^- THE NEWSPAPER PRESS OF CHARLESTON, S. C. A Chronological and Biographical History, Embracing a period of One Hundred and Forty Years. by WILLIAM L. KING. De dictis factisque memoratu dignis. CHARLESTON, S. C: EDWARD PERRY, (BOOK PRESS) 149 MEETING STREET. 1872. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1872, Bv WILLIAM L. KING, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. C"h ARCHIBALD EDWARD MILLER. To you, sir, the only surviving typographer of the past century, now living in this City, I inscribe this work. As you are aware, it is the only history of the rise and progress of the newspaper press of Charleston, S. C. I desire to prefix your name to this brochure, for two rea- sons. First, as an acknowledgment of the kindness you have ever evinced towards the craft. Secondly, because through the course of your long life, you have been that exemplar of rectitude to whom they of the stick and rule, will point in the future, as they have in the past, with pride and honor. Very truly, yours, WILLIAM L. KING. Charleston, 8. C, 1872. ivi71835 PREFACE. The attention of the reader is invited to the following pages, indited without pretentious or special claim to lit- erary merit. The author's object was solely to prevent local, historical facts from passing into oblivion, or becom- ing apocryphal. To those, therefore, who love to look back upon the past, through a long vista of nearly a century and a half, a ver- itable record of events, together with such mutations in their order of succession as go to form a faithful chrono- logical history of the newspaper press of Charleston, will, perhaps, command that consideration, which otherwise, could only be claimed through richness of diction, or ele- gance of style. The author is among those who believe in the sentiment so felicitously expressed by DTsraeli : " To preserve the past, is half of immortality/' CONTENTS. (.'H AFTER I. I The art of printing. ..Claims of inventors. ..Its beneficent influences... The author of this brochure a printer... The word " News" figurative- ly interpreted. ..Newspapers. ..Their origin in England. ..Advertising and editing in early time3... Social organization of the press recom- mended. ..Want of a proper history of our City press. ..This the first written. ..Eleazer Phillips the first printer in the Colony... Difficulties attending this compilation , CHAPTER II. The first newspaper in the Colony... Whitmarsh its publisher. ..Quaint extracts therefrom..." Charlestown" half a century without a news- paper... Errors of previous historians corrected... Death of Whit- marsh. ..Louis Timothee, his successor... Death of Lewis Timothy... First wood-cut... Extremes of cold and warm weather in " Charles- town". ..First disastrous fire, 1740... Lewis Timothy succeeded by his widow, as publisher. ..Peter Timothy, her son, continues the Ga- zette. ..Change in its style. ..Presentment of Grand Jury, 174(3. ..The l razette and «Tovernor Glen CHAPTER III. The Gazette and Country Journal. ..Charles and Mary Crouch..." The Exchange and Custom House," 1767. ..Peter and John Horlbeck, builders. ..Second disastrous fire, 1778. ..South Carolina and American Central Gazette—Royal Gazette; 1781-82. ...John Miller publishes viii CONTENTS. PACJE. Bouth Carolina Gasette and General Advertiser. ..Appointed printer to the State, by our delegation In Congress—Conclusion of the war of Independence... Miller publishes official account—Thomas Hall, Post Master. ..1 he primitive mail carriers. ..Record of Post Masters.. 21 CHAPTER IV. Charleston Incorporated. ..Thirteen Wards created. ..First Wardens... Representatives of the Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael — First [ntendant... Elections endorsed by the press. ..The hells of St Mi- chael's Church...The first Circulating Library, 1783-John Miller... ili^ Weekly Messenger... Death of John Miller— Columbian Herald <.r Patriotic Courier of North America—Other papers and their edi- tors. ..Third and Fourth disastrous (ires, 1796 and 1800 20 CHAPTER V. Crime in 1786...The murder of Nicholas John Wightman... Males and Females implicated ...Their condemnation and execution. ..Capri- cious marriage announcement. ..Two travelling Algerinos... Ramsay's History of South Carolina obnoxious to the British Government... South Carolina State Gazette and Timothy and Mason's Daily Ad- vertiser *3 CHAPTER VI. David R. Williams, E. S. Thomas and other editors... The City Gazette and Daily Advertiser... The Daily Evening Post. ..The fifth disastrous fire, October, 1810... Earthquakes. ..Skinner and Whilden... Crime ram- punt. ..Mr. and Mrs. Fisher. ..Their arrest and execution. ..The sixth disastrous fire, February, 1835. ..The Gazette and its editors, from 1822 to 1832... William Gilmore Simms...The seventh disastrous fire, June, 1835. ..Absorption of the Gazette by the Courier 55 CHAPTER VII. The State Rights and Free Trade Evening Post.. .John A. Stuart,. .J. C. Norrie... B. R, Gitsinger...The Post changes hands... It dies. ..The CONTENTS. IX PAGE. Palmetto Battery. ..James Wright Simmons. ..The Times and Politi- cal and Commercial Evening Gazette, 1806-8. ..Thomas Campbell Cox. ..William P. Young. ..Thomas Sheppard...The Franklin Head sign, 1814. ..The Times changes proprietors. ..Skrine & Duke...T. G. Skrine last proprietor, 182-1... The Investigator ... John Mac-key... TurnbulPs attack on Mac-key... A tory mob attacks the office of the Investigator. ..John Lyde Wilson, editor, author and Governor CD CHAPTER VIII. The Southern Patriot and Commercial Advertiser... Isaac Hnrby... Rob- ert Howard. ..Jacob N. Cardozo... Martin E. Munro...The Charleston Evening News. ..John Cunningham and his coadjutors. ..The Sun... Edward 8U1...H. L. Darr...A. E. Miller.. .John C. Hoff...The Rose: Bud. ..Mrs. Caroline Gilman...The Rambler... Dr. John B. Irving 77 CHAPTER IX. The only Journal of the past and present. ..First issued as Charleston Courier, January 10, l803...Loring Andrews, A. S. Willington, S. C. Carpenter, its founders. ..Contents epitomized. ..Ground-mole plot... B. B. Smith, F. Dalcho, P. T. Marchant, 1807. ..John Palm 8'J CHAPTER X. The Courier to 1809... Edmund Morford...The embargo. ..The burning of Placide's Theatre, Richmond... The Courier's East Bay location... Isidore Gandonin...The Commercial Treaty. ..Mr. Willington as boarding officer... Incidents. ..Joseph Prevost and his successors... Elford's Observatory 101 CHAPTER XI. Title of the Courier changed, 1821. ..William Crafts as editor. ..James Gordon Bennett, 1823. ..The Courier power and steam presses... Its thriftiness...A. S. Willington, Richard Yeadon, William S. King, pro- prietors. ..Celestial phenomenon. ..A perplexing incident 10'j \ 0ONTBNT8. CHAPTER XII. PAGE. Fire <>f April 27, 1838... Lose of life attending it...History of "OldSeces- sion"...Charleston's unparalleled Bre, December, 1861. ..The Courier Forced to change its place of publication... W. B. Carlisle, V. S. Bird ;ind A. < i. Andrews. ..Whittemore and Johnson take possession of the courier under official orders... Wm. L. Daggett...The Courier reverts to its proprietors ll" CHAPTER XIII. 'I'll.' Courier and it.- principal editors... A. S. Willington, R. Yeadon, W. 8. King, and others. ..Nullification, a civil excitement, 183l-'32...The Courier and politics... New York and Charleston line of steamers... Mexican war. ..Pony express... Electro-Magnetic Telegraph 127 CHAPTER XIV. Death of Win. S. King, 1852. ..Alexander Carroll succeeds as editor... William Laidler... James H. Murrcll... Henry M. Cushman... James L. Batch... William B. Carlisle ...Thomas Y. Simons. ..Death of William Rogers, 1870 l\iy the author 1ST THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. !; Hail Printing, Hail ! thou thrice illustrious Art ! Which clear" d the Head, and which reform'd the Hearc, Bless'd with new Light, a superstitious age, And purg"d the Relies of barbariek Rage ; From thee celestial Streams of Learning flow, And to thy Pow"r we pure Religion owe." [Rev'd. Dr. Birch.] CHAPTEE I. THE ART OF PRINTING CLAIMS OF INVENTORS — ITS BE- NEFICENT INFLUENCES — THE AUTHOR OF THIS BROCHURE A PRINTER — THE WORD "NEWS" FIGURATIVELY INTER- PRETED — NEWSPAPERS — THEIR ORIGIN IN ENGLAND — ADVERTISING AND EDITING IN EARLY TIMES — SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE PRESS RECOMMENDED — WANT OF A PROPER HISTORY OF OUR CITY PRESS — THIS THE FIRST WRITTEN — ELEAZER PHILLIPS THE FIRST PRINTER IN THE COLONY DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING THIS COMPILA- TION. Famous among the inventive arts stands Printing. Its first appearance, between the years 1422 and 1436, was a new era in civilization. It casts around mankind, on every side, beneficent influences. Revelation and science are taught by it to wear the garb, and speak the language of unper verted judgment. 1 2 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS It does not clearly appear to whom we are indebted for this all-controlling art. The city of Mentz, situated on the Rhine, just below its confluence with the Main, and the rich and populous city of Haerlem, the one in Germany, and the other on the river Sparen, in Holland, have long contended for the priority of its invention. Though the popular voice is in favor of Mentz, yet Hadrianus Ju- nius names Haerlem as the birth-place of this noble art. The claim of individual invention seems, after sifting the morvt aulhec.tie #at&, to be equally balanced between John Guttenlurg, a ktogEt and citizen, and Johann Faust, both of the former city, and Laurentius Villa, sometimes called Lawrence Janszoon Koster, once an alderman of the latter place. The result of this invention is most happy. The very power which it conveys is attended with peculiar pleas- ure, such as few other arts in equal measure impart. The compositor at his case can complacently consider him- self the disseminator of intelligence to legions, and main- tains a secret, yet personal influence, over a boundless sphere. He feels also, that he is serving the cause of mankind, and his labor becomes his pleasure. In the autumn of 1843, the author, at the instance of his father, Wm. S. King, entered as an apprentice in the office of The Charleston Courier, a journal then, as now, owned by Messrs. A. S. Wellington & Co. The business management and assistant editorship of this daily was, for many years, committed to his father, and the apprentice- ship was during its continuance under his supervision. To many of the craft in this city, this information is un- necessary, yet it is mentioned to show that however distrust- ful the author may feel of his ability to do justice to the work now undertaken, he has at least the merit of possess- ing, to some extent, the experience which may be regarded OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 6 as indispensable to its proper and practical exposition. In- deed, lie would have preferred one riper in years, who had been at the case longer than himself, to have undertaken a subject which has been so long neglected. He assumes the task without any apprehensions of its labor, and feels that he will be stimulated in its performance by the con- viction that it is a pleasurable duty. Many persons read newspapers without considering the importance of the word " News," or even interpreting, figuratively, the import which is attached to the word. In the first place, news come from all quarters of the globe, and so the constituent letters of the word itself demon- strates, viz: N.E.W.S. — North, East, West and South. No language furnishing a word more expressive. Again, when further considered, these cardinal letters recommend to us the practice of the four following virtues : Nobleness in our thoughts, Equity in our dealings, Wisdom in our conduct, Sobriety in our lives. The newspaper of to-day is, in every respect, far in ad- vance of what it was a half century ago. More especially does it differ in point of management. This medium has an unlimited agency in modern society, for circulating in- formation respecting the whole range of human concerns, from the affairs of nations, and the researches of science, to the minutest interests of individuals. In its editorial and general conduct there is perceptible, also, an increased fear- lessness. Things which in the time of Junius* would have * These celebrated letters of "Junius" were prepared for " The Public Ad- vertiser," published in London. The Advertiser was published for forty years, by Henry Sampson Woodfall, who died in London 12th September, 1805, aged 67 years. From a paper published in the year 1788, is taken the following curious political anecdote of Garrick and Junius: "At the close of Junius's political warfare, Mr. Garrick received a note in his dressing-room from the present Mr. Henry Sampson Woodfall, inform- ing him that the Public Advertiser of that day contained the last letter that would be published by that very celebrated writer. Convinced that the 4 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS set London agog, and thoughts not less eloquent than were written in those sixty-nine letters, now pass almost daily without especial notice. So, too, with the mechanical op- erations of t lie newspaper. They have reached a perfec- tion calculated to astonish those who may examine its his- tory. In England, the value of newspapers was first appreci- ated in the solid and frugal policy of Lord Cecil William Burleigh, who, for nearly forty years, was the most suc- ful Minister of Queen Elizabeth. For, when his country, during the reign of that Queen, was threatened hy Spain with invasion, he availed himself of their use and through them informed the people of the enemy's move- ments. The designs of his adversaries were thus frequently overthrown. But the importance of these printed sheets, then only occasionally issued, was not thoroughly understood, until the beginning of the wars which occurred between Charles the First and his Parliament, consequent upon the main- tidings of such an event would be highly acceptable at Buckingham-House, Mr. Garrick instantly wrote to Mr. Ramus, then royal factotum, as follows : My dear Ramus, Junius writes no more ! Your's, ever truly, p. G." "Mr. Ramus, as may be supposed, lost not a moment's time in conveying this agreeable intelligence to the Sovereign's ear, and that with the utmost privacy: notwithstanding which, Mr. Garrick, to his unspeakable astonish- ment, received the following letter the next day. in the identical hand- writing of Junius : for which extraordinary circumstance he was unable to account to the day of his death. COPY. Monday. Sir, "Your prudential habits might have prevented you from becoming the unnecessary intelligencer of my designs. I stood not in need of your offices to proclaim my intentions. Probably the measure was suggested by some personal vanity: in that case you shall not long remain ungratified: for, having done with the baneful politics of Princes, I have now full leisure to descend to the mimic Monarchs of the stage. JUNIUS." OF CHARLESTON, S. C. tenance of rights which encroached on royal prerogatives. Then began that competition among newspaper writers, which has since been carried to a most remarkable extent. The rapid and wide publicity given to whatever was printed, soon suggested to individuals a way, not only to make their talents apparent, but to have their wishes fashioned into and expressed by advertisements. The editor of a journal formerly, was its printer and publisher ; something more, he was a sort of sponsor for the accuracy of its advertising customers. The sleep of the editor of the present day, did he undertake to vouch for all of the advertisements which appear in the columns of his paper, would not be a repose on a bed of roses. The first consideration to be looked to, in advancing the newspaper business, is the necessity among proprietors and editors of a close social organization. This combination is the primary secret of success, and was so regarded by the proprietors and editors of our daily papers, who stood in former years as a host within themselves. This social ex- istence appears to have expired with its projectors, and its principles seem to have been entombed with them when they were gathered to their fathers. "The treasures of antiquity laid up In old historic rolls, I opened," and in opening them, find it refreshing to recall the char- acteristics of those able editorial workers who constituted the old Charleston press. Of these, but few now survive. Neither in the " Reminiscences of South Carolina," by E. S. Thomas, who but casually refers to the newspaper press, nor in the valuable works of Ramsay, Fraser or Dalcho, (the latter in early life an editor,) can there be found any record of the Press of Charleston. That octo- genarian editor, Jacob N. Cardozo, in his " Reminiscen- b TITE NEWSPAPEB PEESS. but a brief resume of tlie Press of Charleston. In this particular the historians of our craft here seemed at i to have been remiss. IsATAif Thomas, LL. D., of Massachusetts, one of the most eminent of American printers, in his "History of Printing in America," lias paid great attention to the sub- jecl of newspapers in general. To Eleazee Phillips, he gives the credit of having been, as early as 1730, the " first printer to his Majesty," but does not say that he published the first newspaper in the Colony. Thomas does not even refer to, nor does he seem to have possessed that information in regard to the advent of the press, which the author has gathered from the records of that exceedingly valuable in- stitution — the Charleston Library Society,* the shelves of which are peculiarly rich in collections of costly, rare, and old books. Among those noted for their antiquity, are " Maetiael's Epigrams," published in Venice, in 1491 ; 11 The second folio edition of William Shakspeare's Com- edies, Histories and Tragedies." This edition*)" was printed in London in 1632, by Thos. Cote, for Robert Allot, and "sold at the figure of the Blacke Beare, in St. Paul's Church Yard." *Shecut, page 40 : "Seventeen gentlemen obtained in the year 1754, an act of incorporation, by which they were known and distinguished as the ' Charleston Library Society.' " f At a sale in New York city, a few years ago, a copy of the first edition of this work was "knocked down" for the sum of $127. Both of the works mentioned as being in the Library, are in a remarkably complete state of preservation. CHAPTEE IT. THE FIEST NEWSPAPER IN THE COLONY — WHITMARSH ITS PUBLISHER QUAINT EXTRACTS THEREFROM ; ' CHARLES- TOWN" HALF A CENTURY WITHOUT A NEWSPAPER — ER- RORS OF PREVIOUS HISTORIANS CORRECTED — DEATH OF WHITMABSH LOUIS TIMOTHEE, HIS SUCCESSOR — DEATH OF LEWIS TIMOTHY — FIRST WOOD-CUT EXTREMES OF COLD AND WARM WEATHER IN " CHARLE3TOWN" — FIRST DISASTROUS FIRE, 1740 — LEWIS TIMOTHY SUCCEEDED BY HIS WIDOW, AS PUBLISHER — PETER TIMOTHY, HER SON, CONTINUES THE GAZETTE — CHANGE IN ITS STYLE — PRE- SENTMENT OF GRAND JURY, 1746 — THE GAZETTE AND GOVERNOR GLEN. From information, carefully gathered, it appears that the first newspaper published in " Charlestown," after its permanent settlement* on this side of the Ashley, which was in 1680, was "The South Carolina Gazette, which con- tains the freshest advices, Foreign and Domestick." The leader had as a caption this motto, taken from the lines of Horace : " Omne tulit punctum; qui miscuit utile dulci, Lectorem deleetando, pariterque monendo." At the conclusion of the leader or introductory article, * In the exact date of the abandonment of the settlement known as "Old Town," which was "by a formal command of the proprietors," there is a discrepancy; authorities, however, predominate in favor of 16S0. In all probability, the transfer from "Old Town" to "Oyster Point," was made early in that year. 8 THE NEWSPAPEE PRESS which waa signed " Philo-Caroli wore the followii ! " To ;• I may conci cd fco know nit' :" ■• I'm not Bigh-Chnreh, nor Low-< Ihurch, nor Tory nor Whig, No Qatt'ring young Coxcomb, nor formal old Prig. Not eternally talking, nor silently quaint, No profligate .-inner, no pragmatical Saint, I'm not vain of my judgment, n«.r j)inn'd on a Sleeve, Nor implicitly any Thing can . To sitt Truth iron: all Rubbisn, 1 do what I can, And, God knows, if I err — I'm a fallible man. I can laugh at a Jest, if not crack'd out of Time, And excuse a mistake, tho' not flatter a Crime. Any Faults of my Friends I would scorn to expose, And detest private scandal, tho' cast on my Foes. I put none to the Blush, on whatever pretence, For immodesty shocks both good Breeding and Sense. No Man's Person 1 hate, though his Conduct I blame, I can sensure a Vice, without stabbing a name. To amend— not reproach— is the Bent of my Mind, A Reproof is half lost, when ill nature isjoin'd. Where Merit appears, tho' in Rags, I respect it, And plead Virtue's Cause, should the whole World reject it. Cool Reason I bow to, wheresoever 'tis found, And rejoice when sound Learning with favour is crown'd. To no Party a Slave, in no Squabbles I join, Nor damn the Opinion that differs from mine. Evil Tongues I condemn, no mob Treasons I sing, I dote on my Country, and am Liege to my King. Tho' length of Days I desire, yet with my last Breath, I'm in hopes to betray no mean Dreadings of Death. And as to the Path after Death to be Trod, I rely on the Will of a merciful God." Thomas Whitmarsh arrived in " Charlestown" early in 1731, and was the publisher of the Gazette. Whit- marsh took this step with much fear and trembling, and with much foreboding of failure. This feeling was express- ed by repeated appeals, and editorial notices. The Gazette was eleven and a half inches in length, seven in width, containing eight columns, two to a page. It was put in circulation on " Saturday, January 8, 1731-2," and issued weekly from the " sign of the table-clock, on the Bay, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. y where advertisements are taken in."