Algernon Township

Algernon Township

Upon the advent of the B. & ]\I. Railroad up the ]\Iuddy valley, in 1886, the Chainpio)i was started at Algernon, by a Mr. Watkins. who, after the village failed to secure a depot, removed the paper to Mason City and changed its name to the Mason City Advocate. He disposed of the plant to J. M. Amsberry, who continued it until 1895, when he suspended it for a year, subsequently, in 1896, resuming its ]niblication at Ansley, under the name of the Peotle's Ad-eocate. In the fall of 1900 Mr. Amsberry disposed of the paper to W. F. Greenlee, an inexperienced young man in the newspaper business, under whose management it was suspended in March, 1901, the type and other equipment being shipped to York, where they are used in a job office by the former owner.

The third paper published in Broken Bow was the Broken Boie Times, established in 1885, by G. W. Trefren and S. I. MeserauU. Financially, the Times was for a short time a great success, as land notices were plentiful, but, owing to some misunderstanding between the proprietors of the Times and Mr. Higgins, register of the land office at Grand Island, where most of the land notices came from, the latter induced R. E. Martin, an ex-Confederate soldier and forcible writer, to establish another Democratic paper at Broken Bow. The paper was launched in March, 1886, by R. E. Martin and J. S. Bellinger, and was christened the Statesman. To it Mr. Higgins transferred his land-office patronage, and the Statesman prospered immensely. It established a branch paper at Mason City, named the Mason City Transcript.

The Times, not to be outdone, started a daily edition and christened it the Broken Boie Dailv Times. Messrs. Martin and Dellinger disposed of the Mason City Transcript to James Whittaker, and two or three weeks later Mr. Whittaker sold it to M. C. Warrington, who continued with the paper until 1917, when he disposed of it to James Pebles, the present owner. Martin and Dellinger dissolved partnership. Martin retained the Statesnian, while Dellinger and Walters established the sixth paper for Broken Bow, known as the Broken Bozv Jl'orld. The Daily Times and the Dailv World were soon consolidated, Mr. Walters becoming editor-in-chief and the mechanical work being done in the Times office. In 1888 Trefren and MeserauU disposed of the trood will of the Times to R. E. Martin, and about the same time the Jl'orld suspended. R. H. Miller then started the Dailv Reporter, and had the mechanical work done at the Republican office. In the course of three months the Reporter suspended and was succeeded by the Daily Republican, published by D. M. Amsberry, in connection with his weekly edition. The Daily Republican was continued until October, 1895, when the plant was leased to J. H. Chapman for one year and the daily edition was discontinued. In the fall of 1888 E. M. Webb and George S. Tappan established the Xebraska Citizen in Broken Bow. The paper continued until the following spring, when its publication was suspended. It was largely due to this paper that the .Alliance or People's Independent ticket was elected in the fall of 1889.

A few of the leaders of the Farmers' Alliance resurrected the Citizen and established the Alliance Motor, with .A. J. Evans, of Thedford, as editor. The Motor was not a financial success and soon suspended. In April. 1890, the Motor material was gotten together by the stockholders, and the paper was re-established, C. W. Beal. president of the Farmers' Alliance, being elected president and manager. The paper was called the Custer County Beacon. In 1890 E. M. Webb became associated with Mr. Beal in the publication of this paper. The Beacon was soon recognized as the leading Populist paper of central Nebraska. In the course of three years E. L. Beal, of Anslev, was induced to leave his farm and join his Ijrother, C. W. Beal, in promoting the Alliance doctrine. The Beal brothers eventually jjurchased a majority of the stock of the other members of the coni])any. and assumed full control of the plant. Except during the year 1898, when C. W. Beal served one term in the state senate, the two brothers did all the editorial and mechanical work of the office. During C.W. Beal's absence, F. A. Amsberry, of Mason City, was employed as assistant editor. The Beal brothers continued to publish the Beacon until 1907. when Elgin I. Beal retired to the farm, with his family, and left the entire charge of the paper to his brother. Charles W.

