of these papers was the St. Joseph Beacon of South Bend; an¬ other was the Canal Telegraph of Logansport, which contained legal notices of the April term of the LaPorte circuit court.

The establishing of the Michigan City Gazette, the first paper published in the county, has been referred to in the preceding pages. In the spring of 1835 Mr. J. S. Castle, then living in Utica, New York, purchased the stock for his printing office and shipped it by canal to Buffalo and thence by way of the lakes to Michigan City, where it arrived in June. The Castle f amity, accompanied by the lad Polaski King, went by the same route to Buffalo, thence by steamer to Detroit, and thence by teams to Michigan City, where they arrived in advance of the printer's stock, which gave the boy good opportunity to survey the city which was new and sandy but full of life. After the material for the printing office arrived Mr. Castle set it up and as soon as possible issued the first number of his paper, the Michigan City Gazette, which appeared on? Wedensday, July 8, 1835. It was a five-column: folio, and the size of each page was fourteen by twenty inches. That was before the time of pat¬ ent insides, and all four of the pages were printed in the office. The first pag.e was made up of judi¬ ciously selected matter of a general character; the second* page was given to editorials, local articles and items and local politics; the third page contained editorial selections and para¬ graphs, arrivals of vessels, a list of unclaimed letters, and some advertisements; and the fourth page was devoted to national politics. It was an ably conducted sheet, full of life and energy, and the first few numbers, which are still extant, would do credit to any local publishing house of to-day. Pulaski King, then about twelve years of age, was the printer's devil and distributed the paper through the town and sold it on the streets. It seems that Samuel Allen was one of the prime movers in starting this paper, which was established as a Democratic organ. That was a year of extraordinary political activity and witnessed the first political agitation of the county. The question of greatest interest was a local one. Many of the settlers had made im¬ provements on government lands, but having no¬ pre-emption rights they were in danger of havings their possessions bought by those who would bid higher than government prices. This aroused a strong feeling among the farmers, and public meetings were held in different parts of the county to take such action as seemed expedient and the matter was made a political one. There were also other political questions of a more gen¬ eral nature, and it was felt that a newspaper organ was necessary not only as an exponent of Democratic principles but to help develop the re¬ sources of the county. The paper, however, re¬ mained Democratic but a short time ; it was soon suspended and seems to have passed into the pos¬ session of L. C. McKenny & Company, who re¬ vived it, this time as a Whig organ. But again it was suspended, and in May, 1839, the com¬ pany issued a prospectus for a paper to be called The Michigan City Register , LaPorte , Porter and Lake Counties Commercial Advertiser , an impos¬ ing title surely, which leads one to think that the publishers were like the fowl which tried to cover two many eggs. The paper, however, was never issued, the old Michigan City Gazette was resus¬ citated, which passed into the possession of Mr. Samuel Miller; and J. M. Stuart, who had just left the LaPorte County Whig , became its editor. This was in the autumn of 1839. In 1842 the Gazette prodded its subscribers who were in ar¬ rears and mentioned several improvements which it was about to make. It was a strong paper until well along into that year, after which it ceased to exist.

There is an account of the Michigan City Her - aid which was published cotemporaneously with the Gazette, though it lived but little more than a year. It was established by Richard Burley, or Burleigh, and in politics was Democratic while the Gazette was Whig. The city at that time was strongly Whig, and a paper of the opposite political faith had but a poor opportunity for existence.

LaPorte was not far behind Michigan City in having a newspaper. On November 5, 1836, the first number of the LaPorte Herald appeared. Orton & Saxton were editors and proprietors. It announced itself as published every Saturday morning at its office on the corner of South Main (now Main) and Monroe streets. Its terms were $2.30 per year if paid in advance, or $3.00 at the expiration of six months, no subscriptions re¬ ceived for less than six months, and no paper to be discontinued, unless at the discretion of the proprietors, until all arrearages were paid. In the announcement the editors say that while some had advised them to publish a strong Whig paper in favor of General Harrison, and others had ad¬ vised them to publish a strong Democratic paper advocating the claims of Martin Van Buren, they concluded that there was no need of a one-sided partisan paper in LaPorte, and therefore would publish a paper having for its first object the prosperity of the county. The paper was a large, six-column folio, and contained an excellent as¬ sortment of selected and original articles and items, including an article on the capture of Santa Anna. The third page contained a number of advertisements showing the business of the young and thriving town, and among them the editors advertised all sorts of legal blanks at a low figure, and concluded with the words, "Also job work done on the shortest notice. We expect in a few weeks an extensive additional assortment of fancy job type."

The issue of this paper has been disputed, but the writer has examined a copy of it very carefully, and its genuineness is beyond the pos¬ sibility of doubt. It has been said that if it was issued it could not have been printed in LaPorte as there was no printing office there at that time. But would the editors and publishers advertise to do job printing on short notice, if they did not possesss a printing office? and would they say they expected an "additional" assortment of type, if they had not possessed a printer's stock al¬ ready? It has been said that the first number of this paper was the only one ever issued. But this is a statement wholly lacking of proof. On the contrary, the bona fide announcement of the editors to take subscribers, and all the circum¬ stances indicate that the paper was issued more than once, and continued to be published regu¬ larly for a time, though how long it would seem impossible to ascertain. In its editorial column the publishers said, "The next number will be issued three weeks hence, as it will require all that time to ascertain who and where our patrons are, and to make arrangements for the de¬ livery of the papers, after which time the Her¬ ald will be issued regularly once in each week." Mrs. Dr. G. L. Andrew, daughter of the late James Andrew, one of the founders of LaPorte, now living at 6123 Kimbark avenue, Chicago, writes under the date of August 7, 1903 : "In the winter of 36-37, I was a little girl going to the second school ever taught in LaPorte. I was placed in the boarding house kept by Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Evans, and there were six young men taking their meals, only one or two having a small room. One of the six was named Saxton and he was editing a paper, but I do not remem¬ ber the name of it." It is very probable that this was the LaPorte Herald .