* The Gazette was sup- plied at £'3 a year. Town subscribers were requested to send for their papers every Saturday, by 3 o'clock ; papers for the country subscribers were kept at the office. George Webb and Eleazer Phillips, jr.,t two other printers, arrived in "Charlestown'" about the time Thos. AYhitmarsh came, induced hither by encouragement held out by the Governor in Council, and by the Assembly of the Province. The first movement to establish printing in what was then the Colony, was by Council, in December, 1722. In January, 1724, and in May, 1731, movements were again made to have a printer settle in the Colony. That no printing was done in the Colony prior to 1731 is ♦Thomas and Ramsay assert that "Newspapers were first published in South Carolina, in or about 1730, by Lewis Timothy." Sheeut, chapter iii, page 41-2— "The first nevv-paper printed in the Colony, was one at Charles- town, sometime in the year 1730. The venerable Josiah Smith, who has preserved files of the first and second numbers of newspapers printed in Charlestown, has. within the past year (1819), presented them to the Charles- ton Library Society." These files are now in the Library, and they are the oldest Colonial newspapers in that repository; they bear Josiah Smith's autograph. The first edition is dated January 8, 1731-2. Professor Wm. J. Rivers, of the South Carolina Co'lege. brought to our attention in a publica- tion of his, in the September number of Russell's Magazine for 1858. a few facts about the introduction of printing into South Carolina. He gathered them from the manuscript records in the State House, at Columbia. In that paper, Professor Rivers questions the statement of the above histo- rians. He says: "If this was the ea~e. why did the Legislature make or renew their appropriation on 21st May. 1731, for the encouragement of a printer to settle here?"' "If printing," he adds, -was introduced in 1730, the Legislature seem not to have been aware of it." f Eleazer Phillips, jr., died in July, 1732. His father, who was a book- seller, advertised nearly two years after, in the Gazette for a settlement of all debts due himself or the estate of his son, for news, printing, &c. Spe- cial mention is made of subscriptions due Eleazer Phillips, jr., for six months of the South Carolina Weekly Journal, a paper which is not named in any of the early records of t 3S, and of which no other trace can be found. If such a paper did exist, it must either have preceded the Gazette, or been contemporary with it. The Gazette has been commonly regarded dy the first in time, but for many years, the only newspa- per issued in the Town or Province: 10 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS proven by the Blibjoined quotation from Council Journal, No. 5, page 86, in the State House, at Columbia : May 21st, 1730. The following was sent to the Lower House : " We take this opportunity to acquaint you that His 11 Excellency has informed us that His Majesty, out of his " great goodness to this Province, will be pleased to print 11 our laws at his own charge, and send over as many " cojoies as may be necessary. Therefore, recommend this " matter to you, that a copy may be provided of such laws " as are necessary to be printed, that they may be sent " to Great Britain as soon as possible." It is established that one press was put to work in the Colony as early as 1731, and this fact is authenticated by the publication of several pamphlets, the title pages of which are marked of that date ; and a further corrobora- tion is found in references contained in The South Carolina Gazette, of the year following ; and further, from mention made in the Council Journals now in the State House at Columbia, in manuscript. The foreign advices in the first number of the Gazette, tell that "the Charter appointing Trustees for establishing " the Colony of Georgia, in America, is passed 'the Broad " Seal,' and that the Right Honorable the Lord Percival, " being by the Charter appointed President the 14th in- stant, he took the oath for the faithful discharge of his " Trust, before the Right Honorable the Lord Chief Jus- tice, Baron of the Exchequer." The edition of January 20th, 1732, states : " Saturday " night came to an anchor off our bar, a ship with about " 120 people for settling the new Colony of Georgia, in " which was James Oglethorpe, Esquire, who came ashore " that night, and was extremely well received by His Ex- " cellency, our Governor ; the next morning he went on OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 11 11 board, and the ship sailed for Port Royal ; and we hear " there are two more ships with people (which will make " the number 500,) expected daily." The settling of Georgia was begun in this way : James Oglethorpe, at the age of 30, being then a member of Parliament, obtained the appointment of a legisla- tive commission to inquire into " the state of debtor-pris- oners in England." The report of that commission, in the year 1729, set forth so much suffering and oppression, that Oglethorpe's proposition to found a Colony in Amer- ica, was adopted by the British Parliament. With this Colony, Oglethorpe designed to establish a settlement, which should also be an " asylum for the persecuted Pro- testants of France, Germany and Switzerland, and even, through them, of converting the Indian tribes to Chris- tianity." The Royal Charter, incorporating the Colony for twenty-one years, was obtained in 1732. Oglethorpe, besides being a philanthropist, was a warrior, and served with distinction under Prince Eugexe, in his campaign against the Turks. An account of the progress of this first Colony, is given in the issue of the 17th March, 1733. The domestic information in the Gazette is, " one day "last week, one Richard Birmingham, belonging to his '• Majesty's ship Shoreham, was drowned in Wappoo Creek, "over against Colonel Lucas' plantation, by endeavoring " to get the grappling up." Another piece of domestic information, as stated in the Gazette of the 27th January, 1733, was to this end : " On " Saturday last, a negro fellow belonging to Mr. Isaac " Mazyck, Si\, pull'd a young lad off his horse on the " Broad Path, and rode away with the horse and bags "thereon, in which there were clothes of value. He was "taken on Sunday; on Monday brought to Town, tried 12 TJJE N KVYsPA i'KU PRESS " and condemned ; on the next day, about noon, he was " hanged." The office of the Gazette was removed at the end of March, 1732, to the residence of Mr. Hugh Evans, tailor, in Church Street, within a few doors of the Secretary's office,* and the paper appeared on the morning of the 1st April. From the above, it is apparent that full half a century had elapsed after the settlement of " Charlestown " before the first public journal was established. South Carolina was the fifth Colony in which a newspaper was published. It may be here properly mentioned, that the pioneer of the American Press was the .News- Letter, \ which was printed in Pudding Lane, Boston, Massachusetts, by John Campbell. Its first issue was from "Monday, April 17, to Monday, April 24, 1704." It was printed on paper nine inches in length and six inches in width — pica type. The oldest of the American weekly papers now extant, is the Newport Mercury, established by Benjamin Franklin, A. D. 1758. That, at the head of daily newspapers, in point of age, is the North American and United /States Gazette, of Philadelphia. It is the direct successor of the Pennsylvania Packet and the General Advertiser, first issued October 28, 1771. To recur. The advertisements in the early papers of *The Secretary's office was then located on the east side of Church Street, between the streets now known as Elliott and Tradd. John Hamerton was the Secretary; he was also "Receiver General to his Majesty." -f-The edition of tne News-Letter, published for the week, from May 22 to May 29, 1710, contains but one advertisement, viz.: "Advertisement— Two negro women, one aged about 25, and the other about 30 years old, to be sold by Mr. Wm. Clark, Junior, merchant, to be seen at his house, Common Street, Boston." It is interesting to learn, at this time, that the first and only newspaper printed in New England, one hundred and sixty years ago, contained a solitary advertisement, and that was — offering two human beings for sale. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 13 South Carolina were limited, and were devoted more par- ticularly to the settlement of estates, official notices and estrays, etc., than to any regular commercial publicity. In these early papers will be seen strong indications of the lively interest and participation taken in the slave trade, for the supply of Charleston, which was afterwards continued on the part of our little sister State. Rhode Island. A considerable portion of the shipping reported in 1732. as engaged in the Charleston trade, is credited to Ehode Island. The value of the investments in commerce and busi- ness generally, with its increased trade, induced a corres- pondence, in the year 1733, on the question of insurance. The resident merchants of " Charlestown " desired to be underwritten from the offices of London and Bristol, the most frequented ports of the " Mother Country ;*' but the request was declined, on the ground that no charter then existing permitted such risks. The city was thus left to its own resources, and in four years after, the residents organized a mutual voluntary insurance association. Some other attempts seem to have been made in 1732 to organ- ize these associations, but without any definite result. The largest capitals were invested in ways that could be protected, and it was property in the city that desired guarantees. Other lines of inquiry and incidental research are sup- plied by the gazettes, as to the subjects, courses and modes of trade, occupations, manners, habits, etc., of the growing and struggling city, which was for years threatened by the sea itself, and by enemies from the sea, on one side, and on the other by savages and European foes. Thomas Whitmarsh continued to be the printer of The South Carolina Gazette until his course was arrested by death, which was from yellow or strangers' fever, in 2 14 THE NEWSPAPER TRESS the summer of 1733. The paper was continued in his name, and in the last number, to which the name of Whitmarsh is affixed, lb thai from September 1 to Sep- tember 8, 1733. This appeal is made in the edition dated August 4 to August 11, 1733, with the view of closing up the affairs of the first publisher — " Gentlemen : It is but a little to each of you, tho' it " will be a considerable sum to me ; and lying in many 11 hands wide from each other, (according to the Nature of 11 our Business,) it is highly inconvenient, and scarce practi- 11 cable for me to call upon every one ; I shall, therefore, " think myself particularly obliged, and take it very kind 11 of those who are mindful to send or bring it in without " further notice." Nothing beyond this is known of the publisher, Whit- marsh. Lewis Timothy, the successor of Whitmarsh, was a French refugee ; he went to Holland, and from thence to " Charlestown," early in 1733. In February of the same year he became the proprietor and editor of the Gazette, and published it in Union Street, now known as State Street. Up to April 6th, 1734, he signed his name as Louis Timothee ; from that period he anglicized it to Lewis Timothy. His demise, the result of an " unhappy accident," took place in December, 1738. In the issue of the Gazette of 21st June, 1735, the first wood-cut appeared — that of a horse ; it bore but little resemblance to the object which it pretended to represent. The proprietor of the paper used it in an advertisement, inserted by Fran. Le Brasseur, who made known the fact that " a bay mare had been taken astray on his plan- " tation, near Goose Creek." The same paper, in its number of the 22nd January, 1737, mentions that " We have had so cold weather here, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 15 " tliat in one night between Tuesday and Wednesday the " water in the creeks and ponds in and about the Town, " was frozen near three inches thick." Having given data for cold weather, which can scarcely be surpassed in Charleston, in point of severity, we have concluded to quote from two authorities, in relation to the intensity of the heat known here. It is not unfrequently the case, that after having laid aside the newspaper which has announced the " Hottest Day," the reader is very apt to encounter in the daily in- tercourse with his fellow-citizens, some one of that class of croakers, who having no moderation in their minds, give evidence of the same deficiency in their conversation. With them a moderate degree of language is seldom or never given utterance to ; but on the other hand, the super- lative degree is ever predominant. After the perusal of the following extracts, the quid nunc will be convinced that he has not as yet experienced the " Hottest Day" ever known. The Rev'd. Mr. Hewett records a very remarkable season of hot and dry weather. He says : " During the "summer of 1728, the weather in Carolina was observed " to be uncommonly hot, by which the face of the earth " was entirely parched ; the pools of standing water dried " up, and the beasts of the field reduced to the greatest " distress." Dr. Chalmers speaks of the year 1752 as " excessively "hot and dry in Charlestown ; many cattle perished for " want of water ; the plants were shrunk and withered, "and the distress of man and beast was indescribable. " When the mercury rose to the 97 and 98 degrees of the " thermometer in the shade, the atmosphere seemed in a " glow. At bed time it was not possible to lie long still ; " some of the inhabitants were compelled to lay about on 1G THE NEWSPAPEB PR] "the pavements. This circumstance is corroborated by "the venerable Josiah Smith, who informed me that so "intense was the heat, thai along the Bay he observed "many families who had their beda made in their bal- " conies." "Bodies thai died putrified in live hours, and a candle " that was blown out at this season, and set in a chimney " at 10 o'clock at night, the wick continued to burn clearly " until next morning, and was likely to do so for many " hours longer." The following description of the first, and perhaps the most serious fire which befell " Charlestown," is extracted from The South Carolina Gazette, of the 20th November, 1740: On Tuesday, the 18th instant, a " Fire broke out in this " Town, at 2 o'clock, on the afternoon, which consumed the "houses from Broad Street and Church Street, down to " Granville Bastion, (which was the most valuable part of " the Town, on account of the buildings and trade), not- " withstanding the utmost care and diligence of the inhab- " itants of all ranks, who were very active in their endea- " vors to extinguish it, The fire likewise- consumed all the "houses on the West side of Church Street from Broad " Street, opposite to Col. Brewtons * which was saved with " the greatest diligence, by blowing up several houses, " which put a stop to the fire about 8 o'clock, at night, " The wind blowing pretty fresh at North West, carried " the flakes of fire so far, and by that means set houses on " fire at such a distance, that it was not possible to prevent " the spreading of it, On this unfortunate occurrence the *Fraserinhis "Reminiscences of Charlestown," published in 1854, de- signated Col. Brewton's as the "old brick house on the West side of Church Street, two doors South of the corner of Tradd Street." The Provincial As- sembly had been, formerly, accommodated there by Col. Miles Brewton, whose residence it was at that time. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 17 " assistance given by the Commanders of His Majesty's "ships was very considerable, in pulling down and blow- " ing up houses, and particularly by extinguishing the fire " in Granville's Bastion * where part of the platform was " consumed, and some of the gun carriages. The militia " was ordered under arms, and proper guards placed in " several parts of the Town, to prevent the embezzling of " any of the sufferers' goods,f which were saved from the " flames. There was a detachment from each of His Ma- jesty's ships Phcenix, Tartar and Spence on shore ; and a " party of twenty troopers patrolled all night up to the " Quarter House, and around the Town." The next edition of this paper, which appeared the week following, from November 27th to December 4th, 1740, was almost entirely taken up with notices of removals and arti- cles lost the night of the fire, one of the latter description is here appended : "William Wright, gold and silver-smith, is removed "to John's Island, and continues to carry on his business, " where gentlemen can be supplied with all sorts of work as " usual ; his case will shortly be furnished with sundries, " and kept by Mr. Eleazer Phillips, post master, on '■ Madam Trott's WnarfT. The said Wright, lost at the "-fire, out of his pocket, a long piece of gold, near a foot in " length, and the breadth of a gold button. Whoever "shall find the same, and bring it to Eleazer Phillips, * Granville Bastion was where the last building on the East side of East Bay now is. f The copy of a letter written just after the fire by Robert Pringle, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, which his descendant, Judge W. Alston Pringle has kindly permitted the author to see, states that "the loss in mer- chandize of all description was computed at two hundred thousand pounds sterling. Two-thirds of the Town," this letter adds, " was destroyed in four hours of time ; besides a great number of stores, there were consumed 3(mj dwelling houses, and had the fire occurred at night, at the same hour it did in the day, a great number of lives might have been lost, and most of the shipping might have likewise been destroyed." 18 THE NEWSPAPEE TRESS " shrill have three pounds reward, paid by said Wright or '• Phillips." This announcement from the post master, also appeared : " This is to give notice that the post office is now kept at "the house where Mr. Prioleau's scales are, on Madam "Trott's Wharff, by Eleazer Phillips." The account of the fire of 1740, is by no means uninter- esting. It cannot either be regarded as foreign to the sub- ject matter, as it is from newspapers, the medium of news and correspondence, that the information has been gathered. It has occurred to the author, that continuing to men- tion, in their appropriate places, the principal fires which have happened in Charleston, will prove interesting and instructive. He is the more readily induced to this belief from the fact that, neglected as our State history has been, that of our City — which was for a length of time her capital, and chief resort, and is still her commercial me- tropolis — has received even less attention. Elizabeth, the widow of Lewis Timothy, carried on the Gazette. In the issue of the paper which followed the death of her husband, she makes this appeal to the pa- trons and the public, over her signature : " I take this "opportunity of informing the publick, that I shall con- "tinue the paper as usual; and hope, by the assistance " of my friends, to make it as entertaining and correct as " may reasonably be expected. Wherefore, I flatter myself " that all those persons, who by subscription, or otherwise, "assisted my late husband in the prosecution of the said " undertaking, will be kindly pleased to continue their fa- " vors and good offices to his poor afflicted widow, and six " small children, and another hourly expected," She was ^succeeded, in 1757, by her son, Peter Timo- thy, and his name, as publisher, appeared under the title of his paper. It was the first instance known in newspa- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 19 per publication. Previously, the publisher's name was always placed at the bottom of the fourth page. In connection with his younger brother. Charles. Peter continued to publish the paper "on the Bay, opposite the upper market ;" (now Vendue Range) afterwards, at the corner of King and Tradd Streets, under the firm of Tim- othy & Bro., which lasted until the fall of " Charlestown," in May, 1780. Under their proprietorship, the paper was called the Gazette of the State of South Carolina. Peter Timothy was taken prisoner by the British, after the fall of " Charlestown." In The South Carolina Gazette of the 30th March, 1746, there appeared the appended presentment of the Grand Ju- ry of the Province, made at " a Court of General Sessions of " the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, Assign and General Goal " Delivery." It began and was " holden at Charlestown, the " 18th day of March, Anno Domini 1746, before the Hon- "orable Thomas Dale, William Bull, jr., and John " Lining, Esquires, Assistant Judges of our Lord the " King, as a grievance, did present Printer Timothy, prin- ter of the paper called the South Carolina Gazette, for " having printed and published, in the aforesaid Gazette, "No. 666, a letter signed R. A., and in No. 669, another "letter signed S. T., containing matter of falsehood, and " also libellous, and a great scandal and reflection upon His " Excellency (James Glen,) the Governor of this Pro- " vince, and tends to bring his authority into contempt ; "and, therefore, we request the Honorable Court to give " proper directions for punishing the author, printer and " publisher of the said two letters ; which we apprehend to " be destructive to the liberty of the press, a privilege we "enjoy, and which has been so justly contended for, by our " ancestors, and we hope will be preserved to our latest "posterity." The presentment of this Jury, over which 20 THE NEWSPAPEB TRESS. Gabriel Manigault, Esquire, was Foreman, is worthy of the Bpace here accorded to it. The article in No. 666, signed " R. A.," and referred to by this presentmeni as a LTievance, was a protest by the writer, to the pious proposal of Governor Glen to pre- vent, as much as possible, the profanation of the Lord's 1 lay, by stopping the sale of " merchandize, meats, fish and herbage." " T. S.," the author of the other article in No. 669, pre- sented by the jury, objected to, and disputed the right of His Excellency's placing sentinels at the Town gates every Sunday, to prevent the violation of the Sabbath, and pro- hibit idle persons from going "a pleasuring" on that day. CHAPTER III. THE GAZETTE AND COUNTRY JOURNAL — CHARLES AND MARY CROUCH "THE EXCHANGE AND CUSTOM HOUSE," 1767 PETER AND JOHN HORLBECK, BUILDERS SECOND DISAS- TROUS FIRE, 1778 — SOUTH CAROLINA AND AMERICAN GENERAL GAZETTE — ROYAL GAZETTE, 1781-82 JOHN MILLER PUBLISHES SOUTH CAROLINA GAZETTE AND GEN- ERAL ADVERTISER APPOINTED PRINTER TO THE STATE, BY OUR DELEGATION IN CONGRESS — CONCLUSION OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE — MILLER PUBLISHES OFFICIAL ACCOUNT — THOMAS HALL, POST MASTER THE PRIMITIVE MAIL CARRIERS — RECORD OF POST MASTERS. In December, 1765, The South Carolina Gazette and Country Journal was published in Bedon's Alley, by Charles Crouch, a sound whig. He published it until 1772 ; then it was continued by his widow, Mary Crouch, until 1775. Charles Crouch, the publisher of The South Carolina Gazette and Country Journal, was an apprentice to Peter Timothy. He died, 1772, leaving two sons, W. H. and Abraham Crouch. Charles Crouch, the publisher, was the paternal grandfather of Mr. Charles W. Crouch, an old resident of this City. The title of the paper was chang- ed, subsequently, to South Ca7 , olina and American General Gazette, and published by Robert Wells, at the " Old Printing House." Robert AVells was a staunch royalist. Robert Wells & Son were, afterwards, publishers of this paper, at No. 71 Tradd Street. Its motto was from Hor- 22 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS ACE, " Nullius adictus jurare in verba magistri" This firm, "Printers to the King's Most Excellent Majesty," published the Royal Gazette, from March 3d, 1781, to the close of 1782. Both father and son became, at a succeed- ing time, publishers of the Nassau (New Providence) Gazette. Crouch's Country Journal, in