Beal, who later leased the plant to a man from Ord, Nebraska. The publication of the Beacon was soon afterward discontinued and the material sold.

In November, 1886, Purcell Brothers established the Memo Record, which was edited by E. R. Purcell. Under his management the Record flourished. It subsequently changed ownership and was moved to Callaway, the name being changed to the Custer County Independent. In the latter part of 1891, A. Z. Lazenby started another paper in Merna, which he christened the Merna Reporter, but it had a short life. It was resurrected in 1893, by Captain Gatchell, and continued until the fall of 1894, when he moved it to Sheridan, Wyoming, continuing in the newspaper business there until his appointment as register of the land office in that state. In 1899 Rev. :Mr. Clifton commenced the publication of the Merna Sun. which, in the spring of 1900, he sold to Theodore .\. Miller, who abandoned the paper in January following, and returned to his home in Omaha. Most of the material was shipped back to York, whence it had been leased. This left Merna without a newspaper for several years - until the Merna Postal Card was started by Claude Hall, who continued its publication until 1916. It was then sold to W. R. Button, who rechristened it the Merna Messenger and who is owner and publisher at the present time.

Dale for a short time had a newspaper, which was started by Trefren & Meseraull in 1886, in anticipation of the railroad being built through that valley. But when they failed to realize their anticipation, the plant was moved to Anselmo and named the Anschno Sun.

The first issue of the Sun was from a tent, and S. I. Meseraull was its editor. J. II. Zehrung. Ben Sanders, and others tried their hands at making the Sun sliine, but with inditYerent success, until it finally fell into the hands of J. J. Tooley, present secretary of the state banking board, who. in connection with teaching the Anselmo school, succeeded, with the assistance of his wife, in causing the Sun to cast weekly rays of light and glory over the [leople of the little village. Becoming tired of his double duty, the professor sold his interest in the paper to Al Hummel, of Gandy, in 1890, and it was finally sold to E. R. Purcell, who added it to the outfit of his Meriia Record. For several years the people of Anselmo were without a newspaper, but for the past few years they have been able to obtain a good one, the Enterprise, which is published at the present time, by R. H. Aliller.

In April. 1892, the Custer County Chief was established by W. G. and E. R. Purcell. under the firm name of Purcell Brothers, and they published the paper in connection with the job ofifice that had prior to that time been run by W. G. Purcell. The Chief espoused the Populist cause, which at that time was very popidar in the county and state. The Chief prospered greatly under the public patronage that was thus afforded. Since the death of the Populist party the Chief has been neutral in politics. Some years ago the newspaper and jol) departments were separated, and each operated independently of the other. The job department was taken over by W. G. Purcell and the newspaper l^y E. R. Purcell. who is still sole manager and editor of the Chief. The Chief is recognized by the newspapers of the i state as having a larger circulation than any ! other weekly newspaper in Nebraska.

The first paper published in Arnold was the Tribune, which was established in the year 188(). by Francis Ainsworth, and which had an existence of about a year. The Bus^'le Call. state organ of the Independent Order of Good Templars, also was published at Arnold for a time, about 1887, but the mechanical work was not done there. Miss Anna M. Saunders was its editor and publisher. After the suspension of the Tribune. Arnold was without a newspaper until February. 1888. when the A'czi-.? was established there, by S. L. Carlyle, who continued to publish it until 1894, when he moved the plant to Xehawka. Nebraska. Arnold now has a newspaper published by J- B. ]iIcCoy, and called the Arnold Sentinel.

