Seward County, Nebraska - Chapter 23, 1916

We are not here to give a newspaper history only so far as their history is conneeted with the history of our county. We mention this because we note the failure of W. W. Cox in his effort to publish the histories of the county newspapers embodied in h's county history. Mr. Cox presented only a partial history of two or three of the county's newspapers, and let the ballance "go to grass." In this matter he made the error in his opinion that history of minor things within the county was county history and found it a "white elephant" which he was forced to drop, as he did some other things, on account of the immensity of the work. The newspapers are to be remembered among the prime factors which advanced Seward county towards the grand changes that have covered it with the luster of precious gems by placing a crown of inestimable valuation upon its natural resources.

The first paper in the county was published at Seward in March, 1870 by O. T. B. Williams, under the name of "Nebraska Atlas." The support to a paper in those days was very weak and the "Atlas" was forced to suspend after a short life of four years. In December 1870 the "Blue Valley Record," the second paper to make an appearnce in Seward county, was started at Milford by Culver & Parsons. It managed to live on Seward county fare for two and a half years when it took its flight to Lincoln where it was consolidated with another pioneer journal and where one of its former editors, J. H. Culver, abandoned it and returned to Milford after a short period.

Charles Crony who was succeeded by O. S. Ingham who shortly turned its management over to Thomas Wolf. He kept the paper on a solid foundation for two or three years, or until 1876 when Frank Simons became its editor. Mr. Simons made a first class county paper of it and cotinued its publication till 1899 when it was suspended and the plant sold.

"The Advocate," Seward's third publication, and the fourth in the county, was started in 1877 by W. S. Walker who published it for a period of two years when J. H. Betzer purchased the plant and established the "Blue Valley Blade." Under Mr.Betzer's able management the "Blade" become a creditable journal, but age forced him to retire and turn the management over to his son who still conducts the business.

"The Seward County Democrat," Milford's second publication, was fonded in 1882 by Alexander Brothers. When the "Democrat was two years old it was sold to Prof. Geo. F. Burkett who renamed it "Milford Ozone." Shortly afterwards Editor Burkett took Horace Boyle as partner who soon sold his interest to H. C. Hensel. After two months Mr. Hensel purchased his partner's interest in the publication and changed the name of the paper, calling it the "Milford Nebraskan" and it flourished for three years under his management when he transferred it to H. A.Brainard. Mr. Brainard was succeeded in the business by Mr. Warner in 1893 and Mr. W'arner established his son-in-law, L.O.Howard in the editorship of the Nebraskan after a few years and the paper was continued until a recent period. The "Milford Mirror made its appearance in Milford in 1895. It was a bright, neatly printed local newspaper, ably published bv W. L. Withrow, but did not receive the support it deserved and suspended after one year.

of mention, was printed at Milford by H. C. Hensel and issued at Beaver Crossing in 1886 under the name of "Beaver Crossing Bugle." This paper continued under Mr. Hensel's management about a year and then was issued by George H. Borden who continued it for a short time when it disapeared. Following shortly upon the terminus of this enterprise, P. C. Carpenter launched the "Beaver Crossing Journal," the first paper to be printed in the town. Mr. Carpenter published the "Journal" till the spring of 1891 when he sold it and the plant to Dewitt Eager who leased the plant to Ed. Miller and he established the "Farmer's Patriot." This paper was issued at Beaver Crossing one year when

D. Eager sold the plant to J. H. Waterman who founded the "Weekly Review" and Mr. Miller moved his "Patriot" to Crete. The "Review" was published by its founder five years, at the end of which time Dewitt Eager re-purchased the plant and leased it to Harry E. Stout who continued the Review until he had collected all the advance subscriptions he couled and then left for other fields. Beaver Crossing was then without a news dispenser for about six months when

E. N. Overman came to the rescue and resurected the old "Review." He continued the publication for three years at the end of which period Mr. Eager re-sold it to J. H. W7aterman under whose management the life of the "Review" was extended until 1905 when F. C. Diers purchased it and opened up a surprise sheet under the stunning name of "The Pride Of Beaver Crossing." After a few issues of this paper its name indicated so much sweetness that Mr. Diers, through large hearted kindness to the citizens, changed the name, calling it "Beaver Crossing Times." F. C. Diers' "Pride" was such a "stumbling block" to his own success in the publishing of a paper that he soon quit and turned it over to his brother who shortly transferred it to Mr. Scaggs. The "Times" proved too hard for Scaggs and he