its number of the 29th October, 1767, says: " At a full meeting of the Board of " Commissioners for building the new ' Exchange and Cus- " torn House,'* the proposals of Messrs. Peter and John " Horlbeck, were preferred ; and at the same time agreed " with for finishing the same, by beginning of the year 11 1770, for forty thousand nine hundred and sixty-six " pounds (currency equal to 5,848 sterling, or about $26,- "000), and the new Watch-house, already began, by the " 1st of August next, by Messrs. Nailer & Brown, for " 5,500 currency ; also the stone bridge, at the North end " of the Bay, for $3,300 currency." From Crouch's Country Journal, of January, 1778, is taken this account of the second disastrous fire in " Charles- town :" " On Thursday, 15th instant, a little after 4 o'clock in " the morning, a fire was discovered in the bake-house of " one Moore, at the North end of Union Street. The "alarm being immediately given, a number of people, with " engines, etc., assembled, but the wind blowing fresh at * James R. Pringle, then Collector of the Port, by appointment of Presi- dent Monroe, in 1819, in compliance with the wishes of the merchants of Charleston, effected an arrangement with the Government, on the 9th No- vember, 1833, by which the appropriate and serviceable cupola was, in the winter of 1835, added to the Exchange building. Mr. Charles Fraser, the artist, designed this cupola. J. H. Seyle and Albert Elfe were the builders. The Exchange and Custom House was vacated on the 2d of June, 1843, for necessary repairs, and the fixtures removed to Faber's building, corner of East Bay and Fraser's Wharf. The repairs were completed, and the building re-occupied 21st September, 1843. OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 23 11 N.E., drove the flames with an impetuosity that could not "be checked. The fire was so rapid in its progress, that "before twelve o'clock, it had entirely destroyed all Union " Street, the South side of Queen Street from Mrs. Doy- " ley's house to the Bay, greatest part of Chalmers Alley, rt all the Bay, excepting fifteen houses from Queen Street " to Granville's Bastion ; the North side of Broad Street " from Mr. Thomas Smith's house to the Bay ; the South " side of the same from Mr. Sawagen's to Mr. Guerard's ; " all Gadsden's Alley, Elliott Street, excepting two houses ; "Bedon's x\lley; the East side of Church Street from " Broad Street to Stoll's Alley, excepting five tenements, " and the whole of Tradd Street to the Eastward of Church " Street. The crackling of the flames, the dreadful columns " of smoke, bearing with them myriad of fiery flakes, " which fell in all parts of the Town, lying in the direction 11 of the wind ; the roar of explosions ; the crash of falling " houses ; the shrieks of the unhappy sufferers ; the horror " painted in every countenance ; the confusion apparent " everywhere, and detecting the infamous wretches (and " they were not a few), who availed themselves of the op- portunity to pilfer, altogether formed one of the most " dismal scenes of woe and distress that can possibly be 11 conceived. Much praise is due to the officers and soldiers " quartered in Town, who afforded every assistance in their "power to the inhabitants, and it was chiefly owing to " their extraordinary exertions, that the houses at the " South end of the Bay were preserved. The fire did not "proceed any further after twelve o'clock on the 15th, but " it is not yet entirely extinguished. The number of " dwelling houses destroyed, exclusive of stores and out- " houses is upwards of 250. The quantity of merchandize " and furniture is very considerable. The whole loss by " the most moderate computation exceeds three millions of 24 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS "dollars. Many are of the opinion it exceeds a million terling. The number of lives lost, is not great. We " Lave not heard of more than six, some of whom were " negroes. The Charlestown Library Society's* valua- " ble collection of books, instruments, and apparatus for " astronomical and philosophical observations and experi- " merits, etc., being unfortunately placed in a house, in the 11 neighborhood of that in which the fire broke out, is almost " entirely lost."f Public notice was given on the evening of the 15th to all those that were at a loss for lodgings and victuals, that both were provided for them at the public expense, in the several public buildings ; and on the 16th, the General Assembly voted £20,000 for the immediate relief of the sufferers. The State of Georgia was not unmindful of suf- *Shecut refers to this Library in his " Medical and Philosophical Essays." "It was founded," he says, "by seventeen gentlemen, and that they obtain- ed an Act of Incorporation in the year 1754." He adds, "the Library was destroyed 17th January, 1778." fThe Journal under date of 5th February, says: " We have been informed that the fire on the loth of January, broke out in a kitchen, hired out to some negroes, and not in Moore's bake-house. We were mistaken in say- ing the fire did not spread any farther after 12 o'clock, on the 15th, as Major Beekman's house, which was the last that took fire, was not in names until 4 o'clock in the afternoon." Elkanah Watson, in his Memoirs, abridged and published by his son, W. 0. Watson, in 1850, in a volume entitled "Men and Times of the Revolution," chapter iv, pages 44-45, makes mention of this conflagration. " I had passed the eveniDg of the 15th January, '78," he says, " with a brilliant party, at the splendid mansion of a wealthy merchant of the City. In two hours after we had left the scene of elegant refinement, the stately edifice, the rich furniture, and all its gorgeous appliances, were wrapped in flames. In the mid hours of a cold and tempestuous night, I was aroused by the cry of fire, and by a loud knocking at the door, with the appalling intelligence — The Town is in flumes. I pressed forward to the theatre of one of the most terriftic conflagrations that ever visited Charlestown. The devastation was frightful. The fire raged with unmitigated fury for seventeen hours. Every vessel, shallop, and negro boat was crowded with the distressed in- habitants. Many who, a few hours before, retired to their beds in affluence, weie now reduced, by the all-devouring element, to indigence. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 25 fering " Chariest own." Their Assembly generously voted $10,000 to relieve the distressed. In March, 1783, The South Carolina Gazette and Gen- eral Advertiser began an irregular publication, then semi- weekly, at 94 Church Street. It was conducted by John Miller, a public Printer, who came from London, Eng- land. He, in his proemial, alluded to his arrival in Phila- delphia from the " Mother Country," in January, 1783, just after the news of the evacuation of " Charlestown" had been received there. That evacuation took place on the 14th of December, 1782, now eighty-eight years ago. Mr. Miller made mention of the fact of his having been sent to "Charlestown" by the Honorable Delegation in Congress, to be Printer to the State. Our delegation, at that time, consisted of Edward Putledge, Thomas Hey- ward, Thomas Lynch and Arthur Middleton. Mr. Miller closed his prefatory address to the people, among whom he came, thus : " My ambition could not have been 11 more truly gratified than finding myself the Printer of "the Commonwealth of South Carolina." His paper was, " After laboring at the fire for many hours, I returned to my quarters, to obtain a brief respite. I had scarcely seated myself, before a man rushed in, exclaiming — 'Your roof is on fire!' The mass of the conflagration was afar off, but it, as it were, rained fire. When we had extinguished the fire on the roof, I thought it time to remove my trunk, containing funds to a large amount. Not being able to obtain assistance, I was constrained to shoulder it myself. Staggering under my load, (a burden which in ordinary times I could scarcely have lifted,) I proceeded along Main Street. The fire had extended far and wide, and was bearing down in awful majesty, a sea of flame. Almost the whole of the spacious street exhibited on one side, a continuous and glaring blaze. My heart sickened at beholding half- dressed matrons, delicate young ladies, and children, wandering about un- protected, and in despair."' Elkanah Watson, in continuing his account of the fire, speaks of his having been prostrated on the ground alongside of his trunk, by the blowing up of a large building. His description of his hastening on, until he reached an elegant house (Governor Rutledge's), in the suburbs of the City, and there depositing his trunk, and his final recovery of it, is rather amusing. 3 26 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS at that time, printed on the East side of Church Street, within a few doors of Broad Street. In The South Carolina Gazette and General Advertiser, of April 26th, 1783, Mr. Miller, the proprietor, wrote in this wise of the restoration to peace : " Tuesday last was 11 a day ever to be remembered, such an one this State " never before enjoyed ; 'twas a period of its severe distress, " a confirmation of its Independence. The pleasing coun- " tenances of its citizens on Monday, were truly expressive 11 of the pleasure they derived from receiving the official " account (published in the Gazette on Sunday) of the " conclusion of a war, begun on one side in injustice, car- " ried on in wickedness and folly ; and opposed on the " other from the strictest principle of self-defence, the "maintenance of their freedom and property." In the Gazette of the 29th of April, 1783, Thomas Hall, Clerk of the Court, Sheriff, etc., announced that he had just been appointed Post Master, and that he had " opened his office," at the State House, from " whence he " will send a rider northwardly, as far as Falmouth, in " Calco Bay, every Tuesday, at 6 o'clock, P. M. Also, " one for Savannah, every Monday, at 10 o'clock, A. M. ; 11 thence he is to return, and meet the northern post on " Saturday." At a later date, appeared this announcement from the Post Master: "Post Office, Charleston, Oct, 17, 1783. "The Post Master, desirous of extending the utility of 11 his office in a general manner, at the request of many " of the citizens, will, in future, receive letters for Eu- " rope, or any other part of the world, to be forwarded " by the first safe and convenient opportunity ; to defray 11 the charge of bags, etc., for the preservation of the " letters, the small and customary sum of one penny, with 11 each letter will be requisite. Monday 'and Tuesday of OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 27 " each week, are the proper days for sending letters to the 11 post office, to go by land." As Isaiah Thomas has told us that Eleazer Phillips was the " first Printer to His Majesty," it may, therefore, be safely stated — strengthened by the preceding notice, that after the night of the fire of the 18th of November, 1740, Phillips had removed from Church Street to Madam Trott's "Wharff — that he was the first Post Master. We will here trace the appointments of post masters to the present incumbent. Phillips was succeeded by George Roupell. who had the office in Tradd Street. Roupell was succeeded by Peter Bounetheau, who received his commission from Benjamin Franklin, then Post Master General of the United Colonies. His warrant* is dated 10th of May, 1777. Thomas Hall, Bounetheau's successor, whom the Gazette of the 29th April, 1783, announced had just been appointed Post Master, was succeeded by Thomas W. Bacot. who at the close of the year 1791. was appointed by Timothy Pickering, then Post Master General, under the Administration of President George Washington. The 22nd of April, 1812, Mr. Bacot moved the office from 52 Tradd Street to 84 Broad Street, north side, a few doors west of the Court House. It was opened there the fol- lowing day. " By direction of the Post Master General," the same authority says, " it was removed in May, 1815, to the Exchange building."f Our highly esteemed and valued fellow-citizen, Honorable * This warrant of Peter Bounetheau is now in the possession of his son, H. B. Bounetheau, of Charleston. f That structure, the present " old post office," was then an open arched vestibule. The building was the property of the City. It was, subsequent- ly, bartered to the United States government, the City taking in exchange the present " City Hall," and giving a bonus of $2,000 to the government for the purpose of fitting up the post office, 28 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. Alfred Huger, was in turn appointed Post Master, by- President Andrew Jackson, and be entered upon the duties of his office on the 1st of January, 1835. After the capture of the City, by the United States forces — 18th of February, 1865 — Mr. A. M. Markland, a special Agent of the Government, took charge on the 22nd, and acted as Post Master, at the South West corner of King and George Streets ; this was pending the arrival of Stanley G. Trott. Mr. Trott became, by appointment, in April, 1867, the seventh Post Master this City has known, and the third since the adoption of the Constitution. This latter ap- pointment has given entire satisfaction. CHAPTER IV. CHARLESTON INCORPORATED — THIRTEEN WAEDS CREA- TED — FIRST WARDENS — REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PAR- ISHES OF ST. PHILIP AND ST. MICHAEL — FIRST INTEND- ant — elections endorsed by the press — the bells of st. Michael's church — the first circulating li- brary, 1783 JOHN MILLER HIS WEEKLY MESSEN- GER — DEATH OF JOHN MILLER — COLUMBIAN HERALD OR THE PATRIOTIC COURIER OF NORTH AMERICA — OTHER PAPERS AND THEIR EDITORS — THIRD AND FOURTH DIS- ASTROUS FIRES, 1796 AND 1800. On the 13th of August, 1783, there was published in the Gazette the act incorporating Charleston. The seal of the City was adopted by the proprietor of the paper as a vignette. The obverse was at the head of the paper on one side, while the reverse was placed on the other. The title of the journal, set as it was in three different de- scriptions of type, old style double pica, pica capitals and double small pica italics, occupied the space between the obverse and reverse of the seal. The Act of Incorpora- tion, provided that " Charlestown" should hereafter be called and known by the name of " the City of Charles- ton," and should be divided into the following Wards :* *The City is now divided into eight wards, and sixteen precincts. The intersection of Meeting and Queen Streets, forming the internal boundary of the lower four ones, and what may appear a little curious, if a person were to stand on the central point of said intersection, he might be said to have a footing on all of the four, or lower wards, at once. 30 TITE NEWSPAPER PRESS "No. 1. From Wilkin's Fort, East side of Church "Street, to the South side of Tradd Street, easterly to the '• Bay, "No. 2. From the North side of Tradd Street, to the ""South Bide of Queen Street, easterly. "No. 3. From the North side of Queen Street, to the "South Bide of Ellery Street, (now Pinckney) easterly. " No. 4. From the North side of Ellery Street, up to ' Meeting Street, and along the same to the West end of •••Muvn Street, through Anson Street to Boundary (now "Calhoun) Street, easterly. " No. 5. From the South end of King Street, to the " South side of Tradd Street, easterly, to Church Street. " No. G. From Tradd Street, along King Street, to the " South side of Broad Street, easterly. " No. 7. From North side of Broad Street, along King " Street, to the South side of Queen Street, easterly, to " Church Street. " No. 8. From the North side of Queen Street, along " King Street, South of Hazell Street, easterly, to join the "Ward No. 8. " No. 9. From Hazell Street, along King Street, to " Boundary Street, and to join the Ward No. 4, easterly. " No. 10. From the South end of Legare Street, includ- " ing the West end of Tradd Street, easterly, to King " Street. " No. 11. From the North side of Tradd Street, to the " West end of Broad Street, easterly, to King Street. " No. 12. From the North side of Broad Street, to the "West end of Ellery Street, easterly, to King Street. " No. 13. From the North side of Ellery Street, West to " Boundary Street, easterly, to King Street. "And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, " That the Church Wardens of the Parishes of St. Philip OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 31 " and St. Michael shall within one month after passing this " act, give ten days public notice that Wardens are to be " chosen for each Ward, whose qualifications shall be the " same as that for a member of the House of Representa- " tives ; and that all free white persons residing in each •■ Ward, being citizens of this State, who were taxed three " shillings sterling, the preceding year, or are taxed three " shillings sterling in the present year, towards the support "of the government of this State, shall be entitled to vote " for a Warden for their respective Ward : and they shall :: also notify the time and place, when and where, the elec- " tion is to be held in each Ward, and appoint proper per- " sons for managing and conducting the same ; and the " said persons after the election is ended, shall make a ' : return to the Church' Wardens of the persons chosen " Wardens of the respective Wards ; and the said Church 11 Wardens shall give notice to the several persons of their " appointment respectively, and summon them to meet "together at any time and place, within ten days after " their election, for the purpose of taking the oath of qual- ification, allegiance, and office, prescribed by the law, "which oath may be administered by any one Warden to " the other. Provided, seven shall be present at the tim8 " of administering of the same. " In pursuance of the above act, we, the subscribers, " Church Wardens of the Parishes of Saint Philip and " Saint Michael, give this public notice, that Monday, the " first day of September next, is fixed for the holding of " the said election, from ten to twelve o'clock in the fore- " noon, and from two to four in the afternoon; and the " following gentlemen are hereby appointed to superintend " the same, viz. : "Ward No. 1. John Cox, No. 46, corner of Lynch's "Lane. 32 TIIE NEWSPAPER PRESS "Ward No. 2. Samuel Legare, No. 26 i Church Street. " Ward No. 3. Sims White, at St. Philip's Church. " Ward No. 4. Colonel Lusiiington, at No. 3 Hazell " Street. " Ward No. 5. Edward Ligiitwood, at the Scotch Pres- " byterian Church. 11 Ward No. 6. Benjamin Villepontoux, at his house, " No. 77, corner of Tradd and King Streets. 11 Ward No. 7. Thomas Eveleigh, at No. 3, behind the " State House. "Ward No. 8. Hugh Swinton, at his house, No. — , in " Meeting Street. " Ward No. 9. Thomas Radcliffe, jr., at his house, No. " 1 George Street. " Ward No. 10. Isaac Holmes, No. 8 Legare Street. "Ward No. 11. William Price, at his house, No. 39 " Tradd Street. " Ward No. 12. Dr. Tucker Harris, at his house, No. " 147 King Street. "Ward No. 13. Robert Ladson, at his house, No. 4 "Wentworth Street, " At which places of election all persons duly entitled to " vote in their respective Wards are desired to attend. " James Bentham, " Lambert Lance, "Church Wardens for St. Philip. " Daniel Hall, " Phillip Prioleau. "Church Wardens for St. Michael. "Charleston, August 18, 1783." On the morning of Tuesday, the 2nd of September, 1783, the result of the election for members to represent -the Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael, in the General Assembly, and for Wardens, is given. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 33 11 Yesterday, came on the election for three members to " represent the Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael, " when at the close of the ballots this day, the following " gentlemen were declared duly elected : "Hon. W. H. G-ibbes, Hon. J. F. Grimke, and Thomas Shebrick. " Yesterday, came on in the different Wards, the election 11 for Wardens of this City, when the following gentlemen " were chosen : "Ward No. 1, James Neilson; Ward No. 2, Thomas 11 Bee ; Ward Xo. 3, A. Alexander ; Ward Xo. 4, B. " Beekman ; Ward Xo. 5, Joshua Ward ; Ward No. 6, 11 Thomas Heyward ; Ward Xo. 7, John Mathews ; Ward " No. 8, George Flagg ; Ward Xo. 9, Thomas Radcliffe, "jr. : Ward Xo. 10, Isaac Holmes ; Ward Xo. 11, Richard "Hutson; Ward Xo. 12, John Waring; Ward Xo. 13," no election. The two candidates who stood highest in this Ward had an equal number of votes. To supply this va- cancy consequent by a tie vote, another election was held on the 2d October, following, when Robert Ladson re- ceived the largest number of votes. In the Gazette, the second day after the general election, it was announced that " Pursuant to the Act of the General Assembly to incor- " porate Charleston, the Wardens duly elected and qualified this day, agreeable to the directions of the said act, "hereby give public notice, that Thursday, the 11th day " of September, instant, is fixed upon for the election of an " Intendant for the City, from among the Wardens ; and " that all persons qualified to vote for Wardens in their " respective Wards, will be entitled to vote for such In- " tendant. That the election will be held under the Ex- " change of the said City, from the hours of nine to twelve "in the forenoon, and from two to five in the afternoon, 34 TUE NEWSPAPER PRESS " when and where the subscribers will attend to manage '• the Barn©, " James Bentiiam, " Lambert Lance, "Phillip Prioleau, " Daniel Hall. " Thursday, came on the election of Intendant for this " City, agreeable to the Act of Incorporation, when Ricii- "ard IIutson, Esq., was chosen. After the election, " Messrs. Bentiiam, Lance, Hall and Prioleau, the " returning officers, waited on Mr. Hutson, to acquaint " him of the issue of the election, and although he had in " the most pressing manner requested the citizens not to " vote for him, it cannot be mentioned too much to his " honor, that on finding the voice of his fellow-citizens " had declared him their Intendant, he instantly gave up "his own private wishes, and cheerfully accepted the bur- " then they had laid upon him. After which, he w T ent •' with the above gentlemen to Mr. McCrady's, where an " elegant entertainment was provided, and where the citi- " zens, on this novel and pleasing occasion, had the happi- ness to congratulate the Intendant on his election." The editor of the Gazette, in alluding to the election, remarked, that " a private station is not the post of honor ; " yet, in the present instance, happy may those gentlemen " be said to be, on whom the election did not fall. In the " first year of Incorporation, the office of Intendant will " prove a most arduous and laborious task. Though it has " been forced on Mr. Hutson, yet the public are satisfied " they shall not be disappointed of his every exertion to "contribute to their peace and happiness by the full exer- " cise of his great abilities, and integrity in accomplishing " the great objects of regulation and reform, pointed out " by the Incorporation Act." OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 35 11 This is a new era in the history of Charleston ; may it ' be propitious to its rising glory, increasing commerce, ' and growing opulence ; and on this occasion we could ' wish to do away a prejudice (and nothing but which can ' prevent its becoming the first City in America.) enter- 'tainedin Europe against Charleston, on misinformation ' of its being unhealthy. The printer thinks he owes it to 1 truth to declare, that so far from finding the climate of ' South Carolina, as they conceive, unfavorable to any Euro- ' pean constitution, he has not had an hour's illness since his ' arrival in this State, nor does he remember to have 1 enjoyed, for the same length of time, such an uninter- ' rupted state of health. From the best information, we ' may venture to say, there is not a more healthy City on ' the continent." Intendant Hutsox served until the 14th of the follow- ing September. He was then succeeded by Col. Arxol- DUS VaXDERHORST. On Saturday morning, 22d November, 1783, Mr. Mil- ler published, in this quaint and ambiguous style, the subjoined information : '• Thursday Morning, 10 o'clock. " The public will believe Mr. Miller has no little "happiness in informing them, that the Lightning may " shortly be expected. Off Edisto, the second mate came " on shore, from whom a gentleman learnt, who is just " arrived in Town, that she brings Mr. M. almost as many "children as she brings them bells. She is about three "leagues to the southward." These bells which Mr. Miller alluded to, have a mem- orable record. They are St. Michael's chime, eight in number, and were purchased in England, in 1761. The ship Little Carpenter brought them to " Charlestown," July 17, 1761. Major Traille, of the Eoyal Artillery, 36 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS took them away at the evacuation of December, 1782. They were sent back to " Charlestown" in the Lightning, and arrived here 20th November, 1783. During the last war, they were sent to Columbia, and were destroyed at the sack and destruction of that City, in February, 1864. The fragments were sent to England in the spring of 1866, and re-cast, a century after, by decendants of the original manufacturers. They were landed in Charleston from the Norwegian bark Gladstone, February 18, 1867, and were again rung March 21, 1867. About the close of the year 1783, Mr. Miller estab- lished, with the aid of several prominent gentlemen, a Public or Circulating Library. " This was," as he said, 11 with a view of supplying the present scarcity of books, 11 arising from the devastation made in gentlemen's private " libraries, in the Gothic, savage and wanton wish of the " British Army, to exterminate all knowledge." John Miller sold The Gazette and Advertiser to Tim- othy & Mason, and went to Pendleton, in this State. There he published Miller s Weekly Messenger. This journal changed hands, and was known for many years as the Pendleton Messenger* The editor and publisher, John Miller, died in Pendleton, in 1809, and was buried at the "Old Stone Church." Between 1783, the year in which the act incorporating Charleston was passed, and 1795, a period of twelve years, there were but two diurnal publications in this City. One was The Columbian Herald or Patriotic Courier of North America, published by Messrs. Harrison and * The rapid increase of the population of the upper portion of South Car- olina must have been the inducement for Mr. Miller to go to Pendleton. Ramsay states, that in the two new western districts, now called Pendleton and Greenville, which were obtained by treaty founded on conquest from the Cherokee Indians, in 1771, filled so rapidly with inhabitants, that in the year 1800, they alone contained upwards of 30,000 souls. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 37 Bowen, then by Thomas Bartholemew Bowen and J. Mabkland, as Bowen and Mabkland, at 4 Queen Street ; afterwards (1784,) it was published at 15 Meeting Street ; then, removed to No. 92 Church Street. This last re- moval took place on the 9th of May, 1795. The motto of this paper was, this constituent part of the Constitution of the State of South Carolina : " That the liberty of the press is inviolably preserved." The Columbian Herald had a bust of Washington as a vignette. Mr. Bowen had been a Lieutenant in the British Navy, possessed fine literary taste, and was once the publisher of The /South Carolina, Weekly Messenger. Prominent as a Mason, he was, anterior to 1800, a Grand Officer of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. The other paper was The Charleston Evening Gazette, printed by J. V. Burd and R. Haswell, at 102 Broad Street. The Evening Gazette was, afterwards, printed by J. Y. Burd, at 24 East Bay. Joseph Vincent Burd died, after a short illness, on the 4th of October, 1785. He was, at the time, editor and proprietor of The George- town Times. The City papers were, at that time, unsatisfactory as to their marine reports. The arrival and departure of ves- sels, and the names of their captains alone were mention- ed. No distinction was made in the " making up" be- tween that which was written and that which was selected. The type, too, was large, and inartistic. Subsequent to 1783, there came into life The Charleston Horning Tost, printed by Childs, Haswell & McIver. There was, also, The City Gazette and Daily Advertiser, printed by Markland & McIver, " Printers to the City," at 47 East Bay, from 1789 to 1797. This paper, of the 22nd of March, 1791, contained the Act to Incorporate 38 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS Camden, ratified 19th February, 1791. Peter Frenau and Seth Paine published it from 1797 to January, 1801. They were succeeded, January 1, 1801, by John McIver, who was at one time associated with Messrs. Childs & Haswell, as, before mentioned. Nothing is known far- ther than this of either Childs or Haswell. John McIver died May 7, 1801, in the neighborhood of this City, aged 37 years. It is a tribute fully due the memory of this gentleman to say, that to a cultivated un- derstanding, he added a most benevolent disposition. At the time of his death he was a Senator in our State Legis- lature, from the united districts of Darlington, Marlboro' and Chesterfield. The most alarming fire, since that of 1778, occurred 13th June, 1796. It broke out in Lodge Alley,* on the after- noon of that day. " It baffled," says the account, " all ex- " ertions of a numerous concourse of citizens who speedily " assembled to extinguish the devouring flames, till Tues- 11 day morning, when a considerable part of the City was 11 laid in ashes. Every house in Queen Street, from the 11 Bay to the corner of Church Street ; all Union Street "continued; two-thirds of Union Street; Church Street " from Broad Street to St. Philip's Church, with only two 11 exceptions ; Chalmers and Berresford's Alley ; Kinloch's " Court, and the North side of Broad Street from the State 11 House to Mr. Jack's, four doors below Church Street, 11 and five houses on the Bay, from the corner of Queen " Street, were burnt to the ground. The public buildings "destroyed are the French Church, and several adjoining 11 buildings. St. Philip's Church was on fire at different 11 times, and ultimately must have been destroyed, if a ♦This Alley derived its name from the fact that all the Masonic Lodges once held their Communications in a building located in it. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 39 "spirited negro man* had not ascended to the top of the 11 cupola, next to the vane, and torn off the shingles. The " private buildings destroyed, and the property they con- 11 tained, are of immense amount. Five hundred chimneys 11 have been counted, from which the buildings have been "burnt; and £150,000 sterling is supposed to be a sum " far short of the value of those buildings. The goods and 11 furniture destroyed, are probably nearly equal to this 11 sum." B. F. Pritchard, an apprentice to W. P. Young, Prin- ter and Bookbinder, was blown up during the prevalence of this fire. The City Gazette and Daily Advertiser, in its issue of Tuesday, 5th August, 1800, is the source from whence is taken the account of another fire, four years after : 11 Yesterday forenoon, between the hours of 10 and 11 11 o'clock, a fire broke out, at the upper end, three doors " above Boundary Street, on the West side, in the house of " Mr. Martin Miller, which destroyed five houses on " that side of King Street ; and before its progress could "be arrested, eleven on the East side. The wind being * Gospel Messenger, vol. xxiv, chapter xvii, page 168, 1796 ; August 14th — The following letter of General C. Gadsden and Col. John Huger, was laid before the Vestry : " Gentlemen — Agreeably to your desire, united with a request from Major Charles Lining to appraise a negro man at present his property, for the ex- press purpose of his being liberated, and as a reward for his having extin- guished the flames which in the late conflagration on the 13th ultimo nad been communicated to St. Philip's Church, but by his uncommon and par- ticular exertion at the awful moment that venerable building was preserved; and having seen the said Will, and being likewise well acquainted with his character and profession, we have duly considered the subject referred to us, both with respect to his qualifications and the price of negroes at this juncture, and we have estimated and ascertained the value of the said Will, at one hundred and seventy-five pounds." "Agreed to, Mr. Lining giving £10." "The fellow being called and informed of his emancipation, requested that he may in future be called Will Philip Lining," 40 THE NEWSPAPEB PEE at South West drove the flames from the City, otherwise, in all probability, the destitution would have been much greater than it is. The tobacco inspection, which was to leeward of the flames, caught twice, but by timely ae ance the flame was extinguished. We understand the fire was occasioned by Mr. Miller's attempting to stop a leak in a cask of brandy, in closing which a candle was held too near the liquor, which immediately caught, and in a few minutes communicated to some gunpowder, the explosion of which put the house in flames. We are sorry to add that Mr. and Mrs. Miller were burned in a dreadful manner. The life of Mrs. Miller was des- pared of last evening. " The principal sufferers by this calamity, are Mr. Mil- ler and Mrs. Brunion, Mr. Willis, Mr. Turner, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Pelot, and Mrs. Levin, on the West side ; and on the East side Mr. McMillan, who lost three houses, and his large range of stables. Mr. Grey, Mr. Pressley, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Sin- gleton, Mr.. McCracken, and Messrs. Walsh & Sons. Mr. Samuel Well's house was pulled down to prevent the fire from spreading. Notwithstanding the extreme heat of the day, the citizens repaired to the spot with the greatest alacrity, and afforded their assistance w r ith a cheerfulness that has never been exceeded. " The consequences of the destructive fire of yesterday, are chiefly confined to that class of citizens whose all was exposed to the ravages of that destructive element. It is, therefore, to be hoped, that the most active and influential citizens, agreeably to their accustomed human- ity, will, on this afflicting occasion, come forward, and by their example and endeavors, take immediate measures for the relief of the unfortunate sufferers. It is, there- fore, respectfully suggested, that a meeting of the inhabi- OF CHARLESTON, S. C 41 "tanta to-morrow at 12 o'clock, at the Exchange, would he '•' calculated to carry the object contemplated into iinme- " diate and complete effect." Previous to -June, 1783, we learn from the Gazette, fires were extinguished by citizens who obtained water from the City pumps, or drew it from wells by the tedious operation of sinking buckets. In June, 1784, a company was form- ed, called " Hand-in-Hand Fire Company."' The members of this company were not only required to hand buckets of water one to another, but were called upon to rescue from the flames the private property of the individual members of their association. This institution had its use, but it was far short of that philanthropic and general organization into which the interested inhabitants of the City ought to have formed themselves. This :i Hand-in-Hand Compa- ny," the first of these organizations here, and the nucleus of our present efficient fire brigade, was governed by rules of similar companies in ^STew York and Philadelphia. There seemed not to have been any regular formation of engine companies, as now exist, before the year 1786. The following advertisement of Pichaed Humphreys, jr., which was publishdin the Gazette of January 24, 1786, confirms the foregoing : " The subscriber being informed that a number of gen- " tlemen of this City, are about entering into that useful "institution of fire companies, he will engage to supply " them with any number of buckets they shall please to 11 order." CHAPTEE V. CRIME IN 1786 — THE MURDER OF NICHOLAS JOHN WIGHT- MAN — MALES AND FEMALES IMPLICATED — THEIR CON- DEMNATION AND EXECUTION — CAPRICIOUS MARRIAGE AN- NOUNCEMENT — TWO TRAVELING ALGERINES — RAMSAY'S HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA OBNOXIOUS TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT — " SOUTH CAROLINA STATE GAZETTE AND TIMOTHY AND MASON'S DAILY ADVERTISER." Well did our papers here display the times; Some streak'd with follies ; others, stain'd with crimes. February 9, 1786. — A reward of four guineas is offered by Andrew Pleym, through the paper of this date for the perpetrator of a robbery at his store, between his dwelling house, 106 Meeting Street, and the Smith's forge, at the corner of Moor Street, (now Cumberland Street.) February 13, 1786. — In this edition of the Gazette, is the obituary of Mr. Mathew Bayley, who died "some- 1 time ago at Jones' Creek, a branch of Peedee, in North 1 Carolina, aged 136 ; he was baptized when 134 years old." " On the night of 16th February, 1786, at a quarter • past 10 o'clock, as Mr. Philip Moses, accompanied by ' his wife, was going home, two tall lusty men, dressed in 1 short light colored clothes, stopped him in Broad Street, ' at the corner of Gadsden's Alley, in a manner that 1 evinced the intention to rob him. Upon his making ' some resistance, one of the ruffians drew a pistol and 44 THE NEWSPAPER PRI "fired at him, the explosion of which burned hie face; " the other h- I'm \v also fired, and both balls lodged in the " adjacent house, fortunately without any mischief. Ar- " noldus Vanderiiorst, then Intendant, offered a reward "of $1200, on the morning of 27th February, for this " attempt to rob and murder." March 16, 1786. — " Two persons dressed in the Moorish " habit are now in this City, and are supposed to be the " same men that were taken into custody in Virginia, on " suspicion of their being Algerines. The singularity of " their dress induced a young gentleman of the law, to ask " them some questions, which were answered with so much "impertinence and vulgarity, that the gentleman proceed- " ed to give one of the fellows a little manual correction, " by way of reforming his manners. A mob immediately "assembled, and the men were taken up; being carried " to the home of a lady on the Bay, who understood their "language, they appeared to be two men of the Jewish " nation, who had landed in Virginia from Algiers, and "had travelled over-land from that State to this." May 22, 1786. — " John Gibbons advertised to be leased " for seven years, to the highest bidder, on Tuesday, the 6th " day of June next, that most agreeably situated farm at " Haddrell's Point, commonly called Mt. Pleasant, con- " taining about 80 acres, belonging to the estate of Jacob " Mott." May 25, 1786. — " The commissioners appointed by the " Legislature, for laying out the Town of Columbia, have " appointed the first sale of lots to take place on the 2d " September next, in this City." The records of the State were removed from Charleston to Columbia, by direction of the Legislature, in the winter of 1790. September 21, 1786. — " We learn from London, that the . " re-publication of Dr. Ramsay's History of South Caro- OF CHARLESTON, S. G. 45 11 lina, is deemed illegal in that country, on account of the " long catalogue of British villanies and murders it con- tains. " The pages which contained the Declaration of Independ- ence, Drayton's charge against the King, etc., and many strong accusations against Earl Cornwallis, Lord Raw- don, Brown, Moncrief, Tarlton, Tuck, etc., were de- clared to be sufficient grounds for an expensive and vex- atious prosecution from the crown lawyers, besides expos- ing the publisher to personal violence, from the parties of their zealous votaries. June 19. 1796.—" On Thursday last, between ten and ' eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a fire broke out in a soap 'boiler's shop in Gadsden's Alley, which increased with 'the greatest rapidity for a considerable time, and seemed ' to threaten this City with a general conflagration. Fifteen ' capital houses, exclusive of a number of back buildings, 1 were reduced to ashes. The loss in houses and other prop- ' ertv is very great, for the fire was so versatile, that goods ' supposed to be in the greatest security, were obliged to be 1 removed about, at different times, in the utmost haste, con- ' sequently they were much damaged ; and several persons ' taking advantage of the confusion, secreted great quanti- ' ties ; some that were detected have been committed to ' prison. Some supposing themselves secure, did not move 1 at all, and lost every thing. Mr. Blakeley's situation, • at this time, was truly unfortunate as distressing, having, ' onlv the day before, finished moving the whole of his prop- ' erty, the chief of which, owing to his apparent security, ' and shifting of the wind, was destroyed. Mr. James ' Strickland, in conducting a cart heavily loaded, fell out ' of it, and the wheels went over his breast, which occasion- ' ed his death in the course of a few hours. Several per- ' sons were also much bruised and wounded." 40 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS The following is a list of persons who were burnt out, as given by the Gazette, viz. : Messrs. William Smith & Co., Messrs. Wells and Bethune, Mr. M'Credie, Mr. Gershon Cohen, Messrs. M'Auley and Davis, Messrs. Robert and Hall Stew- art, Mr. John Aitkin, Messrs. Muirhead and Munro, and Mr. Abernethie, Thomas Smith, Mr. Samuel Blakeley, Mr. Henry Main Stromer — Mrs. Gaultier, William Logan, Dr. Robert Wilson. On the morning of 22d June, 1786, the Gazette was published as a half-sheet. The publisher, while apologiz- ing for it, stated that it was in consequence of the death of a grand-son, Master Peter Weston. This number of the paper also contained a special notice from the proprie- tor, to this end : " To prevent a misunderstanding, adver- " tisements not exceeding twelve lines are inserted for three " shillings the first publication, and two shillings each con- " tinuation." Most prominent in the criminal record at that time, was the murder of Mr. Nicholas John Wightman, in his 25th year. The reader can see, while passing the western grave yard of St. Philip's Church, the slab which marks the spot where this gentleman was buried. The inscription states that " Divine Providence ordained it 11 so, that a single button belonging to the coat of the mur- 11 derer served, with other proof, to discover and convict "him." The account of the deed is given in the Gazette, March 17, 1788, in connection with a highway robbery which took place the same night. " Last Wednesday " night, between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock, as Captain " Marston was returning on board his vessel, lying at " Mey's wharf, he was stopped near the Governor's bridge, " and robbed of his watch, some money, etc., by three vil- " lains, one of whom run a pistol full in his face, and OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 4< " would, in all probability, have taken bis life, bad not an 11 accomplice prevented it ; after which, they left Captain " Marston, and proceeded towards Meeting Street, where " Mr. Nicholas John Wightman was, soon after, shot " through the heart, supposed by one of the same party. 11 Information being sent to the guard-house, Captain Da- " vis, with proper assistance proceeded to the suspected "spot where the murder was committed, at which place " Josiah Jordan, Eobert Stacey, John George, and 11 others, were found, and taken into custody. One of them, " Edward Hatcher, who being duly sworn, made oath "and acknowledged, that last evening, near 11 o'clock, " being the 12th day of March, 1788, he, in company with " Robert Stacey, was standing at the door of Thomas " Jones, in Meeting Street, (between Market and Hayne " Streets,) when a man walked past, and after he had gone " about three doors farther, Robert Stacey followed, " turned right before him, and with a brass barrel pistol " shot him in the left breast, on which he fell and expired " immediately. Said deponent believes that Robert Sta- " cey designed to rob the deceased, but was prevented " by people coming out with a light. Hatcher further " states that Josiah Jordan, John George, Robert Sta- " cey, Thomas Smith, Andrew Keating, Ann Jones, " Ann Connelly, Kate Crowdy, and Rebecca Stacey, " were, altogether, in said house, and that he saw Ann " Connelly deliver out to the said Stacey, powder and " ball — two balls and three swan shot — and directed him to " go out and rob again, and, if he met with resistance, to " fire on them." In additional particulars, published on the 20th, the Gazette returns thanks to Dr. Lynah, the physician called in, and Captain Davis, of the guard. Stacey, Jordan, 48 TIIE NEWSPAPER PR]. George, Smith, Hatcher, and Ann Connelly received sentence of death for the murder of Mr. WlGHTMAN. A few evenings following Mr. Wigiitman's murder, three villains went to the house of Mr. Daniel Ma- zyck, at Hampstead ; hut one of them, who had secreted himself under the house, receiving a violent blow with a sword, the knaves fled. The same evening, a gang of ruf- fians attacked a gentleman near Pinckney Street, hut he escaped after receiving a slight wound with a cutlass, inflicted by one of the villains. To the marriage of Mr. James Hibben, and Miss Sarah Wells, which appeared in the issue of January 28, 1788, there is appended these strange lines : " Farewell, my friend, but record The sufferings of your dying Lord! Let neither friends nor riches prove The total loss you bore for love." On the morning of the 5th February, 1788, Mr. Hibben, over his signature, writes to the publisher : " Please insert the following, in answer to some lines "which appeared in your Gazette of the 28th January, on " the morning of the subscriber's marriage, and oblige your "humble servant : li Welcome, my friend, you're free'd from schism, From canting, whining Methodism; You're now in a superior class, Ne'er heed the braying of an ass." The above, as well as the succeeding selections, are made chiefly with the intent to show the style then adopted of promulgating sensational news ; a style which seems less exceptionable to similar details of the present day, and withal fit for the public eye, and a place in a public journal. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 49 " Branded, June 7, 1788, John Cooper, William Irons, " Thomas Jones, Richard Glascock, John Cunningham, " John Shields, John Bruce, and Thomas Keely, for lar- " ceny." " Hanged, June 11, 1788, pursuant to sentence, Robert " Sta,cey, Josiah Jordan, John George, Thomas Smith, Ed- " ward Hatcher, and Ann Connelly, for the murder of "Nicholas John Wightman." "On 16th June, 1788, were executed, pursuant to sen- tence of the Court of Admiralty Sessions, for piracy, on 11 the American Seas, Captain William Rogers, of New Lon- "don, in Connecticut; John Masters, of Cheshire, in Eng- " land, and William Pender grass, of Derbyshire, in Eng- 11 land, charged and found guilty of the murder of Mr. "Abraham Nathan, of the Jewish nation, (joint owner " with Rogers,) and passenger on board the sloop Betsey, in " October last. Also, Richard Williams and William Cain } "both of England, for the murder of Captain Nathaniel " C. Webb, and Mr. Clode or McClode, on the 18th or 20th " May last, on board the schooner Two Friends. The un- " happy Rogers appeared uncommonly penitent and resign- " ed, from the day of his being apprehended, to the moment "of his execution, when he solicited the attendance of the " clergy, and joined in pathetic prayer to the Supreme " Being, soliciting the pardon of his God for every trespass "he had committed, and the forgiveness of every mortal " that felt himself injured by him. He, to the last, denied "having wilfully or maliciously killed Mr. Nathan, and " uniformly persisted in the declaration that he was not in " sound mind when the bloody transaction took place ; and " that he was subject to fits of lunacy, which the cousin of " Governor Fanning, and several others from that State, " have likewise declared, as also to his being addicted to " strong liquor, which always bereaved him of his reason. 5 50 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS " This assertion Rogers has repeatedly made to Mr. Phae- 14 lon, both before and after his trial, and to divers other 11 gentlemen, as he likewise has, in sundry parts of a narra- 11 tive of his life, which he had been writing several days 11 prior to his death. The contemplation of having an aged " father and mother, an affectionate, respectable wife and "five young children, seemed to distress him beyond ex- 11 pression or description, and deeply affect the numerous " spectators, male and female. Rogers, repeatedly, at the "spot of execution, begged the prayers of all present, and "as often conjured Major Phaelon to give good advice " and direction to his unfortunate babes." Timothy & Mason were publishers of the Gazette for about three years, from January, 1797. Under them, the paper was called /South Carolina State Gazette, and Timothy and Masons Daily Advertiser. Its motto was : " The public will be our guide — the public good our end." In Timothy & Mason's Gazette and Advertiser, of 2d January, 1797, we find among the advertisers, names familiar to us at this time. Among those who advertised vessels up for London, Liverpool, and other English and American ports, were W. & E. Crafts, Thomas Morris, John Haslett & Co., Eobert Hazelhurst & Co., Hen- ry Ellison, Corrie & Schepeler, Mure & Boyd, Camp- bell, Harvey & Co., E. Coffin, Crocker, Hichborn & Wright, Nicholas Norris, Thomas Turner, John Teasdale, Samuel Watson, J. & E. Gardner & Co. Those in the importing and grocery trade, were Andrew McKenzie, Thomas Hooper & Co., J. Winthrop, Webb & Lamb, Charles Banks & Co., John Love, David Mc- Credie & Co. In the auction and brokerage business, were Peter Trezevant, William Skrine, Travers Robertson, Colcock & Patterson, Jacobs & Conyers, Jacob De Leon, Joseph Park, Jacob Cohen, John OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 51 Potter, J. S. Cripps, Denoon, Campbell & Co. The co-partnership of North & Vesey was announced as dis- solved. In the number of March 28, 1797, there is a list of American vessels, with the names of their Captains, and the valuation of their cargoes, which were captured by French privateers and gun boats, and sent into different ports in the Island of St. Domingo. As it may be of in- terest and prove quite serviceable at some future day, a list of them is appended : May 12. — Schooner Amelia, Cochran, of Boston ; cargo, $16,000. August 11. — Brig Freemason, Wise, of New York ; car- go, $2°6,000 ; vessel, $4,000. August 20. — Brig Brutus, Aborn, of New York ; cargo valued at $10,000; vessel at $5,000.— Schr. Benessoff Parcal, Boniveta, of St. Thomas. August 26. — Brig Kerren Hannish, Lillebridge, of Phil- adelphia; cargo, $12,000.— Brig Franklin, Pick, of Phila- delphia ; cargo, $5,430 ; vessel, $4,000. August 27. — Brig Mary, Boyle, of Baltimore ; cargo, $6,000 ; vessel, $6,000.— Brig Clio, Ball, of Baltimore. August 31.— Sloop Honor, Kimball, of New London; cargo, $3,000; vessel, $1,500.— Sloop Leader, Warner, Cape Ann ; cargo, $5,000.— Brig Polly, Watson, of Phila- delphia. — Brig Nymph, Sullivan, of Philadelphia ; cargo, $10,000. September 1.— Brig Pearl, Webb, of New London; cargo, $6,000.— Schr. Three Friends, of Baltimore.— Schr. Hodges, Jacocks, of Philadelphia ; cargo, $8,000. September 4.— Schr. Charming Polly, Pritchett, of Bal- timore ; cargo, $25,000; vessel, $3,600.— Sloop Nelly, Adams, of Boston.— Schr. Somerset, Dillingham, of Charles- 52 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS ton. — Schr. Catharine, Stoy, of Philadelphia. — Schr. Rain- bow, Howland, of New Bedford. September 17.— Brig Nancy, Mey, of New York; cargo, $20,000 ; vessel, $5,000. September 21. — Schr. Anna Maria, Wilson, of Balti- more; cargo, $5,000; vessel, $4,000. September 23. — Schooner Wilmington Packet, Francis, of Charleston. Those without dates, are : Brig Pomona, of Baltimore ; Brig Experiment, Hutson ; Brig Triton ; Schr. Hannah ; Schr. Nancy ; Sloop Sincerity, of Philadelphia ; Sloop De- lia ; Schr. Hibernia ; Brig Charlotte ; Brig Glasgow, of ' New York ; Schr. , of Georgetown ; Sloop Joanna, of Providence ; Sloop Polly, of States Island ; Schr. Eliza and Schr. Three Friends, of Charleston ; Schrs. Liberty and Juno, of Boston ; Brig Despatch, Lunt, cargo, $8,000 ; vessel, $4,000 ; Brig Wolwich, McCutcheon, and Schooner Success, of Philadelphia ; Schr. Harding, of New York. There are nine more condemned at L'Anne a Vease, the names of which are not mentioned. L'Anne a Vease, is, doubtless, intended for l'Anse a Veau, an anchorage in the French part of the Island of St. Domingo. There lived and flourished about this time, (1797,) Mr. John Geyer, one of the merchant princes of the day. He built and owned what was then considered the fire-proof range of stores, at the North East corner of our present North Commercial Wharf ; that and the one South, were then known as Geyer's wharves. The residence of Mr. Geyer, still standing, was, in those good old times^ the scene of many elegant hospitalities ; and within a few years, there were living those who well remembered this current interrogatory : " Who dines with Geyer to-day ?" John Geyer deserves mention as a man of great energy and success, as a large planter and successful merchant. OP CHARLESTON, S. C. 53 He became financially involved by the capture and con- demnation of his ships by French privateers, in 1797 and '98 ; among them were the ships Ruby, the Rising Sun, and the Rainbow. He died, February 12th, 1825, at his residence, No. 10 Atlantic Street, (then Lynch's Street,) where a grandson of his now resides. The South Carolina Gazette and Timothy and Mason 1 8 Daily Advertiser changed its title and proprietorship in January, 1806, then B. F. Timothy published it alone, as the South Carolina, State Gazette, and Timothy s Daily Advertiser. CHAPTEK VI. DAVID R. WILLIAMS, E. S. THOMAS AND OTHER EDITORS — THE CITY GAZETTE AND DAILY ADVERTISER — THE DAILY EVENING POST — THE FIFTH DISASTROUS FIRE, OCTOBER, 1810 — EARTHQUAKES — SKINNER AND WHILDEN — CRIME RAMPANT — MR. AND MRS. FISHER — THEIR ARREST AND EXECUTION — THE SIXTH DISASTROUS FIRE, FEBRUARY, 1835 — THE GAZETTE AND ITS EDITORS, FROM 1822 TO 1832 — WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS — THE SEVENTH DISAS- TROUS FIRE, JUNE, 1835 — ABSORPTION OF THE GAZETTE BY THE COURIER. David E. Williams afterwards published the Gazette and Advertiser, and remained proprietor until September, 1809. At the expiration of that year, Frenau & Will- iams became the proprietors, and issued the Gazette and Advertiser from the central house of the buildings on East Bay, now known as " Prioleau's Range."* This range * Opposite to this range of buildings is the office of the Charleston Daily News, which site was, previous to 1800, known as "Harris' Tavern." Sub- sequent to Harris' time, a wholesale crockery importing store was kept there, by one Mr. Allen. After the premises had been closed some years, they were re-opened as a tavern, and conducted by Lawrence Durse; then by Orren By rd, up to 1823; then by Horatio Street, who became manager of the Planters' Hotel. Louis Eude succeeded Horatio Street It was after- wards successively conducted as the French Coffee House, by H. Mignot, A. Ligniez, Wm. Greer, and P. J. Coogan. This tavern, entered as it was from the street by steps, was a resort on Sunday, between 12 M. and 1 P. M., for merchants and influential men of that period. It was Mr. Ligniez who, about the year 1835, substituted for the old front the one more modern in appearance. In a small brick building next North of the French Coffee House, George Lyon, watch-maker and jeweler, was atrociously and mysteriously murder- ed, on the night of June 11, 1844. 56 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS of buildings was, in 1806, known as the "Corner of Com- merce," and was constructed by Benjamin Paul Will- iams, at a cost of 4,000 guineas, for the storage of produce. David Rogerson Williams, one of the proprietors of the Gazette, and who was born 10th March, 1776, was a brother-in-law of the editor, John McIver. He was not a man of yesterday, but a genuine exemplar of Carolina honor, firmness and candor. In politics, a tried democrat of the old school — opposed to Federal usurpations — well disciplined in the politics of Jefferson and of Madison. He was a Brigadier General in the regular army, and re- signed his commission to take a seat in the United States Congress of 1811 and '12. He retained to the day of his death, the name of " thunder and lightning Williams," a sobriquet obtained after a speech, delivered with all the vehemence of animated rhetoric, in that Congress, against the government of Great Britain. A letter from Washington, which appeared in the Cou- rier, dated January 7, 1812, says : 11 Mr. Williams of your State, spoke above an hour, and " acquitted himself in a manner far beyond my expecta- 11 tion." Another letter, written by the reporter of the Baltimore Democratic American, m alluding to Mr. Will- iams' speech, said : " No man can conceive the impressive " manner in which it was delivered, nor the Roman energy 11 and overwhelming vehemence of the speaker's elocution. 11 You have seen and heard Cooper. The voice of Mr. 11 Williams is more vigorous, more powerful, more com- " manding than that of this celebrated Tragedian." Mr. Williams was, in the year 1814, called to the Gubernatorial chair of this State. The courier who was charged with the delivery of the letter which made known to General Williams his election to a position, in those days acquired without bribery and corruption, met the OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 57 General in his wagon on the high road, while he was returning to his house, near Society Hill, from Fulwyder's foundry, on Cowder's Creek, in North Carolina, with ma- chinery for his plantation. Governor Williams met with a fatal accident on the afternoon of the 15th of November, 1830, by the falling of a beam, while superintending the building of a bridge over Lynch's Creek. On being relieved from his distress- ing situation, it was found that both legs were broken be- low the knee. This caused his death on the following morning at 4 o'clock. He was buried in the cemetery of the family, four miles below Society Hill. " Even in his ashes live his wonted fires." In January, 1811, Peter Frenau & Co., became the proprietors and publishers of the Gazette and Daily Ad- vertiser, aad held possession until the 1st January, 1812. From that time until January, 1814, Mr. Frenau's co- partners, Samuel J. Elliott and Samuel Richards, two very practical typographers, conducted the paper. Peter Frenau was a graduate of Princeton College ; was versed in the ancient and modern languages, and possessed a wide range of general knowledge. He was the brother of Phillip Freistau, who was the poet of the revo- lution, and the author of political satires on Royalists — " The House of Night," " The Beauties of Santa Cruz," etc. The latter perished in a snow-storm, near Freehold, New Jersey, in the 80th year of his age, December 18, 1832. Copies of his works have been preserved by that bibliothecal institution, the " Charleston Library Society.' The City Gazette and Daily Advertiser was, on the 1st of July, 1815, with the patronage of several successful years, transferred to E. S. Thomas, a bookseller, and pub- lished by him at 234 East Bay. Mr. Thomas was by 58 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS birth a New Englander, the son of the author, Frederick William Thomas, and nephew of Isaiah Thomas, LL. D. After severing his connection with the press here, he went to Baltimore, where he became prominent in Maryland State politics; thence to Providence, Rhode Island, and he was finally known as the proprietor and editor of The Daily Evening Post, which was published at Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. E. S. Thomas was the author of sketches of his own life and times,, published in 1840. He died in Cin- cinnati, on the 22nd of October, 1845, aged 71 years. The fire of the 9th of October, 1810, fourteen years after that of 1796, was the next of consequence. The newspapers graphically noticed it. The Gazette s report, on account of its brevity, is selected : " The fire broke out in a small house in Church Street, M between St. Philips' Church and Anson Street. It ex- 11 tended as far North as Motte Street. Its course South " was to Queen Street ; through that down to Union Street, " then into Broad Street. The destruction of the house " occupied by Mr. Chupein, just West of Union Street, was " the means of preventing the further extension of the " flames. The loss of property is supposed to be about " half a million of dollars. In this fire, one hundred and M ninety four houses have been destroyed." The months of December, January, and February, 1811, and 1812, were remarkable for earthquakes in Charleston, and were the subject of much comment on the part of the press. Six distinct shocks were felt 16th December, 1811. The first, was five minutes before 3 o'clock, A. M., and set the bells of St. Philips' Church ringing. The second occur- red while the Town clock was striking three ; this was slight- er than the first, and continued about twenty-two seconds. The third, was felt at three minutes before 8, A. M., and the fourth, at ten minutes after 8 o'clock ; the vibratory OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 59 motion was East and West ; wind North-north-east. Two more shocks were experienced the same night ; one at 11 o'clock, and the other at twenty minutes after 12 o'clock — being six in two days. On the 24th January, 1812, another of these agitations occurred ; and again on the 4th Feb- ruary. On the 7th of the same month, there were two more shocks — one just before 9, and the other about 11 o'clock, P. M. The first of these was of half a minute du- ration ; the second, two minutes. Another slight shock was felt on the 10th February. February 21st, 1812, was set apart by Council, as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer, at the request of the Reverend Clergy of all de- nominations, and the citizens were requested to humble themselves on that day before the Most High, imploring that He would avert from this land the evils which threatened it, from the frequent awful visitations which they had of late experienced. Charleston was not again visited by earthquakes until 7th February, 1843. A few minutes before 10, A. M. on that day, two distinct shocks were felt. They were very slight, though many persons in different sections of the City felt them sensibly. Another, and the last of these visitations occurred December 19, 1857. It was described by Professor L. R. Gibbes, as being more of an agitation of the earth, as no decided shock or blow was perceived. The motion con- sisted of a series of horizontal oscillations, increasing grad- ually in distinctness, and then subsiding somewhat more rapidly, lasting about six or eight minutes. January 1st, 1816, The Gazette and Advertiser, which had again been advertised for sale, passed into the hands of Samuel Haviland Skinner and Jos. Whilden, under the firm of Skinner & Whilden, and was published at 244 East Bay, corner of Blake's Wharf, (now Central Atlantic Wharf.) Mr. Skinner, for two years before he GO THE NEWSPAPER TRESS became one of the proprietors, conducted the printing, and at intervals the editorial department likewise. It has been said of Mr. Skinner that he was manly and noble in his bearing, elegant in person, gentlemanly in feeling, and generous to a fault. Mr. Skinner, together with others prominent among the craft, boarded in the family of Mr. Edward Sebring, who then resided two doors East of his present business locality. Mr. Skinner was drowned near Cape Hatteras, while on a tour to his home in Connecti- cut. Mr. Whilden was known for five years preceding his joint proprietorship, as collector for the establishment of the Gazette and Advertiser. Three years later, January, 1819, the Gazette and Advertiser was sold, and it became the individual property of Joseph Whilden. It will be necessary, en passant, to wander from the chronological record and refer to the beneficial influences the press exerted about this time (1819-20) in the suppres- sion of the vice which existed in the City. Too frequently, the torch of the incendiary, together with the machinations of the desperado, gave scope for in- dividual condemnation. Not less frequent were the warn- ings given by the City journals to the authorities to sup- press the then existing evils. This condition of society, bad as it was in the City, was much worse in its environs. Gangs of white despera- does occupied certain houses, and infested the roads lead- ing to the City. To such an extent did these outlaws carry their excesses, that wagoners and others coming into the City were under the necessity of carrying rifles in their hands for defence. Travelers passed these houses with fear and trembling. More dreaded than others of these haunts, was that known as the Six Mile House, occupied by John Fisher and Lavinia, his wife. State Sheriff, N. G. Cleary, was forced to move against these highwaymen. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 61 "With a number of mounted citizens and detachments from the Charleston Kiflemen, Washington Light Infantry, and the Northern Volunteers, he started on the errand of ex- termination. The City papers of January and February, 1820, give accounts of the capture of Mr. and Mrs. Fisher. The " Constitutional Court" of 19th January, 1820, had refused to grant new trials to John and Lavinia Fisher, convict- ed at the previous Court of highway robbery, and they were sentenced to be hung on Friday, 4th February, following. They were, however, respited until the 18th, on their petition, imploring an opportunity for preparation, and asking but for " time to meet their God." On Friday, 18th, at 2 o'clock, just within the lines, on a hill East of the Meeting Street road, about eight hundred yards North of the street, now known as Line Street continued, John Fisher and his wife met their fate, the former with calm- ness and composure, the latter with fear and trepidation. Mrs. Fisher appeared, from the time of her arrest, to be under the influence of wrong passions and feelings. It was evident she flattered herself with the expectation of pardon from the Executive. Mr. Fisher, on arriving within sight of the gallows, drew his wife convulsively to his bosom, and speedily nerved himself for the issue. The unhappy wife could not believe it possible that she was so soon to die. She called upon the immense throng assembled to rescue her, and implored pity with outstretched and trembling arms. No scene could be more appalling as the ill-fated pair stood between time and eternity. The plat- form gave way at a given signal from the Sheriff, then all was hushed and still — that which was mortal had put on immortality. Denmark Vesey (a free black man) and several slaves, G2 THE tfEWSPAPEB PRESS convicted of an attempt to raise an insurrection in the State, were executed on the same spot, in July, 1822. Severe strictures were made by the New York National Advocate against the execution of Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, from the fact that the account of the robbery, together with the testimony on the trial, were not laid before the people. These strictures on our criminal jurisprudence were ably refuted at the time, by several writers. It was on the 4th of October, 1822, that Joseph Wiiil- den retired. The Gazette and Daily Advertiser was then purchased by Edward Carew, for John G-eddes, jr., son of General John Geddes, who was Governor of South Carolina, from 1818 to 1820, and elected Intendant of Charleston, in place of Maj. James Hamilton, jr., in January, 1823, by sixty-nine majority, only 535 votes hav- ing been cast. Isaac Harby was Geddes' assistant edi- tor, and devoted all his time and talent to the advance- ment of the political and literary character of the journal, in the department he was so well fitted to adorn. In that paper, on the 19th of June, 1823, it was mentioned that the first number of the Georgetown Gazette had just been issued in Charleston. The subsequent numbers were issued in Georgetown. In that place, which was at one time second in importance in the State, the Gazette was pub- lished by Messrs. Elliott & Burd. It is quite probable that Mr. Burd was a son of J. V. Burd, before mentioned as having died in 1785. John Geddes, on the 5th February, 1825, sold the Ga- zette and Daily Advertiser to James Haig, a talented son of one of Charleston's respected mechanics, Mr. David Haig. Simms, in his skeleton outline of early authors, says : " Haig entered upon the field of journalism, with a rep- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 63 w utation brought from college. He was a man of ability, 11 wrote well in a serious vein, but- was deficient in that " sprightliness so essential to a daily newspaper." On the 28th of June, 1826, there is narrated in Haig's Gazette the serious fire of that year. This fire, the Gazette mentions, "broke out on Saturday morning, in the house of " Mr. John Conner, saddler and harness maker, on the "West side of King Street, a few doors above Boundary " Street, (now Calhoun Street.) The number of houses " burnt was upwards of thirty, besides the outbuildings. " The loss of property is supposed to be considerably over " $100,000. "We are happy to state that no lives were lost, ' : which had been apprehended, from the repeated explo- " sions of powder. A fire broke out in the same spot, in 11 the year 1800, in which a Mr. and Mrs. Miller lost " their lives. This is the greatest calamity of the kind " since 1810." James Haig sold the Gazette to a company of gentlemen composed of Charles John Steadman, and others, on the 17th July, 1828. A son of the late Col. Steadman is now, and has been for many years, a Commander in the Navy of the United States. On the 4th of August, 1828, the City Gazette and Daily Advertiser announced that Theodore L. Smith would be publisher for the proprietors. The paper was then printed in Exchange Street, in the rear of the present " Old Post Office." Smith sold the Gazette to Wm. Gilmore Simms and E. Smith Duryea, the publishing firm being Simms & Duryea, and was so announced on the 1st January, 1830. This firm adopted as a motto for their paper, the following quotation from Othello's last speech, when summoned before the Senate of Venice : " Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." Under the sub-title was this citation : " A Map of Honor, Loyalty and Truth," also from 64 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS the immortal Sitakspeare. The office of the Gazette was afterwards removed to the South side of Broad Street, near East Bay. It was at this locality on one occasion, during the nulli- fication troubles, that the material of the Gazette came very near being destroyed. A severe political leader from the pen of Mr. Simms, the editor, brought in front of his office a large number of persons politically opposed to the course of the paper, and who had proscribed it for its polit- ical opinions. The excited crowd made threats of violence. Happily it was prevented through the agency of a few firm friends of Mr. Simms' partner, Mr. Duryea. The most prominent of those who came forward in Mr. Dur- yea's behalf was David N. McIntosh, well known to many of our old citizens. William Gilmore Simms subsequently, (April 9, 1832,) became sole proprietor of the Gazette. Mr. Simms effected a sale and transfer of his establishment to William Law- rence Poole, on the 7th of June, 1832. Mr. Poole came from Cheraw, in this State, at which place he was pub- lishing the Cheraw Intelligencer, to purchase and secure the Gazette. The brilliant literary career of Wm. Gilmore Simms, LL. D., is well known. He was born in this City on the 17th of April, 1806. At one period of his life, he escaped by only one vote, the responsibilities of Lieutenant Gov- ernor of this State. At the time of his death he stood, in editorial age, next to Jacob N. Cardozo, and as an author, takes precedence in the whole South, as the writer of the greatest number of works, possessing intense local interest. In youth Mr. Simms acquired a taste for letters ; in ear- ly manhood this taste was increased by diligent study, and when his future was determined on, he went forth upon the stage of life as a scholar. An earnest reader, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 65 and, possessing a tenacious memory, he turned these ad- vantages to much account, in both public and private life. As a journalist, he wrote just as he talked, and his conver- sational powers were very great. None more able, could have been found among the fraternity of editors, and he, too, though only as an amateur, grasped the composing stick, and buckled to the case, in years more youthful, and whilst the young mind was easily impregnated with new ideas. Who that knew this savant — who that has listened to his counsels — who that has enjoyed his confidence, or the ben- efit of his society — the brightness of his example, and the richness of his friendship — who among them will refuse their sympathy, or hesitate to give their meed of acquies- cence to the foregoing sentiments, expressed by one who knew him well — who loved him much, and who records so imperfect a tribute to the mental characteristics of this great Southern litterateur. With him mortality has but yesterday, as it were, put on immortality, and now that he is gone, it is as if some prominent feature which formed the principal object of a landscape, were blotted out; the prospect pre- sents to the mind a void, which the surroundings cannot replace. As the sun went down in repose on the evening of the 11th of June, 1870, so faded from view, gently, calmly, and in that peace which became a great life — one whose friends were numbered by thousands, and whose admirers embraced the world. Our State owes an incalculable debt of gratitude to his genius, and to that talent he had chosen to employ so nobly through life in perpetuating her history — " Each age to him its grateful dues shall pay." E. Smith Duryea, the co-partner of Mr. Simms, was a practical printer, having served his apprenticeship with Mr. A. E. Miller, and was quite popular as a journalist. >" THE NEWSPAPEB PRE Scarcely had lie reached the age of maturity — io the rich development of those social and tender charities of life, in the future usefulness so peculiarly characteristic of his mild deportment and benevolent heart — when he died. This event occurred on the 25th of March, 1832, in the 26th year of his age. E. Smith Duryea was the father of Colonel Robert S. Duryea, Counselor at Law in our City. Before taking leave of the City Gazette and Daily Ad- vertiser, and prior to noticing its absortion by the Gourier^ we propose to refer to the memorable fires of the 16th of February, 1835, and that four months after, 6th of June, 1835. The one of the 16th February, 1835, broke out at the N. E. corner of State and Linguard Streets ; sixty-three houses were burnt. The most distressing feature of this calamity, was the destruction of St. Philips' Church, a ven- erable structure completed in 1723-4.* Truly, the de- struction of that venerable pile must have recalled to its worshipers the words of Isaiah, w T hen in his lamentations over the destruction of Jerusalem he exclaimed : " Then it was that our Holy, and our beauteous house, where our Fathers praised thee, is burned up by fire !" Twice before had this Church escaped when surrounded by fire. First in 1796. It was again in peril in 1810. Hard on this misfortune, came the calamity of the 6th June, 1835, which the City journals announced as having originated in a small wooden tenement on the West side of Meeting Street, near Hasel Street. The number of build- ings destroyed was estimated from three to four hundred. * Sheout, page G. Divine Service was first performed in this Church in 1723. Gospel Messenger, vol. xxiv, chapter xvi, page 37. It was in this year (1723) that the Church, then building, was greatly injured by a hurricane. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. b< Some of them, large brick mansions, but much the larger proportion of them were two story frame houses. At this fire the officers and crew of the United States ship Natchez, and the Revenue Cutter Alert; the officers and privates of the United States Army, and the Captain and crew of the line ship Niagara rendered essential aid. In the year 1837, the material and good will of this pa- per, under the name of The South Carolina Gazette, passed from the hands of Mr. Poole, into those of Messrs. A. S. "Willixgtox & Co. The Courier firm published it as an auxiliary to their " Map of busy life," until the first of October, 1840, when it was discontinued in consequence of the patronage of the daily and tri- weekly having increased to such an extent as to render the publication of it incon- venient. CHAPTER VII. THE STATE EIGHTS AND FREE TRADE EVENING POST — JOHN A. STUART — J. C. NORRIS — B. R. GITSINGER — THE POST CHANGES HANDS — IT DIES — THE PALMETTO BAT- TERY — JAMES WRIGHT SIMMONS — THE TIMES AND PO- LITICAL AND COMMERCIAL EVENING GAZETTE, 1806-8 — THOMAS CAMPBELL COX — WILLIAM P. YOUNG THOMAS SHEPPARD — THE FRANKLIN HEAD SIGN, 1814 — THE TIMES CHANGES PROPRIETORS — SERINE & DUKE — T. G. SERINE LAST PROPRIETOR, 1824 — THE INVESTIGATOR — JOHN MACKEY — TURNBULL's ATTACK ON MACKEY — A TO- RY MOB ATTACKS THE OFFICE OF THE INVESTIGATOR — JOHN LYDE WILSON, EDITOR, AUTHOR AND GOVERNOR. On the 1st October, 1831, the first number of the State Rights and Free Trade Evening Post was issued at 13 Champney Street, (now Exchange Street, South of the Old Post Office.) This paper was printed by William Henry Gray, for John A. Stuart. Mr. Gray was trained as a printer in the job office of William P. Young ; and, at one time, acted as foreman of the Patriot, and was afterwards the senior of the publishing house of Gray & Ellis. Mr. Gray, who was a zealous member of the craft, died 2d October, 1836. The Post was a party organ, and was owned by James Hamilton, R. J. Turnbull, R. Y. Hayne and John A. Stuart. The following extract from the writings of Thomas Jefferson, was the motto under the Charleston head of this paper : " Every State has a national right in cases not within 70 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS " the compact (casus 11071 foederis) to nullify of their own "authority, all assumptions of powers by others within " their limits. Without this right they would be under " the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whomsoever " might exercise this right of judgment over them." In November, 1832, James C. Norris and Benjamin R. Gitsinger purchased the Post from Mr. Stuart ; the latter having become the proprietor of The Charleston Mer- cury. The Post did not change its politics. It continued to advocate nullification, and, as some regarded, all its kin- dred heresies. It expired after it had attained its six hun- dred and eighty-fourth number. It was, afterwards, reviv- ed and published as The Palmetto Battery, and was edited by James Wright Simmons, the essayist and poet. This paper also had a short existence, but during its publication gave evidence of its ardent devotion to the doctrines of nullification. Mr. Norris was connected with the Mercury as its book-keeper, and subsequently filled several offices within the gift of the City Council. He died 18th October, 1854- th e anniversary of his birth day, 62 years of age. His co-partner, Mr. Gitsinger, was known for several years as the able and devoted foreman of the Courier. The pro- prietors of this paper reluctantly parted with him when he quitted their service to assume the duties of Inspector of Streets, an appoinment bestowed upon him by Council. By some misadventure, on the 7th August, 1855, while on the fourth floor of the Job Printing establishment of Messrs. James, Williams & Gitsinger, 3 Broad Street, the last named of this firm, while arranging for the removal of some material, lost his balance, and fell through a trap door to the lower floor, a distance of some fifty-four feet. From this accident Mr. Gitsinger never fully recovered. He died 12th February, 1858. OP CHARLESTON, S. C. 71 James Wright Simmons, at one time editor of the Pal- metto Battery, was born in Charleston. His name is en- rolled in the imperishable records of literary fame. Early in life (about 1817) he published " The Exiles Return." His " Memnon" followed. After his repeated contributions to the daily journals and magazines, Mr. Simmons went North, and was for some time with Morris & Willis, of the New York Mirror; after that, with Colonel Watson Webb, of the New- York Courier and Enquirer ; was the correspondent from Florida of the New York Evening Star, and wrote the " Recollections of the Campaign in East Florida," which received the general meed of admira- tion for their graceful style, lively narrative of events, and elegant pictures of men and scenery. Mr. Simmons went to Galveston, Texas, in 1837 or '38, and was associated with Major Whitney, of the Banner. He was, after- wards, Comptroller General under Governor Lamar ; then Treasurer of the Republic of Texas. From the Boston press as late as 1852, he published " The Greek Girl," a tale in two cantos, and was, also, the author of an elaborate treatise on the " Moral Character of Lord Byron." While contributing largely to the press in prose, he. wrote many fugitive poems. This poet, essayist, dramatist, and re- viewer, died at Memphis, Tennessee, in his 68th year. One only of this ancient family is now living. The mother of Mr. Simmons was a Miss Hayne, and one of the six ladies, near relatives of Colonel Isaac Hayne, who vainly peti- tioned Lord John Rawdon, to save from execution, the life of that distinguished gentleman. The Times and Political and Commercial Evening Ga- zette, another daily journal, was established by Messrs. Cox & Sheppard, on the 6th of October, 1800, and printed at No. 167 Tradd Street. As shortly after as the 17th No- vember, of the same year, its name was changed to the 72 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS Tunes, City Gazette and Merchants Evening Advertiser. On the lGth March, 1801, another change took place in its title, and it became the property of Thomas Campbell Cox and his brother-in-law, William P. Young, the latter having a silent interest in the paper. The Times was printed at No. 1 Broad Street. Mr. Cox became sole pro- prietor of the paper early in 1812. He died in this City on the 18th October, 1814, and was buried in the grave yard of St. Philips' Church. Mr. Thomas Sheppard was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in this City, April 10, 1809, in the 31st year of his age, leaving one son, our fellow citizen, Thomas C. Sheppard. Mr. Young was a job printer and publisher, and for many consecutive years conducted The Palladium of Knowledge, or the Carolina and Georgia Almanac, which was issued from 44 Broad Street. The idea of using " The Franklin Head" as a sign for a book store, was first adopted in this City by Mr. Young. It has been, subsequent to his death, successively adopted and used by the late W. K. Babcock, at the corner of King and Wentworth Streets, and more recently by Sam- uel Fogartie, successor to the late Mr. Babcock. It is now the sign which designates " Holmes' Book House." The late Thomas Cox Young, and the Revd. Thomas John Young, who died October 11, 1852, lamented by the vestry and congregation of St. Michael's Church, were sons of the publisher and printer, William P. Young. In January, 1816, Messrs. Serine & Duke became the proprietors of The Times, and at the close of 1818, while under the proprietorship of Mr. J. C. Duke, it failed. Mr. Duke died in 1824, and T. G. Serine, the senior partner died in this City the same year. Mr. Skrine was the father of Dr. T. C. Serine, who has also been identified with the newspaper press of Charleston. The former OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 73 owners of The Times, Messrs. Cox & Sheppard, were suc- cessful as publishers. The Investigator was a morning paper, published on Vendue Range, four doors from East Bay, by John Mac- key and John Lyde Wilson. The first issue of The Investigator was on the 1st Au- gust, 1812 ; its motto being this quotation from Dickin- son : " Think of your ancestors and your posterity." The principles of the paper were thus defined : " Independence shall be the leading character of the In- 11 vestigator, and with a due regard to decency and deco- 11 rum, the truth, sacred truth, however hard it may 11 bear upon public delinquents, shall always find a place 11 in its columns. Indeed, truth, sacred truth shall be "its Polar Star." This paper was quite small, measuring only 20 by 26 in- ches. Its place of publication was, afterwards, changed to 226 East Bay. The firm was John Mackey & Co. Dr. John Mackey died December 14, 1831. A mural tablet on the South East corner of Trinity Church marks the spot where his remains were interred. Mr. Mackey was the father of Albert G-. Mackey, the distinguished mason, and fluent and ready writer on Masonic Jurispru- dence. John Mackey, the senior proprietor of the Inves- tigator, became involved in a rencounter with the Hon. Robert J. Turnbull, during the war of 1812, in Broad Street, directly in front of the building known as the property of the " Hebrew Orphan Society." Mr. Turn- bull, bitter as an anti-war man, crossed from the South side of the street for the purpose of calling Mr. Mackey to account for having impugned, in his paper, the position he (Tqrnbull) had taken in regard to the war. Mr. Mackey, on receiving a blow from a cane in the hands of Mr. Turnbull, clenched with his antagonist, Mr. Mac- 7 74 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS key, being physically superior, soon overcame his opponent, and had him at his mercy ; and his fixed purpose, seem- ingly, was to take the life of his prostrate political foe. Mr. Mackey had one knee pressed on Mr. Turnbull's chest, while with the right hand he firmly grasped his throat. The venerable and honored Alfred Huger, then four and twenty years of age, in all the vigor of his manhood, and whom chance placed in the way, went to the rescue of Mr. Turnbull. The author has heard Mr. Huger say, that when he approached the combatants, he found that Mr. Turnbull was being strangled, and that he then resorted to the same method of throttling to save Mr. Turnbull's life. While in the performance of this humane duty, he heard some one, from an upper window of the Oourt House exclaim : " D — n it, Huger, let Mac- key kill him !" On the 28th September, 1812, the size of the Investiga- tor was increased about one-third. A " Tory mob" as the editor termed it, attacked the office of this paper on the afternoon of Saturday, 3rd October, 1812. " Tertia" or " Great Primer" was the type used for the Investigator. This journal was, subsequently, sold by John Mackey to Isaac Harby, who, in 1817, changed its name to The Southern Patriot, and Commercial Advertiser . John Lyde Wilson, of the Investigator, was, in 1822, elected Governor of South Carolina. In 1842, he trans- lated in verse, and published in octavo form, the famous episode of " Cupid and Psyche," contained in the Mytho- logical tale from the " Golden Ass" of Apuleius, and was the author of " The Code of Honor," a pamphlet published from the press of Thomas J. Eccles, Charleston, in March, 1838. Mr. Wilson published, in New York, about 1827, the codification of the laws of this State. Governor Wil- son, was regarded as an extraordinary man ; he was born OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 75 in Marlboro' County, South Carolina, May 24th, 1784, and was admitted to the bar at Columbia, in 1807. His speeches, political and legal, were always compiled with wonderful arrangement and care. This lawyer, editor and Governor, died in Charleston, February 12, 1849, and was buried with appropriate military honors in St. Paul's Church yard. CHAPTER VIII. THE SOUTHERN PATRIOT AND COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER — ISAAC HARBY — ROBERT HOWARD — JACOB N. CARDOZO — MARTIN E. MUXRO — THE CHARLESTON EVENING NEWS — JOHN CUNNINGHAM AND HIS COADJUTORS — THE SUN — EDWARD SILL — H. L. DARR — A. E. MILLER — JOHN C. HOFF — THE ROSE-BUD — MRS. CAROLINE GILMAN — THE RAMBLER — DR. JOHN B. IRVING. Mr. Harby, after taking charge of the Southern Patriot and Commercial Advertiser, associated with him Colonel Robert Howard, father of our exemplary fellow citizens and cotton brokers, Messrs. S. L. Howard & Bro. Mr. Harby withdrew from The Southern Patriot and Com- mercial Advertiser, on the 6th October, 1822, in favor of Colonel Howard, who changed its title to The Southern Patriot. Col. Howard was, for several years, debenture and abstract clerk of the Customs, and was the proprietor of a Reading Room, located in the second story of the building at the South West corner of Broad and East Bay Streets. This Reading Room was formally opened to the merchants on the 31st December, 1831. To Col. Howard does the credit belong of having commenced the publica- tion of the Prices Current or weekly resume of the markets, in tabular form. He died while Naval Officer of the Cus- toms, February 20, 1850, in the 79th year of his age, and was buried in St. Philips' Church yard. Isaac Harby was born in Charleston, November 9, 1788, 78 TIIE NEWSPAPER PRESS He was the eldest son of Solomon Harby, of Georgetown, South Carolina. Mr. Harby was fond of controversy, and had few, if any, superiors. He was a popular essayist, persuasive orator, and the writer of several dramas. Se- lections from his writings were made and published in single octavo, in the year 1829, edited by Abraham Moise, of this City. Failing in his efforts, in 1825, to establish a paper to be called The Examiner, Mr. Harby left Charleston, in June, 1828, and became a resident of New York City. The scene of his anticipated success soon proved the grave of his intelligence. He died in New York on the 14th December, 1828, and just before he had reach- ed his 40th year. Col. Howard sold the Patriot to J. N. Cardozo, on the 1st January, 1823. Mr. Cardozo sold The Patriot to Martin E. Munro, in April, 1845, and on retiring from the editorial chair, he took leave of his patrons in a neat, feeling, and well written valedictory address. Mr. Charles K. Bishop became the editor of the Patriot, under the management of Mr. Munro. Mr. Cardozo could not resist the exciting influences which journalism caused — so to speak, a necessity to his prolific and astute mind. No sooner had he parted with the Patriot, than he sent forward an order for new type and an outfit, with which he intended to establish The Evening News. The first number of that thoughtful and well conducted sheet, appeared on the 1st October, 1845. His re-appearance as a journalist increased, rather than allayed the bitterness of feeling which existed between Mr. Munro and himself. It made them warm opponents in journalism. Both ignored the fact that from the edito- rial sanctum, diatribes should not emanate. Whatever differences of political opinion may have existed between them as public journalists, these could afford no valid rea- son for the employment of personally reproachful and dis- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 79 respectful terms, in their newspaper contests. Let oppos- ing editors differ — let positions be attacked and defend- ed — assumptions either maintained