So then, in view of all the facts and circum¬ stances, the Herald of November 5, 1836, which probably was published regularly for a time, was the first paper ever published in LaPorte. Whether the Present LaPorte Herald is a con¬ tinuation of it, or ever had any connection with it, is another question.

There was another LaPorte Herald which was begun in March, 1838. This was the second paper in LaPorte. It was published by William Hagenbuch and edited by Wilbur F. Storey. Of all this, the writer has good evidence. This was not in any sense a continuation of the Herald of 1836. Volume I, number 1, of the first Herald was issued in 1836. Volume I, number 1, of the second Herald was issued in 1838. In other words, the first Herald had ceased to exist, how soon after it was first published we know not, and an entirely different paper, under a wholly new management, was begun, though it took the same old name. The first Herald was Whig, though not pronouncedly so; the second was intensely Democratic, even bitter in its spirit. The LaPorte Herald which was begun in 1838 was issued every Saturday; but in May, 1839, it skipped two issues; namely May 11 and 18, and in the interim Joseph Lomax succeeded William Hagenbuch as publisher. Hagenbuch had been only the pub¬ lisher and Storey the sole editor ; but Lomax, the new publisher, took a hand at the editing and the heading carried the announcement "Published by Joseph Lomax," and "edited by Storey and Lo¬ max." Then there was trouble on the editorial staff. It is said the printer's stock used in the publication of the Herald was purchased in Chi¬ cago by ten Democrats, each giving his note for $100. They did not pay the notes when they be¬ came due and in the spring of 1841 Mr. Lomax and Mr. Storey got at outs, and Mr. Lomax con¬ ceived the idea of becoming the possessor of those notes with a view of owning the office and mov¬ ing it to Mishawaka, where he had promised to move it and publish a paper a year, for which service a combination of Mishawaka people were to pay him $500. While Mr. Lomax was thus playing sharp with Storey and others, Storey dis¬ covered it, and one morning he came down town and found that Storey had become possessor of the office and loaded it on wagons sometime in the night and was then half across Terre Coupee prairie on the way to Mishawaka, where he had been and contracted to edit the paper for a year without any pay whatever.

At the end of the year, in June, 1842, Thomas Jernegan, who then lived at South Bend, pur¬ chased the office and moved it back to LaPorte and began the publication of the Indiana T ocsin, a Democratic sheet, which he continued until 1847 when he moved it to Michigan City and changed the name to the Michigan City News. This he published until 1853, when the office burned down, and as Mr. Jernegan was postmas¬ ter at that time, he did not resume the publication of the paper. Its politics was Democratic and as nearly as can be ascertained the first number of the Michigan City News appeared on Friday,. March 5, 1847.

At the time when Wilbur F. Storey began to edit the LaPorte Herald he was engaged in the drug business in LaPorte, and was the heaviest advertiser among the business men of the place. As a writer he was severe and merciless. He dealt in the most bitter sarcasm, the most cutting satire, the harshest invective; he was sharp and apt in controversy, and his expressions, though often more forcible than elegant, were well calcu¬ lated to cut an opponent to the quick. He after¬ wards became an editor on the Chicago Times and these qualities gained for him a wide repu¬ tation.

Joseph Lomax also was a fighter. He was once a law student under the instruction of Judge William P. Andrew. During the political cam¬ paign of 1840, the campaign of log cabins, barbe¬ cues and wild excitement, on Saturday, July 2, Hon. Henry S. Lane made a speech in LaPorte on the political issues of the times. In noticing this speech and the meeting where it was given, Mr. Lomax in the Herald made some statements of a personal nature which the LaPorte County Whig characterized as personal reflections upon the ladies who had been present. This so angered one of the prominent members of the Whig* party that on the morning of the Fourth of July, while the audience was dispersing from listening to an oration, he attacked Mr. Lomax with a cane, and attempted to give him a caning and a public castigation for his alleged insult to the ladies who had been at the Lane speech the Saturday before. But Mr. Lomax quickly drew a knife and returned the attack with two thrusts of the weapon, and at this juncture the two men were separated by friends who interfered. Fortunately no serious physical injury was done, but the affair did not tend to allay the animosities of the political campaign, and it might easily have been far more serious even physically.

On Saturday, June 23, 1838, the first number of the LaPorte County Whig and Porter, Lake and Marshall Counties Advertiser was issued with J. M. Stuart and L. C. M 'Kenney proprie¬ tors. Mr. Stuart did the editing. It was pub¬ lished in LaPorte, and as its name would indicate it was strongly Whig in its politics. After it had been published every Saturday for three months, M 'Kenney retired and J. M. Stuart became sole editor and proprietor. In that issue - September I5i i838, the editor said, "This number completes the first three months of the Whig, and during that time we have much reason to thank our friends for the liberal patronage we have received. Our subscription list has been swelled much be¬ yond our expectations, and our advertising col¬ umns display a good variety."

"We have received the LaPorte County Whig and Porter, Lake and Marshall Counties Ad¬ vertiser, an uncompromising Whig paper just commenced at LaPorte, Indiana, by J. M. Stuart and L. C. M 'Kenney. The columns, which are under the control of Mr. Stuart, bespeak for it a rare spirit of independence, which we are con¬ fident will have the desired effect on the political character of that state. The inspiring motto, 'Tis Rome demands our help/ graces the head of its columns."

Stuart and is really a very handsome sheet. Hoosiers of LaPorte, it is your duty to support it - it is a good representative of the growing im¬ portance of your state and should it linger and die for want of support the people of old LaPorte must lack intelligence, that is certain."