"flew de coop" one night for parts unknown, leaving the sad announcement that "this is the last of Scaggs." The second Diers was then forced to resume the management of the paper under a strong protest, stating his determination to discontinue the publication if he could not soon make a sale of it, offering it to the writer at his own price. In this dilemma, forced upon him by the slackened newspaper enterprise and support of the "prominent citizens" who had held out false inducements to get the Dierses to leave good and remunerative positions to come to the town to "run" somebody else "out" of a ligitimate printing business, Mr. Diers scanned every avenue of escape. When he had about reached the climax of patient endurance on insufficient support, he succeded in making a sale of the "Times," transferring with it the title to the "hard times" which were the legacies of Beaver Crossing editors, to E. A. McNeil, who has felt and still feels the squeezing grip of "tight wads" in the conducting of his paper. F. C. Diers was well aware of the scheme of boycotting spite work of those "business men" he choosed to call them, who had induced him to make a sacrifice upon their altar of folly and personal spite and therefore reaped from the "gang" just what he planted for somebody else. He was so carried away with the deceptive flattery of his solicitors that he immagined himself the center of atraction and named his paper "The Pride of Beaver Crossing." With the fall of his "Pride" he lost his job at Exeter and a good, comfortable home at that place.

About the time of the birth of the aforesaid "Pride," the writer established a paper in Beaver Crossing under the name ot the "Independent Examiner." This paper was a success in as much as it went outside of Beaver Crossing for advertising patronage while it received a fine subscription support at home and a share of the better grade of home advertising. The plant was the best in its job department ever put in the town and was over run with fine job work, making the enterprise a financial success, but on account of failing health we were forced to sell the business after eighteen months. J. D. Austin, of Bethany, Nebraska purchased it, moving the plant to Bethany where he started the "Christian Reporter. The writer again entered the publishing arena at Beaver Crossing by starting the "Echo," Jauuary ist, 1913. This little paper run one year and was discontinued.

The second "Seward County Democrat" was started at Seward by H. E. McClellan in 1884. This "Democrat" was only four }7ears old when it was sold to M. Meeban who renamed it "People's Rights." Shortly after this D. M. Smith established the Seward County Independent which was bought by Meehan and consolidated with the "People's Rights." This paper and plant was sold in 1893 to the Independent Publishing Company and the "Seward Independent" was its offspring. In 1891 P. C. Carpenter revived the name of "Seward County Democrat" under which he established and published a paper for five years when it expired. In 1897 Wm. H. Smith purchased the dead Democrat and the "Seward County Independent" and founded a paper under the consolidated name of "Independent-Democrat." Under Mr. Smith's management this paper has become one of the best and most popular local and county newaspapers jn Nebraska. Mr. Smith is serving as State Auditor, but still owns the plant and publishes the paper while it is ably edited and managed by R. W. Johnson.

The "Earmer's Zeitung," a German paper made its first appearance at Seward, Eriday, April 12, 1901 ander the management of Joseph Tagwerker. The paper has not failed to appear regularly every week since its first issue and has become a perminent Seward enterprise. It is non-partisan in politics.

ton in 1886 and was published by him for some time. His successors in its publication at different periods were first his brother, Wm. Compton, who was followed by Stephen Lowley, E. W. Harvey, and again William Compton who died while its editor, his wife continuing its publication for some time. She was followed by H. M. Smith, Hunter & Harvey and finally by the present able editor, Dana R. Mutz. The "Sun" has reflected its rays from the pens of more different editors than any other newspaper in Seward county, but it is creditable to each of them that the name of the paper has not been disturbed or changed. The enterprise of Utica citizens in supporting their paper gave the place the credit by newspaper unions of being the banner country newspaper town in the state, whether this record has been maintained to the present or not we are not able to state, but trust it has.

The "Tamora Register" was founded at Tamora in 1892 and continued publication till 1909 when it suspended and F. P. Shields started a fire tinted, short lived paper under the name of ' 'Shields' Tamora Lyre. " We are unable to say what his object was for doing so, but he printed his "Lyre" on pink paper, but the "Lyre" went out of tune in 191 3.

H. Sage started a paper called the "Journal" at Cordova in 1889. It was shortlived. The "Cordova Progress" was started by Frank Dorsey in 1892. It was a bright little paper and continued publicaiion two or three years when it suspended.