or refuted — all may be accomplished in that spirit of courtesy which should regulate the intercourse between men. It behooves every editor to bestir himself for his country, and his country's interests. It is equally incumbent upon him to perform the duty in a manner that will reflect no discredit upon his profession, and to keep up an amiable and creditable esprit de corps. This duty, no honorable supervisor of a public press should lose sight of. When a public journal is diverted from its proper mission, to that of private dis- putes and differences, its power becomes greatly weakened and perverted. In an essay on " The Courtesies, Duties, and Delinquen- cies of Journalism," published in the Courier, in the spring of 1867, the author endeavored more fully to define the delinquency here alluded to. The building at the corner of Broad and East Bay Streets, referred to in a preceding page, has, within the author's recollection, been occupied, first by R. L. Baker, druggist ; by A. Jordan, an extensive dealer in fruit, segars and willow ware ; by Amos Head, in 1844-5, as a book and literary depot ; by Messrs. Courtenay and Wienges, who bought out Mr. Head, and were his succes- sors, and who occupied the site until it was demolished in the year 1853. In pulling down that structure to give place to the imposing brown stone edifice, now the proper-" ty of Messrs. George A. Trenholm & Son, a portion of the wall fell, on the afternoon of the 13th July, 1853, instantly killing Mr. John Johnson, mortally wounding Mr. James Maher, and slightly injuring other operatives. From this locality, to Line Street, there was established, 21st October, 1833, a regular line of omnibusses, which re- 80 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS turned from each extremity, alternate half hours. Pas- Bengere were "taken up and set down." The fare was 12 J cents, or ten tickets for $1, Let us revert, however, to our original subject, and turn over a few additional leaves of history, to catch in their rustlings, some voices of the past that may wisper tidings of interest, or awake the slumberings of memory. It was of Mr. Cardozo we were speaking. The feeble form of this able, though most aged of Southern editors, is still to be seen, and until recently, almost daily in the neighborhood of his ancient, but now abdicated seat of authority. This gentleman, so well and favorably known, was born in Sa- vannah, Georgia, on the 17th day of June, 1786. He came to Charleston with his parents, when about eight years old. After serving a long apprenticeship at a mechanical em- ployment, he was engaged, for some years, as a clerk in a lumber yard. Subsequently, he took the position as acting editor of The Southern Patriot under Mr. Robert Howard. As an American journalist, he is a recognized authority in Banking, in Commercial Statistics generally, and in Politi- cal Economy. The several papers for which he wrote, and those which he conducted, at different periods for half a century, were all distinguished for the able handling of these important subjects. He is well known also as a fre- quent and discriminating critic of the drama. The vigor of his mind, even at the advanced age of 84 years, is testified in the fact of his being the successful competitor for the prize essay of the " Charleston Board of Trade," which received the commendation of that mercantile body at their last anniversary, April 6, 1870. Mr. Cardozo has returned to his native City and State ; there, probably, to remain the balance of the few years yet vouch-safed to him on earth. Martin E. Munro, proved indefatigable in his endeav- OF CHARLESTON, S. C 81 ors to sustain his paper, the Patriot ; but it did not exist longer than the close of 1848. It ceased then to hold its place among the papers of the day ; as also its auxiliary The Morning Transcript, leaving the field to The Evening News. Mr. Muneo was always profuse in his acknowledg- ments of the services of both his foremen, Barnard Levy and A. Despoetes. Mr. Cardozo sold The Evening News to Messrs. Btje- ges & James, in the autumn of 1847. Mr. Bishop dis- posed of the interest he had in the paper, and left Charles- ton shortly after, for the North, aud became connected with The Newark Eagle; and was, for several years, editor and proprietor of that journal. Since then he has been connected with the New York Dispatch, Washing- ton Chronicle, and New York Weekly. The distinguished jurist, William D. Porter, was then called to the edito- rial department of the News. Early in 1848, William Y. Paxton, purchased an interest in the paper, and the firm was changed to Burges, James & Paxton. Messrs. Burges, James & Paxton sold the News to W. Y. Pax- ton and B. Garden Peingle, September 9th, 1848. From the formation of this co-partnership, Mr. Peingle, who, wielded a ready and easy pen, took upon himself the editorial responsibilities of the News, and under his auspices the reputation of that journal was ably sus- tained. Another change was made in this paper of so chequered an existence. In July, 1850, Mr. Pringle terminated his short editorial career, and B. F. Poetee, of Alabama, succeeded him as editor, and as a member of the firm of W. Y. Paxton & Co. Judge Poetee was a graceful and discursive writer, familiar with literature and politics, as well as with law. The News for a while enjoyed the editorial labors of that most popular Southern poet and author, Pall H. Hayne. Mr. Hayne, whose 82 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS name Las added so much to the literary reputation of the State, finally took active charge of the literary de- partment, whilst that of the general business devolved on Mr. Paxton. W. Y. Paxton, who had been connected with the paper about seven years, withdrew from it Sep- tember 29th, 1855, on account of ill health. Mr. Paxton's interest was taken by Col. John Cunningham and Ste- phen E. Pelot. The Evening News suspended early in the spring of 1861, Col. John Cunningham, with his com- positors having gone to Vinegar Hill, Morris' Island, in defence of Charleston. The paper was resumed on the return of Col. Cunningham and the workmen, and it re- appeared May 1st, 1861. It died shortly afterwards under the proprietary title of John Cunningham & Co. ; the silent partners being James B. O'Reilly, and Francis J. Green. Stephen E. Pelot withdrew what interest he had, but a short time before the suspension of the paper. James S. Burges, of the firm of Burges & James, the second proprietors of the News, died in Aiken, South Car- olina, on the 21st February, 1850. Messrs. James, Prin- gle and Pelot are now to be found in other spheres of life. Mr. Paxton has removed to Sumter, S. C, and has become the business manager of The Sumter Watchman. John Cunningham, the spirited journalist, and once the enthusiastic politician, has bid adieu to both arenas, and is now known only in the quiet pursuits of domestic life, at his homestead, in one of the upper Counties of this State. It was with this paper that our fellow-citizen, A. C. McGillivray was for a time connected as reporter, besides having been for many years identified with various departments of the Patriot, Sun, Standard and Daily News. The Sun, a morning paper, was established September 30, 1850, by Messrs. Sill & Darr. The subscription OP CHARLESTON, S. C. 83 was, four dollars per annum, ten cents per week, and two cents per single copy. Dr. Edward Sill retired from the Telegraph, which he was publishing at Columbia, South Carolina, and came to Charleston from our Capital. The " right hand of fellowship" was cordially extended to both himself and his partner, by the press of the City. Mr. Darr is quite practical, and is known to the craft generally. He was business manager for the paper, and likewise its foreman. The mechanical appearance of The Sun was neat and tasteful, reflecting credit on the junior partner. During its short career, it was edited at different times by Dr. A. G-. Mackey, Edward Sill, jr., Paul H. Hayne, and finally by Dr. T. C. Serine, who remained its assistant editor until the paper was discontinued, which was on the 28th June, 1851. Though Mr. Cardozo stands at the head of the editorial record, there are not to be found among the disciples of Faust, older representatives than Archibald Edward Miller and John Cramer Hoff, now living in this City. A. E. Miller, was born in Shelburn, Nova Scotia, 13th April, 1785, and arrived in Charleston, in 1792. He was apprenticed to Messrs. Harrison & Bowen, before mentioned as publishers in this City, from 1794, until Oc- tober, 1804. Mr. Miller, after having served a portion of his appren- ticeship with Harrison & Bowen, continued it in the printing office of William P. Young, until October, 1804 ; then finished a service of eleven years with G-. M. Boune- theau. Mr. Miller took position as foreman of the Courier under March ant, "Wellington & Co., succeeding a Mr. Kennard, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and who had died on 12th September, 1807, of yellow or stran- gers' fever, in the 29th year of his age. Mr. Kennard had endeared himself to his acquaintances by the suavity 84 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS of his manners, and the correctness of his principles, and to his employers, by his industry. After having held the position of foreman of the Courier for nine years, Mr. Mil- ler established himself in the book and job printing busi- ness, on the 2d November, 1816, and became eminent as a publisher. Ever since that period, he has been the pro- prietor of Miller s Planters and Merchant's Almanac, Among the earliest of the works published by this veteran printer, was William Gilmore Simms' second book of poems — •" Early Lays." Samuel K. Williams, favorably known to the craft, Henry S. Griggs, and James W. Mc- Millan, (nephew of W. L. Poole, once publisher of the Gazette,) are the only survivors of those who were, from time to time, apprenticed to Mr. Miller. John C. Hoff was born in Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, March 7, 1795. After he came to Charles- ton, he was apprenticed in the year 1807 to his uncle, John Hoff, a book- binder and printer. Early in the year 1818, Mr. Hoff worked as a journeyman compositor in the Courier office. He went to Savannah in the autumn of 1819, and worked in the same capacity with Messrs. T. S. Fell and Alexander McIntyre, under the firm of T. S # Fell & Co. They were then the publishers of The Sa- vannah Republican, a journal, by one year, older than The Charleston Daily Courier. In Savannah, Mr. Hoff remained until the close of 1821, when he was recalled to Charleston by his uncle, John Hoff, and continued with him until his uncle's de- mise, which took place in Philadelphia, in 182G. Phillip Hoff then took charge of the business, and conducted it until he died. Mr. John C. Hoff, succeeded Mr. Phillip Hoff, who was also his uncle, at the stand in Broad Street, next East of the Bank of Charleston, and, until 1858, carried on the book and job printing and stationery OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 85 business, which was inaugurated by his senior uncle, John Hoff, forty-five years before. The Southern Rose-bud, B. B. Hussey & Co., publishers, was a semi-weekly paper. Mrs. Caroline Gilman was the originator of it. Mrs. Gilman was born in Boston, and her maiden name was Howard. This talented lady, feel- ing the importance of giving to the youthful mind a right di- rection, formed the plan of issuing a journal for the young. This daughter of " Modern Athens," distinguished more particularly for her prose writings, carried a design so commendable, into effect, in September, 1833. The Rose- led was known from that time, and it was the sprightliest of the ephemeral publications of Charleston. Well receiv- ed, its character was elevated to the standard of a highly influential literary newspaper. Its name was, in Septem- ber, 1835, changed to The Southern Rose. Burges & James were the publishers at that time. In this paper, Mrs. Gilman, who was the editor and author of a work entitled " The Poetry of Traveling in the United States," published some of her best poetry, and most of her prose writings. ■The Rambler and The Bowjuet were also short lived papers, though the former was a very sun in the literary firmament. This fact causes it to be referred to particu- larly. The Rambler was devoted to Reviews, Essays, Tales and Poems. Messrs. Miller & Brown were the publishers. The Rambler died March 30, 1844. The elegant and easy writer, Dr. John B. Irving, toiled un- ceasingly while presiding over its finances, and over its editorial columns. Dr. Irving was born in Charleston, and was sent to England by his parents, in the early part of the present century, for the further benefit of his education. He has thus written of his early life : 8G THE NEWSPAPER PRESS "My college life, which began at Cambridge, in 1808, " was full of incident. I have chapter after chapter, in " my diary of things in general, but of racing in particular. " During my college term, my proximity to New Market, " that great Metropolis of the Turf, was an irresistible " temptation to me to indulge my passion for the sport 11 that did most easily beguile me. I could not resist my 11 propensity that way. It seemed to grow with my growth, " and strengthen with my strength. I often, in my mo- 11 ments of youthful levity, used to laugh and say, if I only " devoted to my college studies the time I did to acquire a "thorough acquaintance with the "Stud Book," and a " familiarity with pending racing events, and their proba- " ble results, I could not fail to become a very accomplish- " ed scholar ; the pride and ornament of any University : " but this alas! was not to be. I was stable-minded, it is "true, but not stable enough. Like Reuben, unstable as " water, I could not excel." Dr. Irving has been a miscellaneous writer all his life. He has contributed a great deal to our daily press, and frequently edited the Mercury, in the absence of the pro- prietor, Mr. Pinckney. It can truthfully be said, that in his manifold literary writings, he has never indited a word calculated to injure, or to give pain to any human being. Dr. Irving is graceful in elocution, has command of chaste and beautiful imagery — exquisite humor, pungent, yet playful satire, and touching pathos. These endowments have repeatedly brought tributes of applause from large audiences in this City and elsewhere. His lectures on Coleridge's "Devil's Walk," and " Cock Robin," give evi- dences of his grace, originality, and happy vein. " A Day on Cooper River," proves him to be a remarkably spirited cicerone. The circumstances which induced Dr. Irving to prepare OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 87 and deliver the lecture on " Cock Robin," which has been declaimed thirty-four times, and which has benefited the charities of life to an amount not less than $11,000, is men- tioned as a pleasing episode. The " Literary and Philo- sophical Society of South Carolina," over which that pure divine, and learned ornithologist, Reverend John Bach- man, D. D., presided, found, after the completion of their museum, that their revenue was inadequate to compensate the naturalist and chemist, Doctor Felix Louis L'Hee- mixiee, member and correspondent of several learned so- cieties, who was especially brought from Europe for this service. It was then determined that this want should be met by means of a course of lectures, to be given by, some of the prominent members of the society. Doctor Irving was one of the lecturers, in aid of that fund. " Cock Robin" was the Doctor's theme. s '"Tis a history HaDded from ages down ; a nurse's tale." The simplicity of the subject was relieved by the general splendor of the production, and from every part of the " Old Theatre," on the night of the lecture, rang out uni- versal applause, revealing to the author the pleasing assu- rance, that from a simple nursery tale, he had drawn com- pliments from a large and delighted auditory. Dr. Irving now quietly enjoys communion with thoughts pure and worthy, at his country seat, " Kensington," in St. John's, Berkley, unalloyed by the promiscuous admixtures of City life. CHAPTER IX. THE ONLY JOURNAL OF THE PAST AND PRESENT — FIRST ISSUED AS CHARLESTON COURIER, JANUARY 10, 1803 — LOSING ANDREWS, A. S. WILLINGTON, S. C. CARPENTER, ITS FOUNDERS CONTENTS EPITOMIZED GROUND-MOLE PLOT B. B. SMITH, F. DALCHO, P. T. MARCHANT, 1807 JOHN PALM. Of the several rivals now contending for the honors and rewards held out in Charleston to the press, The Charles- ton Daily Courier, let it be remarked, has had an existence of sixty-seven years. This fact is only referred to now, as indicating and measuring, not so much its claims, as a competitor, but to show what should be its inducements and motives to grateful remembrance and continued exertions. The field is ample, both for duties and rewards, and it is pleasing to state, that in the progressiveness of enlarged and liberal views, it is fast coming to be admitted, that in the legitimate and honorable publishing business, the over- throw of one competitor is never necessarily the advance- ment of another. The Charleston Daily Courier has outlived all its elders, and many of its contemporaries in journalism, and in the history of the press, no less than in other provinces of thought, action, and adventure, it has witnessed many changes. These changes constitute a narrative within them- selves ; which, did space permit, it would be exceedingly interesting still further to dwell upon. 90 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS The Courier began its commercial career on the 10th day of January, 1803, sixty-seven years ago, through the energy of Aaron Smith "Wellington. This gentleman was born in the Town of Weyland, Massachusetts, on the 12th March, 1781. In 1802, just after reaching his ma- jority, he came to Charleston. It was at the pressing solicitations of Loring Andrews, also of Massachusetts, that Mr. Willington, the friend of Mr. Andrews, came to dwell in the Southern quarter of the Union. Mr. Wil- lington's purpose was to superintend the mechanical de- partment of a paper that Mr. Andrews intended to estab- lish, to supply the place of the South Carolina State Ga- zette; a journal which had just finished its career, in the family of newspapers. These gentlemen, on their arrival in Charleston, found another candidate for newspaper honors, in Stephen Cullen Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter was an Irish gentleman, advantageously known as having been, at one time, a writer for the periodical press of London ; reporter of the parliamentary proceedings, during the trial consequent upon the impeachment exhibited against War- ren Hastings* by the English Government, which began in the spring of 1788, and the author of the " Overland Journey to India," under the assumed name of Donald Campbell. Mr. Carpenter was a federalist in politics, and quite active in arranging for the establishment of a political journal. At that time, an effort made to main- tain two daily papers would, in the opinion of those inter- ested, terminate in the failure of both. Wisely was it, then, that Messrs. Andrews and Carpenter determined to combine both enterprises. This adjustment produced the Charleston Courier, on the day already mentioned, from * Warren Hastings, at the conclusion of the speech made by Edmund Burke on that occasion remarked : " I thought, for about half an hour, that I was the greatest villain in the world." OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 91 their office. No. 6 Craft's South Range, (Adger's South Wharf.) The tri-weekly, or country edition of this paper was not instituted until April 16, 1804. In the first number of the Courier is the " Prospectus," one column in length. We find, as prominent articles among the reading matter, Congressional proceedings ; an epito- mized comparison between the monarchical and the consular despotism of France ; British domestic intelligence ; mis- cellaneous matter, and a lengthy editorial on the subject of "Intolerance." It concludes with the annexed sig- nificant paragraph, in which are occurrences the editor seemed to have anticipated, and which have since come to pass : " Against the worst of abominations and mischiefs, with " which this growing spirit of intolerance if not resisted " must ultimately overwhelm and trample down the coun- "try, unhinge the public policy, corrupt the morals and 11 brutalise the manners of the people, and extinguish all 11 the decencies and tender charities which invigorate, while " they soften the human heart, we shall in some future 11 number endeavor to warn the citizens of the United 11 States. To moderate, not to inflame — to mediate and " heal, not exasperate — to fill up the hideous gulph which " now yawns across the commonwealth dividing one por- " tion of the people from the other, shall be the object of " our strenous efforts as it is of our most anxious wishes. "Were the former as potent as the latter is sincere, there " would soon be in this country but one heart, one hand, 11 one sentiment, and one voice — and that voice would pro- " claim to the world — America is, and ever shall be a " Confederated Republic." In the advertising columns of this first number, there are the sales at auction advertisements of Veree & Blair, David Lopez; Scott, Campbell & Co. ; Wm. Holmes & 92 THE NEWSPAPEE PBESS Co.; Wm. Hobt, and Oha.bles Lining, executors, who ad- vertised for Bale the lands belonging to the Right Reverend Doctor Smith. Jno. Gillis, who offered five dollars reward for John Williams, a runaway from the schooner Garland. Among the most prominent of those who conducted the grocery business, were Crocker & Highborn, Thomas & Flecher, Joseph Winthrop, J. M. Davis, and McKenzie & McNeill. Of the vessels ready for London and Liver- pool there were eight ; for freight or charter, five, and were advertised by J. Winthrop, Crocker & Hiciiborn, Tunno & Cox, J. & J. Hargraves, Bailey & Walker, David McTaggart, Gillespie & Mackay, W. & E. Crafts, John Haslett. Nathaniel Ingraham advertised for sale " the house the subscriber now resides in, situated in King Street, near South Bay." W. Wightman had a column advertisement in this first number, and therein an- nounced, " an elegant and fashionable assortment of sterling plate, gold and silver watches, rich jewelry, plated goods, etc." The marine news consisted of six vessels arrived, and five sailed. In the same issue, there is given an account of the pro- ceedings of Congress, of December 23, 1802, in wmich is a message from Mr. Jefferson, then President, giving in- formation with regard to the violation of the treaties with the United States on the part of Spain, and conveying, among other papers, letters from our consul at New Or- leans. Since then the territory of France and Spain on this continent, has not only been ceded to the United States, but also out of that territory great and powerful States of this Union have