J. M. Stuart remained as editor and proprietor of the Whig until about September, 1839. Some¬ time between August 10, 1839, and November 2, 1839, Captain A. P. Andrew obtained possession and control of the paper, and became its editor and manager. He continued in this capacity until July 29, 1840, when he advertised the plant for sale because he had removed to Michigan City. In his advertisement he claimed that the press was the best furnished one in northern Indiana, having cost $1,500 in New York three years be¬ fore, and that it would be an object for a practical printer to continue the business at the old stand. The subscription list of the Whig was then five hundred, which could be easily increased. J. M. Whittem was appointed A. P. Andrew's agent to settle with the patrons of the Whig . Mr. T. A. Stewart, afterwards one of the founders of the Chicago Tribune, succeeded Mr. Andrew as proprietor of the Whig. This was in July, 1840. Sometimes Mr. Stewart was editor as well as proprietor, and sometimes others did the editorial work. In March, 1842, the name of M. H. Orton appears as editor, one of the proprietors of the Herald of 1836. T. A. Stewart still possessed and controlled the paper in the latter part of 1843, but in 1845 John Millikan came into posses¬ sion of the paper, whose name appears alone on the sheet until May 8, 1847; and sometime be¬ tween that date and August 7, 1847, Hr. Millikan associated with himself his brother William.

William Millikan was the eldest son of John Millikan, a lieutenant in the war of 1812, and who died in the regular service in March, 1841. William was born on September 22, 1806, and was therefore ninety-seven years old last Septem¬ ber. In 1809 his father moved with his family to Delaware county, Ohio, where William was brought up. He learned the printer's trade in the Delaware Gazette office with Judge Ezra Gris¬ wold, and afterward purchased a half interest in the Gazette. At the end of his third year's con¬ nection with that paper he sold his interest to Judge Griswold, and immediately began the pub- lication of the Western Galaxy , at Marion, Ohio. He published that paper four years and then moved to South Bend, Indiana, and established the South Bend Free Press , and after a year was joined in the publication of that paper by his brother, John Millikan, purchasing John's interest a few years later. He was connected with that paper nine years, when he sold it to Schuyler Colfax, and in a few weeks purchased a half in¬ terest in the Kalamazoo (Michigan), Telegraph . Two years later he sold out and took a half in¬ terest with his brother in the LaPorte (Indiana), County Whig. He was induced in October, 1858, at Washington Court House to establish a Re¬ publican newspaper in a village then of but 400 inhabitants, but now one of the most beautiful little cities in Ohio, with a population of approxi¬ mately 8,000. He called his paper the Fayette County Herald , and it is now published daily and weekly.

Mr. Millikan was twice elected a member of the Indiana legislature from LaPorte county, and served one term as mayor of LaPorte. He was also a member of the Ohio legislature from Fay¬ ette county in the sixty-second and sixty-fourth general assemblies. It was he who, when a mem¬ ber of the Ohio house, presented and pushed through the legislature the present law regulating the rates for legal publications in newspapers. He knew what was fair and right to the publishers and worked hard to give them a law which would compensate them for their services.

Until stricken with paralysis Mr. Millikan made regularly daily trips to his newspaper office. Latterly he wrote his editorials at home and sent them to the office. For forty-five years he was at the head of this one paper, which for the past ten years has been published both as a daily and weekly. He has recently passed away and his son, W. W. Millikan, succeeds him in the busi¬ ness.

But to return to the LaPorte County papers, the issue of August 5, 1848, says, "With the present number we commence the eleventh volume of the LaPorte County Whig. We feel grateful for the generous support which has attended our efforts to serve the public/' etc., etc. The names of W. and J. Millikan appear on the title page of the Whig for several years.

The disastrous campaign of 1852 came on, when Pierce was elected over. Scott, and the Whig party received its death blow and was not known in politics afterwards. Its place was taken by the young and growing organization which became the Republican party. The Whig party being dead, the title of the paper was a misnomer, and hence the name of the paper was changed from the LaPorte County Whig , to the LaPorte Union .

In September, 1854, Messrs. Richard Holmes and F. M. Horan came into possession of the paper. In the issue of September 13th of that year, the old management makes its valedictory and the new its salutatory. From the fact that the valedictory is signed only by William Milli¬ kan, and that in his farewell he speaks continually in the first person singular, it would seem that his brother John had left the paper sometime be¬ fore. And from the fact that Holmes and Horan say nothing about having changed the name of the paper, it may have been changed sometime before; though possibly not. No change was made in the numbering of the paper, but the first number issued by Holmes and Horan is called The LaPorte Union , Volumne 17, No. 7. Mr. Horan was connected with the Union but a short time. On the fifteenth of the following Novem¬ ber his name appears for the last time. He sold out to his partner, and in the issue of November 22 the paper bears the name simply of R. Holmes, editor. By January 31, 1855, Mr. Holmes had sold a half interest in the concern to John Milli¬ kan, and the paper bore the names of J. Millikan and R. Holmes, editors. In his salutatory Mr. Millikan remarks that he left the paper a year and a half before. This makes it certain that he retired from it before his brother William did, who sold it to Holmes & Horan only about five months before. Millikan & Holmes continued issuing the paper until the winter of 1858-59, at which time Mr. Holmes retired, Mr. Millikan con¬ tinuing the business until he sold it to M. & J. Cullaton, in 1866, who continued publishing the paper until the following year.

In the spring of 1852 Mr. L. P. Williams be¬ gan the publication of the Westville Free Press. The editorial work was done some five miles from Westville, in Porter county, and the press work was done in the Observer office at Valparaiso. This paper was short-lived, dying in its infancy, only two numbers of it ever being issued. Major L. P. Williams has lived in Washington, D. C. since 1865, where he has a position in the office of the Clerk of the District Court. He is well known there as a man of high standing. But he claims Westville as his place of residence and goes there regularly every general election to vote.