Callaway"s first newspaper was the Standard, which made its first bow to the public August 19, 1886, the town being at that time just seven weeks old. The Standard was a newsy paper, published and edited by C. A. Sherwood. The Standard grew and prospered with the town, and was finally sold by Mr. Sherwood to S. L. Carlyle. Mr. Carlyle continued its publication until 1888, when he moved the plant to Arnold and established the Xezcs. In the fall of 1887 J. Woods Smith, head of the Callaway townsite syndicate, purchased a newspaper outfit and. on October 15th of that year, established the Callazcay Headliglit. with C). H. Barber as editor and F. \\'. Conly as manager. The paper was named Headlight in anticipation of the early completion of the railroad. The paper was purchased, on February 24. 1888. by H. M. Baley. and on October 20th following, by F. W. Conly, who eventually sold it to the Independent, April 30. 1892. Shortly after the beginning of the People's Independent party movement, the political managers of that organization concluded that they needed a newspaper to spread their gospel at Callaway, and E. M. Webb was sent over from Alerna with the old Merna Record outfit. Thus the Custer County Independent was founded, and for several years the Independent enjoyed a good patronage. In the fall of 1896 E. M. Webb was elected a member of the Nebraska legislature, and in 1898 he retired from the newspaper business, being succeeded by W. A. Overman, who conducted the Independent until 1901, when the paper was discontinued. Shortly after selling the Headlight. F. W. Conly established the JVeek- !y Tribune, on July 2, 1892. which he continuously published, with the exception of fifteen months during which it was consolidated with

The Callaway Courier

The Callmi'ay Courier, a newspaper that for a number of years was one of the leading papers of Custer county, was established in 1888. and was, as the records show, the outgrowth of a local town-fight between some of the citizens of Callaway and J. Woods Smith. The publication of the Courier was presided over by George B. Mair. who bore the reputation of being one of the best editorial writers in the county. In 1910 Mr. Mair was elected clerk of the district court of the county and disposed of his interests in the Courier, which was later consolidated w'ith the Queen.

While Callaway for a time supported three newspai>ers, it now has but one, which is owned and published by Professor W. A. Rosene. with J. C. Nailer as editor.

For a few months, in 1890-91, the village of Berkyn sported a newspaper, called the Berzi'yn Times. It was published by Dr. Nickerson, and died a natural death, after a short and not overly brilliant career.

The Loup J 'alley Ea<;le was the first publication to lierald the rise and growth of the village of Sargent. It was established by E. P. Savage, owner of the townsite. and was edited by C. D. Kelly. The Eagle was succeeded by the Sargoit Times, owned by F. M. Currie and edited by J. E. McCray. The paper was discontinued in 1894, and the material sold to The Grip, of Alliance. From that time until 1897. Sargent was without a newspaper. In the latter year J. C. L. Wisely started the Commoner, afterward changing the name of the paper to the Sargent Era. In 1900 C. S. Osborne established the Sargent Leader. In the course of a few months he sold it to Howard Savage, who shortly afterward sold it to A. H. Barks, who. after a short time disposed of the pa])er. It has changed ownership several times in the past few years, but is being published at the present writing by Guy Livermore, a native son of the vicinity, and it is fairly prosperous.

West Union for a number of years enjoyed the luxury of a newspaper, which was known as the West Union Gazette. Among the editors of this paper we recall Ham Kautzman, Jud Woods, and W. H. Predmore. The Gaaette was suspended during the drouth period in the "90s and since that time West Union has been newspaperless.

In 1893 W. H. Predmore and E. M. \Vebb started the Custer County Citizen, which was run during the campaign, in opposition to some of the Populist candidates, .-\fter a few weeks Mr. Webb returned to his claim near Callaway, and Mr. Predmore continued the paper for some time. He then leased it to Mrs. Louise Raymond, who ran it for a short time, in connection with the job-printing business. Charles A. Cook succeeded Mrs. Raymond, and continued the paper for some months longer, w'hen it was discontinued, in 1894. For a time Rev. George Bailey, pastor of the Presbyterian church from 1893 to 1899, published a church paper in connection with his work, as also did Rev. Mr. Epley, pastor of the L'nited Brethren church. The Populist, a paper started in opposition to fusion, was published in Broken Bow from September 1, 1900, to February, 1901. by James Stockham and J. G. Painter.