Another and a more successful attempt was made to establish a paper in Westville by the Townsends. This was called the IV estville Herald. This is said to have been issued for the first time on May 2, 1856. But Vol. 1, No. 25 bears date of Wednesday, December 3, 1856. The paper being a weekly, this would give the first number the date of Wednesday, June 18, 1856; though there may have been some irregularity in issuing the first numbers. Alfred Townsend was a school teacher in Westville at that time, and Calvin Graham Townsend was a printer. The partnership continued only until the following August, when on account of debt the concern was virtually sold to Samuel Burns, Henly Clyburn and James Concannon ; at any rate they took charge of the business, though they still kept C. G. Townsend in the office. But the business not being conducted with any greater success, they prevailed upon Mr. Charles G. Powell to take charge of the office. He consented to do so for six months, ran the business successfully, and at the end of that time agreed to remain for another six months. At the end of the second term he had begun to like the occupation, and though he had a promising offer to take a paper in Iowa, at the earnest solicitation of the people of Westville he consented to remain with them. Therefore, on account of the inducements which they held out to him, he purchased the paper and plant, agreeing to remain at least until after the follow¬ ing presidential election. He continued its pub¬ lication at Westville until August 7, 1859, when he moved it to La Porte and changed its name to the LaPorte Herald .

The first number of the LaPorte Herald bears date of Friday, August 26, 1859, with the name of Charles G. Powell as editor and proprie¬ tor. From this time until October 1, 1867, the LaPorte Herald and the LaPorte Union were published side by side ; but as there was no need of two papers with similar politics in a small city, Mr. Powell purchased the Union of the Messrs.

Cullaton and merged the two papers into one under the name of his former paper, the LaPorte Herald . The last number of the LaPorte Union bears date of Wednesday, September 25, 1867, Millikan and Holmes. The LaPorte Herald went on its way appearing weekly as usual, just as though it had not swallowed another paper.

Mr. Powell continued to edit and publish the Herald until 1870, when he sold a quarter interest to Silas E. Taylor, and then another quarter in¬ terest to Mr. Sims Major, after which the paper was published by the Herald Company and called the Saturday Evening Herald . But Mr. Powell bought Taylor out in January, 1874, and bought Major out in 1879, and again became sole editor and proprietor.

The Union was not the only paper which the Herald absorbed. The Hon. Jasper Packard, be¬ lieving that the county could and would sustain a semi-weekly paper, established the Chronicle . The first number appeared July 18, 1874, and con¬ tinued to appear twice a week until November 8, 1875, when, on account of the stringency of the times, it became a weekly paper. It took a firm stand against personal abuse in politics. General Packard was a hard and effective fighter but he was a gentleman. On October 8, 1875, he issued the first number of the Daily Evening Chronicle , but at the end of two weeks it became evident that the receipts would not nearly equal the expenditures, and the attempt to establish a daily paper was abandoned. He continued the weekly Chronicle until in May, 1878, when he sold it to Taylor & King, and Edward Molloy became its editor. In February, 1880, arrange¬ ments were made to unite the Herald and the Chronicle , and it was issued as the Herald- Chronicle. Edward Molloy became the editor, and Archibald Beal, of the St. Joseph Valley Register , South Bend, became one of the con¬ trolling owners and the business manager. On February 1, 1880, Mr. Beal bought a half interest of the Herald from Mr. Powell. In 1882 Mr. Powell, being about to move to Washington, D. C., sold his other half interest to Mr. Harvey Truesdell, who in his turn sold to Archibald Beal. Since that time the Herald , which in due time dropped the name Chronicle , has been conducted successfully. On July 30, 1888, it began to issue a daily edition, which has been a success from the first, and on July 30, 1903, the fifteenth anniver¬ sary of the birth of the daily, it accompanied its regular issue with a photographic reproduction of the first issue of the daily, and another photo¬ graphic reproduction of the Herald which was started in 1836. The Herald Company is a strong concern, with an excellent plant for such a city as LaPorte, using up-to-date machinery, and linotype composition. From the foregoing it will be seen that the present LaPorte Herald is the third paper by that name which has been started without any connection or continuity with each other. The first was the Herald started by Orton and Saxton in 1836, and which was con¬ tinued but a short time; the second was the Herald started by Hagenbuch and Storey in 1838, which was merged into the Indiana Tocsin , then into the Michigan City News , which was burned out and not restored. The present Herald had its source in Westville in 1859, was moved to La¬ Porte, it absorbed the Union and then the Chronicle , and is still vigorous and growing. Ed¬ ward Molloy continues to be its editor. The Daily Herald came to be recognized from the be¬ ginning as a paper which was destined to succeed. People had faith in it. They readily subscribed for and advertised in it. It has increased in size from four pages, with six columns to a page, to eight pages, and from a circulation of between 300 and 400 to 1,200. It has always been con¬ ducted by the same company that began its pub¬ lication ; though Archibald Beal passed away in September, 1896, and was succeeded by his son, Willis E. Beal.

Mr. Charles G. Powell went to Washington, D. C. the last of July, 1882, where for several years he was in a government position. He re¬ turned to LaPorte in July, 1894, and started the LaPorte Republican , the first number of which was issued September 1, 1894. It is a weekly, clean, and of a high moral tone, and has a good constituency in the county

Charles Granson Powell is a son of Isaac Powell who was a native of England, and Anna (Heaton) Powell, a native of Windham county, Vermont, who emigrated and settled in LaPorte county in 1840. The father was a farmer and resided in this county until his death in Hanna township in 1863. The mother died at Union Mills in August, 1873. Charles was born in

Monroe county, New York, December 16, 1829, He was married in June, 1856, to Miss Nancy J., daughter of William and Mary A. Ireland, a native of this county, by whom he became the father of four children. He is a self-made man, upright and honest. He was first a Whig, then a Republican; he has always been staunch, but never an offensive partisan.

During the Civil war no man did more to inspire a spirit of true patriotism and keep the county loyal and hold her to the performance of her full duty to the government, than Mr. Charles G. Powell. He was then editor and proprietor of the LaPorte Herald, which at that time was pub¬ lished weekly ; and every issue contained the latest war news and many well written letters which had the true ring to them from LaPorte county soldiers in the Union army. But Mr. Powell was a tower of strength chiefly in his editorials, in which he discussed the issues which were before the country in a very able manner. His writings were calm and unimpassioned, considerate of the position and feelings of his opponents, but at the same time they were clear-cut and unmistakable in their tone and statements. His arguments were sound, and of a judicial rather than of a persuasive character, and were well calculated to carry conviction with them. These editorials are detracted from somewhat by the fact that they have a homely, domestic and local cast which probably was quite necessary; but if this quality could be eliminated they would, if collected and published, make a readable volume of essays, and a valuable contribution to the literature of our Civil war. But even as they are they are very interesting and instructive reading; and in our opinion no man in the county, whether he went to the war or worked loyally at home, did more effective work to sustain the government than did Charles G. Powell, both by his editorials and by the general conduct of the LaPorte Herald .

"One of these is Charles G. Powell, editor of the LaPorte Republican. His career dates from the early 50's, when he became editor of the Westville Herald. He removed his paper to La¬ Porte, where in course of time it absorbed the Union. There was an interval for a few years in his editorial work, while he held a government position at Washington, but on his return he established the LaPorte Republican, which he has edited with marked ability ever since. It is now fifty years since he began his editorial career, and his pen is as polished and vigorous as it was in his youthful days."

After the Indiana Tocsin was removed to Michigan City, as related above, the Democratic party had no organ in LaPorte until the estab¬ lishment of the LaPorte Commercial Times, at the beginning of the year 1852. The Times was founded by E. A. Graves, who soon left it, and the paper passed into the control of Messrs. John C. Walker and John W. Holcombe, editors and proprietors. By another year Dr. Orpheus Everts was associated with these gentlemen, and did the principal part of the editorial work until about the year 1857, when George H. Sweet became associate editor. In the congressional campaign of 1858 John C. Walker was a candidate for Congress against Schuyler Colfax, who was elected. After his defeat Mr. Walker assumed personal supervision of the Times . Soon after, Flavius J. Clark became the editor, then a young man named Palmer, and lastly Henry Higgins. At first the paper was called the LaPorte Com¬ mercial Times, then the Republican Times , and lastly simply The Times . It was always a straight Democratic paper. In the campaign of i860 it stood for Douglas instead of Breckenridge, and with the defeat of its candidate -it died. In its last issue, November 10, i860, its proprietor, who had become Colonel Walker in the Union army, offered it for sale, and not finding a pur¬ chaser suspended its publication. John S. Weller was publisher of the Times in 1852 or 53, and local editor in i860.

Says the Editor and Publisher : ''Northern Indiana is the birthplace of the editorial associa¬ tion of the state, the first meeting for the forma¬ tion of an editorial association being held at Plymouth, June 14, 1859. At that meeting twen¬ ty-three newspapers north of the Wabash river were represented by twenty-eight editors and pub¬ lishers. Colonel John C. Walker, of the LaPorte Times, was chairman, and Peter S. Bailey, of Fort Wayne, and Daniel McDonald, of Plymouth, were selected secretaries."

Platt McDonald, afterwards of the Plymoicth Democrat, established the LaPorte Democrat, which was published during the war and sus¬ pended about the year 1867.

From the suspension of the Democrat until April 15, 1869, LaPorte was destitute of a Demo¬ cratic paper, which want was keenly felt by those of that political faith. Even many Republicans felt that in some respects there could be a. better government policy. In 1872 occurred the Liberal Republican defection from the ranks of the old Republican party. At this juncture H. E. Wads¬ worth and John B. Stoll establised the LaPorte Argus.

H. E. Wadsworth is a product of the Hoosier state, bom near Kendallville, Noble county, March 3, 1839. This family is an old and promi¬ nent one in the United States, the first member to cross the ocean from England being William Wadsworth, who reached this coast in 1632. He was a trader and after residing in Dubury, Massachusetts, for some time, moved to Hart¬ ford, where he was among the first residents. His son, Captain Wadsworth, is known in history as having determinedly ordered his men to "drum, drum," and when the lights were put out he seized the Connecticut charter and secreted it in the hollow root of the famous "Charter Oak." The father of our subject, E. Wadsworth, was bom in Hartford, and there grew to mature years. When a young man he decided to seek his fortune in the then far West, and came to the Western Reserve in Ohio, where he remained for some time. Later he moved to Noble county, Indiana, and located a farm in an Indian sugar camp. In that county were passed the closing scenes of his life. He was married in the Buckeye state to Miss Phoebe Ulmer, a native of Maine, and H. E. Wadsworth was one of a family of children born to this union. It is literally true that he "was born among the Indians, in a sugar camp, and rocked in a sap-trough." He received the rudiments of an education in the common schools, and subsequently attended the academies of that region, thus securing a fair amount of learning. He remained with his parents until the age of twenty-five years, and then engaged in the hardware business at Ligonier, Indiana, the same county. From there he removed to LaPorte coun¬ ty in 1869 and established The Argus , in company with J. B. Stoll, who afterwards became the proprietor of the South Bend Times. At that time there was no Democratic paper in north¬ western Indiana, and this filled a long felt want. It was then about one half its present size. Mr. Stoll was with our subject over a year, and in October, 1870, his interest was purchased by Messrs. Wadsworth and Kessler. The Argus has always been Democratic, its editorial policy has been directed by good judgment, and its repu¬ tation as one of the best newspapers in this part of the state was well established. Mr. Wadsworth has ever been an active worker for the interests of the Democratic party. The paper he edited is generally credited with having considerable to do with changing the Republican majority of 500 to a Democratic majority of 1,000 in the county. Mr. Wadsworth served as postmaster during President Cleveland's first administration. Pre¬ vious to this, in 1875, he was elected by the legislature a director of the Northern Prison, and he had the vote of his party for re-election, but the party was in the minority. He has served on the state central committee several times, and has filled other important positions, but has never been known as an office-seeker. In the year 1871 he was married to Miss Sarah Van Akin, a native of Hudson, Michigan. Three children have been given them : Laura, Dudley L., and Lula.

The Editor and Publisher says: "John B. Stoll, of the South Bend Times, is another editor on the shady side of the thirty mark. He estab¬ lished the Ligonier Banner soon after the close of the Civil war, and was editor of that paper (which he purchased at Elkhart) and the LaPorte Argus, which he also started. He is now editor of the South Bend Times, and he has been unin¬ terruptedly engaged as editor ever since he en¬ tered the newspaper business, nearly forty years ago."

Mr. S. I. Kessler retired from the firm at about the time of the establishment of the Daily Argus, which was in 1896, and was succeeded by Dudley L. Wadsworth, and the new firm was known as the Wadsworth Company. In a few years they were bought out by Joshua A. Chaney and both the Wadsworths retired from the pub¬ lishing business, though Mr. H. E. Wadsworth has retained his connection with the press as a writer of editorials.

Meantime, in 1898, the Bulletin had been started in LaPorte by those who were more radi¬ cal and pronounced in their advocacy of Mr. William Jennings Bryan and the doctrines for which he stood. This paper passed through sev¬ eral hands and had rather a checkered existence until it came into the possession of Mr. Graham P. Taber, who conducted it for a time, and then it was consolidated with the Argus . The Bulletin for some time had published a daily edi¬ tion, and the Argus-BuUetin, as the consolidation is called, continued both the daily and the weekly editions. The new firm was known as the Taber Chaney Company. They conducted the business until 1903, when steps were taken to dissolve the partnership, which was decided by Chaney sell¬ ing to Taber. But as Chaney purposed to con¬ tinue in the business, and with a company at his back to start another daily called the LaPorte Democrat, Taber finally sold out to the Argus- Bulletin Company, which filed articles of incor¬ poration with capitalization of $20,000. The personnel of the company is as follows : -

President, Edward F. Michael ; vice president, Fred Henoch ; secretary and treasurer, J. A. Chaney. The directors are Frank C. Mann, Nathan D. McCormick, William W. Hans, Her¬ man W. Sallwasser, Fred Henoch, Edward F. Michael and Joshua A. Chaney.

The company has moved into new and more commodious quarters on Michigan avenue, it has installed a new and rapid printing press, set up new machinery, bought new type, and has made many improvements in its plant. Harry B. Darling is editor.

Besides the Daily Evening Chronicle men¬ tioned above, other early efforts were made to establish daily papers in LaPorte, without success. On January third, 1859, B. B. Root and Jasper Packard issued the first number of the Daily Union. Three months afterward Mr. Packard retired from it. By hard work Mr. Root kept it alive two months longer, when it ceased to exist. The Cullatons made a similar attempt in 1866 but it lasted only a week. The time had not yet come when a daily paper could be established with facility in a small city, but it came later.

periodical was started in March, 1852, by the Rev. Henry Weller, afterwards pastor of the LaPorte New Church Society. The first number was issued for April 15, 1852, eight pages quarto. It was published in a little frame building which still stands at Weller's Grove, and which has been used for several years as one of the cottages of the New Church summer resort at Stone Lake. Of this periodical, Rev. Mr. Weller was the edi¬ tor, and his son, John S. Weller, was the pub¬ lisher. The publication was designed to advo¬ cate and promulgate more liberal views than those held generally by the religious body with which Mr. Weller was connected. It was edited and conducted with a great deal of ability, and was of a religious, philosophical and literary nature; though by many of Mr. Weller's brethren it was thought to be somewhat erratic. In 1855 paper was issued weekly, under the same name, in an octavo form of sixteen pages; but in the following year it was put back into a semi-month¬ ly of the same size. In 1858 its form was changed into a large quarto of eight pages. In 1865 its name was changed to that of The New ilturch Independent. The editor, Rev. Henry Weller, passed away on June 7, 1868, after which it was conducted by his son, J. S. Weller. In 1870 it absorbed The New Church Monthly , a magazine published in Philadelphia by the Rev. B. F. Barrett, an exceedingly able and scholarly man, after which it was called, The New Church Independent and Monthly Review , Weller and Metcalf publishers. Under this title it was pub¬ lished monthly, in magazine form, at $2.00 per annum ; with the exception of the year 1878, when it was published fortnightly, in quarto form. In 1873 it was moved to Chicago, where it was issued until it suspended publication. Mr. John S. Weller passed away in 1895, after which it was conducted by his sons, Walter, Sam and George, with the assistance of Mr. Metcalf, whose ad¬ herence to the family was quite pathetic. From sheer affection for the publication he worked upon it until he became a tottering old man, and almost until his dying day. The last issue of the magazine bears date of December, 1901. Dur¬ ing much of its long career it had a large circula¬ tion, not only in the United States and Canada, but in Europe and other countries, and it always had a wide influence. Probably no publication, ever issued from LaPorte ever had a greater in¬ fluence in shaping human thought, especially on religious and philosophical subjects which, dur¬ ing the time of its publication, were agitating the public mind.

To return to Michigan City, after the first Michigan City News was destroyed by fire in, 1853, the next paper was the Transcript , a Whig newspaper established in 1854 by Richard W. Col¬ fax. In 1855 he sold it to Hickock and O'Brien. Mr. Colfax lived only about a year longer, dying in the spring of 1856. The new management changed the name of the paper to the Michigan City Enterprise . At the close of the year 1855, or the beginning of 1856, the proprietorship again changed, Mr. L. B. Wright becoming the owner and publisher, who continued its publication until April, 1859, at which time he sold it to Mr. Thomas L. Jernegan. He conducted it until June, 1863, when, failing to make it pay, and securing a position as assistant paymaster in the United States navy, he left Michigan City, and for two years and a half the paper was suspended. But on his return Mr. Jernegan resuscitated the Enterprise. On May 18, 1869, the city council made it the corporation newspaper for the follow¬ ing year. In 1880 Thomas L. Jernigan still owned and conducted the paper, which was still a weekly. He sold it to Lewis Morrill in the spring of 1881. Charles J. Robb was then work- . ing on it as general manager and editor. Mr. Morrill sold a half interest in it in the fall of 1881 to W. C. Brundage, and the firm name be¬ came Morrill & Brundage. But Brundage sold back to Morrill in the fall of 1882. During a meeting of the Methodist Episcopal conference a daily edition was now published called the Every Day Enterprise, which existed but a short time. Mr. Morrill borrowed the money with which to buy Mr. Brundage's interest and this led him into financial difficulties. Through certain legal complications the paper in 1884 passed into the hands of C. E. Claypool, then of the Delphi Journal , and in about eight weeks thereafter, the legal difficulties not being settled, the paper passed into the hands of the sheriff and was suspended in December, 1884. After a time it was revived and taken charge of by the Repub¬ lican Printing Company. Mr. Charles J. Robb had left the paper and gone to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was employed on the Sandusky Local , later he went to Flint, Michigan, as reporter and adver¬ tising manager of the Flint Journal, and later still he went to Chicago, where he directed the pub¬ lication of the Trade Journal and Price Current for the wholesale grocery house of Reid, Mur¬ doch & Fischer. The Republican Printing Com¬ pany asked him to come to Michigan City and take charge of the paper. He came one Saturday to see about it. They made liberal offers for him to run a Republican daily. He went back to Chicago to think the matter over. Knowing Ira S. Carpenter, then a job printer in Chicago, he consulted him, and together they came to Michi¬ gan City, and after considering the matter made arrangements to take charge of the plant in 1888. It was at about this time that the name of Michi¬ gan City Enterprise was changed to that of Michi¬ gan City News . After conducting the paper for a time Messrs. Robb & Carpenter bought out the Republican Printing Company. In 1902 Mr. H. R. Misener, city editor of the News since 1896, bought out Mr. Carpenter, since which time the firm name has been Robb & Misener. The News is a strong paper, Republican in its politics, firm in its principles, but not offensively radical. It owns its own building, erected a few years ago, and has a complete modern newspaper, commer¬ cial and book-printing establishment. In its job printing department it does work of a very high order.

During the suspension of the Enterprise, 1863-1865, Messrs. M. & J. Cullaton established another paper in Michigan City called the Michi¬ gan City Review . They continued to publish it for about a year and then, like many of its prede¬ cessors in the county, it ceased to exist.

The next periodical of Michigan City in order is the Michigan City Dispatch, which was started December 4, 1879, by Harry C. Francis, who was its editor and proprietor, a paper which was printed wholly at home when other journals were using patent insides or outsides.

the town is better for his having lived therein. He was for fifteen years one of its most vigorous champions. He was born in that city February 24, 1852, being the youngest son of Thompson W. and Esther Francis. After completing his common school education he entered Racine (Wisconsin) College in 1869, and finished a full collegiate course, leaving that institution in 1873. In the fall of the same year he entered the law school of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. In 1875 Mr. Francis removed to Indian¬ apolis and immediately began the practice of law. He was fairly successful, and continued at his chosen profession until 1878, when he re¬ turned to Michigan City.

For several years Mr. Francis had written more or less for the press, and his editorial in¬ clinations finally led him into the profession of journalism. In 1879 he established the Michi¬ gan City Dispatch, a weekly publication, championing the Democratic cause, and in the spring of 1881 he began the publication of the Evening Dispatch. Both journals were emi¬ nently successful from the start, and it was in journalism that Mr. Francis found his calling. His career as an editor was a brilliant one, and made him prominent in the politics and journal¬ ism of the state. He was president of several editorial associations, and served his party in various ways. His last public position was that of state senator from LaPorte county, to which he was elected in 1888. In the legislature he championed the interests of his native town, and a number of state improvements made through his advocacy stand as a monument to his mem¬ ory.

Mr. Francis was as active in social as in busi¬ ness affairs. He belonged to numerous secret societies and enjoyed high honors at the hands of one of them. This was the order of Knights of Pythias. From a subordinate position in the local lodge he made his way upward until he en¬ joyed the honor of being a past grand chancellor of the state, and at the time of his demise he represented Indiana in the supreme lodge of the world. Mr. Francis was also a Scottish Rite Ma¬ son, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of several other societies. He was also a communicant of Trinity Episcopal church. Mr. Francis was unmarried and resided with his aunt until his death, which occurred on September 15, 1891. He was thirty-nine years old, and at the time of his demise occupied the responsible position of state bank examiner. In his death Michigan City lost its foremost friend and stanchest advocate.

At the death of Mr. Francis he was succeeded by Mr. John B. Faulkner as editor and publisher of the Dispatch. He was born in LaPorte coun¬ ty, July 29, 1864. His early school life was spent in the LaPorte schools and he moved to Michigan City with his parents in 1879. In 1881 he began his editorial career on the Dispatch, and his long years of service, associated with the late Hon. H. H. Francis, well qualify him to make a success of his chosen calling, which he has thus far done. The Dispatch is considered one of the best Democratic papers in this part of the country.

In the seventies Rev. M. S. Ragsdale was ap¬ pointed by the legislature of the state as moral instructor in the northern prison at Michigan City. In order to discuss the subject of prison reform and call the attention of the people to it, he established the Prisoner Reformer, a monthly periodical, the first number of which was issued in March, 1876. We do not hear of it afterwards.

Doubtless there have been other publications at Michigan City, but the writer has not been able to learn about them, with the exception of papers in foreign tongues yet to be mentioned.

In other parts of the county we have the Wcstvillc Indicator, a large six-column quarto now in its twenty-third yearly volume, with Charles E. Martin editor and proprietor. The paper is original and able and its characteristic way of serving up things has given it a wide reputation.

There is also the Wanatah Mirror, a large six-column folio now in its ninth annual volume, published every Thursday by William F. Hunt. It is in everyway creditable to the town and to its editor as a local paper.

In Union Mills there is the LaPorte County Xeus, now in its third annual volume, a fivecolumn quarto of respectable size, published ev¬ en Thursday by the Monarch Printing Company of that place. Sometimes these smaller and less pretentious papers arc spoken of derisively, but the towns where they are published would not like to do without them. Somehow the suspen¬ sion of one of these sheets is unwelcome. Some twelve years ago another paper with nearly the same name was published in Union Mills by one Atwater, which was not successful. After ex¬ isting a few years it was suspended and the proprietor left the place, but however unfor¬ tunate the circumstances, the visits of the little sheet were missed.

In the early nineties another paper was pub¬ lished in Union Mills by the Rev. Mr. Welcome, then the pastor of the Adventist church in that place. It was a little church monthly printed at the Herald office in LaPorte, then at the corner of Maine and Monroe streets. It did not last long.

In 1884 we hear of the Bee, of Rolling Prai¬ rie; but we do not hear of it many times. In 1886 we read of the Daily Bee in LaPorte, which was soon suspended on account of the ill health of the editor; though promise was made to the subscribers that it would be restored in the form of the Evening T elegram . Much sport was made of this. Among other things it was said that it had "stung itself to death." "The editor of the Daily Bee and his brother have erected a fine liberty pole and have a nice flag and streamer. The streamer has the word, Bee. What a host of people's names and useful things begin with a B, from the Ed. Burroughs of the Bee, to Blaine and bread and butter, and may we all be busy bees, etc !"

In 1885 the Hon. Jasper Packard started a sixteen page pamphlet called the Public Spirit , for the purpose of advertising LaPorte. It was printed at the Herald office. Little was heard of it.

As to papers printed in foreign languages there is Die Freie Lame, a weekly independent paper founded in 1891, published in Michigan City. It holds a high place among the German papers of the state. Doubtless there have also been smaller ventures in the line of periodicals in other languages. Indeed, some of them might be mentioned if it wrere required, but it is un¬ necessary.

As to the papers in foreign tongues in La¬ Porte, Packard's History says that previous to the year 1876 there was a German paper pub¬ lished in LaPorte, but he gives no account of it and the writer has not been able to find any. It is very probable, however, that when the rail¬ road shops were here some attempt was made to sustain a German paper in LaPorte. At all events, one came later. For many years the need of one was apparent, and on November 27, 1877, Mr. Henry Goodman issued the first number of the LaPorte Journal. He had been engaged on the German press in Chicago and well understood how to minister to the wants of his countrymen in this section of their adopted coun¬ try. He came to LaPorte with little means to start his paper, but by economy, energy, good judgment and perseverance he built up a large and prosperous journal. It was introduced to the public as a nine-column folio but was en¬ larged until it became a seven-column quarto and the largest German paper then published in the state of Indiana. It was the only paper printed in German in this and the five adjoining counties. The office of the paper was located in the Good¬ man building, now occupied by the American Laundry, where it had a large jobbing depart¬ ment. The plant was at one time an excellent one. The paper was strongly Democratic and in the political campaigns which it covered did ex¬ cellent service for its party. Mr. Goodman was an excellent stump-speaker and his services were much in demand for that purpose. The paper employed a paid reporter at Michigan City, and all the news of that city and vicinity were weekly chronicled. Thus, and in many other ways it showed enterprise. The paper remained in the same building until it began to decline. Mr. Goodman failed, and the business affairs of the Journal got into a very unfortunate condition. But many intelligent Germans wished to save the paper for their kindred and party, and this, in addition to certain business considerations, induced them to form a stock company and take the concern into their hands. They did so, hired an editor, a manager, a foreman, moved the paper to the corner of Jefferson avenue and Mon¬ roe streets, and started anew. This was about the year 1895. But somehow there was trouble with the management, the paper continued to decline, its last few numbers were published by the Bulletin Company, which bought the plant, and the Journal ceased to exist in 1898. It may be well to show what manner of man Henry Goodman was before he went down.

He was born October 31, 1840, in Northern Prussia ; attended elementary school in that county until sixteen years of age, then a college at Berlin two years, and graduated at Heidel¬ berg University. He was trained in English at Edinburgh University, Scotland, with a son of the Rev. Thomas Guthrie, D. D., the celebrated Scotch divine. Mr. Goodman wrote a disserta¬ tion on German Philology in competition with his class and obtained the first prize. He came to America in 1866 and entered into literary work. In 1868 he went to Chicago, where he was employed as city editor on the Chicago Democrat , and afterwards on the Stoats Zeitung and Eulenspiegel. He finally came to LaPorte, where he established the Journal , as related above, and also another paper, The LaPorte Daily Star which soon went down. And Mr. Goodman went down with his papers. He went from La¬ Porte to Chicago, where he engaged in the insur¬ ance business, subsequently locating in Kankakee, Illinois, where he published a Republican German' newspaper and identified himself quite conspicu¬ ously with Illinois politics. He again moved to^ Chicago, where he became the city editor of a German newspaper, continuing this labor until forced to leave the desk because of the inroads of disease. He went to the home of his daughter, Mrs. W. D. Shafer, at Montclair, New Jersey, where his death occurred on Sunday, July 10, /904. He is survived by the widow, and two daughters who will be remembered in LaPorte as the Misses Jennie and Flora Goodman.

This completes our survey of the press of the county, though we have not mentioned every lit¬ tle periodical published in the county, nor traced each one which we have mentioned into all its ramifications. The number, the ability, the char¬ acter, the endurance and prosperity of the publi¬ cations of the county are very creditable. .