been formed. The Courier has seen in the course of a life of sixty-seven years, nations rise and fall. It chronicled the triumph and descent of the •first Napoleon. It announced the trampling by France upon Germany. Events have indeed taken a turn. Germany OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 03 has been avenged, her hosts have heavily pressed the soil of France. It recorded the first notes of secession which were sounded in New England by Josiah Qulncy, and by the Hartford Convention, and it subsequently heard New Eng- land's denouncement of State Eights in every shape and form. It mentioned the fact that New England slavers brought Africans to Charleston for sale, and subsequently reported New England's condemnation of the very act in- augurated by herself, and through which she had acquired wealth . It lived in the times which enabled it deservedly to extol such men as Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Cheves, Eutledge, Lowndes, Cal- houn, Webster, and Clay. It lives to-day to herald with deep humiliation, the workings of a self aggrandizing President like Grant, politicians like Morton, and Gov- ernors like Bullock, Holden and Scott. In literature, it has seen the rise and success of Cole- ridge, Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, Cowper, By- ron, Tennyson and Moore, among English Poets; Sir William Hamilton, the Herschells, Humphrey Da- vy, and Sir David Brewster, among English Philoso- phers; Dickens, Bulwer, Thackeray and George El- iot, among English Novelists ; Hallam and Macauley, among English Historians. It has seen the genius of the new world begin with nothing of value, yet produce such men as Whitney, Washington Irving, Poe, Bryant, Cooper, Kennedy, Bancroft, and our own Simms. American art was then unknown. How is it to-day ? The works of Alston, Benjamin West, Stuart, Fra- ser and Bounetheau, reply. Others, too, we might men- tion, have won admiration from all who love the beautiful and admire genius. The subsequent publishing localities of the Courier were at No. 1 Broad Street, to which place it was removed May 94 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS 7th. 1800 ; tlien to No. 28, North side of Broad Street, just "West of State Street ; then further East, and near the Bay ; then on the South side of Broad Street, "West corner of Gadsden's Alley. There, it was published during the second war with Great Britain, which lasted from 1812 to 1815. The Courier when first issued, had for its superscription, 11 Printed by A. S. Willington for Loring Andrews." It was printed on paper of demy size, 19 by 22 inches, each page containing four columns ; dimensions very cir- cumscribed, when compared with the " Map of busy life," which is now spread before the public. In its early num- bers, there was marked reticence of the publishers on per- sonal or local matters. It is a fact highly creditable, and worthy of mention, that in all cases of emergency in former days, the mer- chants — a class of men high-toned and indefatigable in bu- siness, free, open and generous in their manner of conduct- ing it — together with the astute politicians, invariably came forward to the aid of our City press, not leaving editors to sustain a cause alone. In all such cases, the press of South Carolina, more so perhaps than elsewhere, poured forth a profusion of intellect. Co-eval with the early issues of the Courier, there was brought to light one of the most novel attempts at rob- bery, ever known in Charleston, and which produced much excitement at the time. The circumstances of the case — known as the " Ground-mole Plot" — were familiar to two, now among the most venerable of the citizens of Charles- ton, who then, with young and eager eyes, witnessed the scene. From notes made by one of them, entitled, 11 Occurrences of my early Life," the modus operandi of the would-be bank robber is taken and thus related : The gentleman, then an apprentice to a mechanical concern, OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 95 was attracted to the scene by the wide-spread rumor, and informed that there had just been dug out from the earth, a human ground-mole, who was industriously attempting to rob the South Carolina Bank, then located in the build- ing now occupied by the Charleston Library Society, at the North West corner of Broad and Church Streets. The man — Withers, by name — was discovered in the effort, and arrested before he had effected his purpose. He was of middle size, and had, as his accomplice, a youth, who made his escape. Withers was arraigned for this attempt to plunder, but not having accomplished his design, was released from confinement. The examination of this case showed that he came from the West, and that he had visited the City with a drove of horses, and having dis- posed of them, unfortunately lost all his proceeds by gaming. Desiring to recover his losses, he conceived the idea of so doing, at the expense of others. A project entertained by him was carried into effect one night in Oc- tober, 1802, by his entering the drain at the intersection of Broad and Church Streets, which, under the old system of drainage, could be entered by the removal of an iron grat- ing. Once in, he tunneled a passage to within a short distance of the bank vault. The strangest part of his feat was, that he remained earthed for the space of, at least, three months. The discovery of the plot — through the in- cautiousness of the youth — defeated one of the boldest and most novel methods of tapping the strong box of a moneyed institution, ever brought to light. Early in the summer of 1805, less than three years after the first publication of the Charleston Courier, Mr. An- drews, who had an ardent affection for those sweet heart affinities, known by the name of parent, brother and sis- ter, having resolved to return home, parted with the inter- est he had in the Courier establishment to Benjamin 96 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS Burgh Smith. Mr. Andrews, before lie came to Charles- ton, was the editor, successively, of The Herald of Free- dom, Boston, and The Western Star, of Stockbridge, Mas- sachusetts. While preparing to return North, he was ta- ken sick, and died on the 19th October, 1805, at the early- age of 38 years, having retired from the Courier but a few months before. Mr. Andrews was gifted to a high degree with all those qualities which make men useful to society, and estimable in private life ; his manners, plain, frank, and unaffected, showed sincerity, which he possessed in an uncommon degree. In the cemetery of the Unitarian Church of this City, where mortality ends, but where " there is no death but change, soul claspeth soul," Lor- ing Andrews, fourth son of Joseph Andrews, of Hing- ham, Massachusetts, was buried, aye, forgotten, save by one fair and faithful hand, whose unceasing duty it is to commemorate the spot. " No flowers so fair, no buds so sweet" as those which bedeck the grave of him, who died so soon after the forming period of life. In the fall of 1805 the Courier appeared, published by Benjamin Burgh Smith & Co. Mr. S. C. Carpenter was the Company. It was on the 10th of January, 1806, that Mr. Smith retired from the firm, in the fourth year of the paper's ex- istence ; the firm then became Marchant, Willington & Co. " The Wreath or the Rod" was the motto of the paper, and it was placed under the sub-title. Mr. Smith was a federalist in politics. He was remark- able for his wit, as well as his talent. This same position insured good breeding, and a respect for the opinions of others. He was distinguished for a courteous method of expression, now, unhappily, too scantily possessed by the press militant. This gentleman died in Charleston, of country fever, on the 2d day of June, 1823, aged 47 years. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 97 Messrs. Marchant, Carpenter, Dalcho, and Willing- ton, the individual members of the firm, were, also, the edi- tors. In their salutatory address to the public, at that period, appears the following exposition of their future course as journalists, to wit : * * * * * " Their labors will " still be the same ; namely, to maintain the Federal Con- " stitution inviolate, pure, and uncorrupted, generally ; to " defend, as far as they can, the cause of Christianity, *' order, and good government, and to oppose every attempt " that may be made, to pervert the sound principles, or 11 contaminate the morals of the community. * * * * * The " new proprietors have not only pledged themselves, that " the foregoing is to be simply and unequivocally their ob- ject; to which they not only bind themselves, but have " devised means to bind those who may hereafter possess " the property of the paper. Support or hostility to par- " ticular parties, merely as such, or to particular men, ex- " cept as they affect or are affected by the general princi- " pies, avowed, is entirely out of the scope of their views. " Abhorrent of personal calumny, or vulgar scurrility, " they promise that their columns shall never be stained " by any invective or indecorous allusion that can wound " the feelings of the most sensitive individual, unless the " fair, manly discussion of affairs, merely national, shall "have that effect." Mr. Wellington was then, for the first time, known as proprietor. On the 1st of November, 1806, this firm published a weekly organ, called the Carolina Weekly Messenger, but it did not succeed in getting hold of the public mind, and hence it failed. On the 4th of the same month and year, the first supplement ever published by the Courier, made its appearance, though these appendices had appeared in other journals, certainly thirty years before. This supple- ment of the Courier contained an Ordinance of the City, 98 TIIE NEWSPAPER PRESS regulating the City Guard. It was a document of some length, and signed by John Dawson, jr., then Intendant. In that supplement, there was, also, a proclamation from the Intendant, requiring " all owners and occupants of " houses within the City, to put one or more lights against 11 every window fronting the streets, whenever fire or 11 other alarms may occur in the night time." S. C. Carpenter withdrew from the firm of Marchant, Wellington & Co., on the 9th of July, 1806, and in the summer of the same year removed to New York City, w T here he bought out The Daily Advertiser, published in that City, and began, on the 1st January, 1807, the publi- cation of a half-weekly, called the People s Friend and Daily Advertiser. Mr. Carpenter pledged himself in the prospectus of that paper that " its columns shall never " inflict an unnecessary, or unprovoked sting, in the heart " of any individual, nor contain a line to wound the bosom 11 of integrity or innocence, or to bring a blush into the " cheek of modesty." Sentiments truly noble, but seldom regarded now by journalists. The encouragement this pa- per received outstripped the expectations of the proprietor. To Philadelphia Mr. Carpenter went in 1811, and while there, became the publisher of a magazine, named the Monthly Register and Review. In the same year, there was published in England, in six volumes, duodecimo, the works of S. C. Carpenter. They consisted of treatises upon various subjects: Essays, Moral, Critical, and His- torical ; Poems ; Translations and Letters upon interesting subjects. It is to be regretted that these works cannot be found, so far as is known, in either of our libraries. Mr. Carpenter also started The Bureau, or Repository of Lit- erature, Politics and Intelligence, but that Magazine was not a success. From Philadelphia he went to Washington City, in the summer of 1818, where he obtained an appoint- OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 99 merit as book-keeper for the Quarter Master's Department. This was not accomplished, however, without a change of political sentiment, for he became, at least in profession, a violent republican. Mr. Carpenter was not without his enemies ; and the feeling was so intense against him, that in a published letter from Washington, dated July 26th, to the editor of the Baltimore Patriot, he was styled " the notorious Stephen Cullen Carpenter." He was, the letter adds, " placed in a position to the exclusion of native worth and talent." Several of the clerks declared they would leave the public service, if Carpenter received an appointment in the office where they were. Mr. Car- penter died in 1820, of a chronic disease, after two years residence in "Washington. There is printed, from the London Courier of September 30th, 1806, in The Charleston Courier of the 5th January, 1807, the account of the execution of John Palm, by com- mand of Bonaparte. This murder excited, in a peculiar degree, the attention of the English people. It was a di- rect blow given to the " Liberty of the Press" — the magi- cian which works wonders — the medium which transforms the night of superstition into the noontide of truth. John Palm was a book publisher, and for selling a work containing " Free strictures on the conduct of Bonaparte," was dragged from a city under the protection of Prussia, tried by a military commission, and shot in the Austrian City of Brannau. The conduct of Palm, in vindicating the utility of the press, was most gallant. He was offered his pardon upon condition that he would give up the name of the author. This he refused to do. The opportunity was again offered him at the place of execution ; but his reply was, " that he would rather die than betray the author." He. was immediately shot. With the view of intimidating others, six thousand copies of the sentence of 100 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. the tribunal were circulated over the Continent. In re- turn, several patriots subscribed largely for the publication and distribution of sixty thousand copies of the letter writ- ten by Palm to his wife, from the military prison of Bran- nau, dated the 26th August, 1806, 6 o'clock, in the morn- ing. In that letter Palm instructed his wife to collect, as soon as possible, the wreck of his fortune, and with it retire to America, "in which land," he said, "innocence is still secure, and patriotism is yet revered." CHAPTER X. THE COURIER TO 1809 — EDMUND MORFORD — THE EMBAR- GO — THE BURNING OF PLACIDE's THEATRE, RICHMOND — THE COURIER'S EAST BAY LOCATION — ISIDORE GAND- OUIN — THE COMMERCIAL TREATY — MR. WILLINGTON AS BOARDING OFFICER — INCIDENTS — JOSEPH PREYOST AND HIS SUCCESSORS — ELFORD's OBSERVATORY. From January, 1808, to January, 1809, though the title ' of the paper, the career of which we now record, was the Charleston Courier, yet the sub-title on the second page, for the length of time above mentioned, read Courier and Mt rcantile Advertiser. The Courier was, at that time, ex- ceeded only by one or two daily papers on the continent. Peter Timothy Marchant, who was a grandson of Peter Timothy, withdrew from the paper, January, 1808. Mr. AVillington and Doctor Dalcho remained, under the firm of A. S. Wellington & Co. On the 3d July, 1809, Mr. E. Morford, a bookseller, whose store was the great literary centre of the City, and who was, as will be seen, the founder of the Mercury, became an associate editor, and one of the proprietors of the Courier, the firm then assuming the title of E. Mor- ford, Wellington & Co. This firm established and con- ducted a Pleading Room, second in importance to that estab- lished by PiOBERT Howard, (already noticed) in the City. They were also extensively engaged in the traffic of patent medicines, and material appertaining to the book trade. L02 the Newspaper press It was in MoEFORD, Willington & Co's Reading Room that the " Franklin Society," which was established in 1813, held their meetings. On the 1st July, 1812, the proprietors of the Courier, Messrs. Morford, Willington & Co., announced that the paper would be reduced to half a sheet, in consequence of the difficulty of procuring paper. The non-intercourse act produced this abridgment. The embargo* soon followed. The bill for an embargo of sixty days, was carried in the House of Representatives of the United States, on 3d April, 1812. Having passed the Senate, the bill was ratified by President Madison, on the 4th of the same month. This was the precursor of de- termined war, after a peace of nine and twenty years. The President's proclamation supervened. It was declar- ing a state of war existing between the " United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Dependencies there- of, and the United States, and their Territories," and was dated at Washington, on the 19th June, 1812. War was formally proclaimed in Charleston, in compliance with the President's proclamation, at 12 M., June 26, 1812, by Na- thaniel Greene Cleary, Sheriff of the District, " accom- panied by beat of drum." On the 1st October, 1812, the Courier resumed its for- mer size, arrangements for a supply of paper having been perfected with a factory in a neighboring State. The columns of the City papers at this period, December, 1812, are filled with recitals of that distressing catastro- * The embargo was the result of the unsettled differences with Great Brit- ain, and the imperious demands of France. It was a measure of general precaution. John Randolph was said to be the father of it. This inhibi- tion of the departure of our vessels from the ports of the United States, "was removed," Mr. Jefferson has said, "solely to quiet the excitement in New England." OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 103 phe, the burning of Placide's Theatre, Pdchmond, Vir- ginia. So distressing are the accounts of that calamity, and so great was the lamentation which immediately followed, throughout the States, that a description of an occurrence so tragical in its results, will here be attempted. Seven hundred persons were estimated as being in the theatre, at the time the announcement was made that the building was on fire. It was the night of Placide's bene- fit ; and the pantomime of the " Bleeding Nun" was being performed. After the fire, which was accidental, one hun- dred dead bodies were taken from under the ruins ; fifty more, it was supposed, were burned up, and many persons were seriously injured. Soon after the terrible event, Mr. Placide wrote to many of the theatrical managers in other cities, earnestly requesting them to alter their theatres, that every facility should be offered to enable the audience to leave such places, speedily, in cases of alarm. The proprietors of the Old Theatre, situated at what was then the western extremity of Broad Street, West corner of New Street, in this City, acted promptly on the suggestion of Mr. Placide. Such alteration was then made in that structure, as gave thirteen outlets to the large audience, which assembled, not long afterwards, at that popular place of amusement, to witness the performances in aid of that renowned actor. It was on the 1st June, 1813, during a period of innu- merable difficulties, which had their origin in the war, that Mr. "Wellington assumed the sole proprietorship of the Courier, and aimed at making the paper a commercial and business journal, and rather a medium of general intelli- gence and literature, than a political organ. Mr. Mor- ford, after severing a connection of about four years with 104 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS the Courier, returned, temporarily, to his home in New Jersey. Dr. Dalciio, who was ordained a Deacon by Bishop De- hon, 15th February, 1814, and Priest by Bishop White of Pennsylvania, 12th June, 181G, was, in 1819, called to the ministerial charge of St. Michael's Church. This skillful editor was born in London, and came to America when a mere lad. It was in Maryland that his whole education was received. He long adorned the community in which he lived, by his urbanity, literary accomplishments, and Christian virtues. To him we owe several works, among them a history of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, published in 1820, and which will always continue an authority in local history. The Masonic Fraternity is also indebted to him for an Ahiman Rezon. This sincere Di- vine, died 24th November, 1836, in the 67th year of his age, and 22nd year of his ministry. In 1814, the office of the Courier was removed to No. 63 East Bay, second door from Broad Street, opposite the North corner of the Exchange. This site now constitutes the North portion, or half of the building which has recent- ly been purchased and remodeled by John Sidney Riggs. The location of the office here, was firmly impressed on the mind of the author, by the occurrence of a shocking suicide. The particulars of that occurrence, which took place September 22, 1835, are here given : Isidore Gand- ouin, an old French inhabitant of this City, kept a small miscellaneous dry goods and hat store, two doors North of the 63 location. It was the North tenement of the building, but recently supplanted by Mr. Litschgi's new building. On the morning of the day alluded to, between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock, Mr. Gandouin discharg- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 105 ed the contents of a heavily loaded horseman's pistol into his month, blowing off his head, the lower part of the jaw only remaining. Bodily infirmities, increased by ap- proaching blindness, caused the melancholy refuge, in self- inflicted death. But a few days before he committed the act, he alluded to the painful situation in which he stood, and of his intention. It seemed perfectly intolerable to the combined pride, and honesty of his nature, to battle longer with the ills of life. What was regarded as an empty ebullition of discontent, soon proved a fatal truth. The specie which belonged to the different banks, amounting, the Courier tells us, to "two million, five hun- dred thousand dollars, arrived in town in wagons, 22nd April, 1816, from Columbia, where it had been deposited during the war." The Christ Church Parish troop, under the command of Captain Hibben, escorted the wagon train from Columbia to Charleston. Mr. "Wellington was his own boarding officer, soon after he became sole proprietor of the Courier. The duty he performed in an open boat, eighteen feet in length, with width in proportion ; sharp bow, square stern, and rowed by two stalwart slaves. From a vessel, boarded by himself outside of the bar, he obtained the positive news of the treaty of peace between Great Britain and America. This information, received as it was from Savannah, on the 11th February, 1815, by express from Fernandina, Florida, was made known, first to Admiral Cockbubn ; then in com- mand of the British Xaval force in the Chesapeake and its waters, through a dispatch vessel, a Sweedish pilot boat expressed from Cowes, England. Having obtained this information exclusively, in the manner mentioned, Mr. Wellington announced the fact to his readers, on the morning of the 14th February, 1815. The treaty had been consummated at Ghent, nearly two months before. Tidings 10G THE NEWSPAPER PRESS so gratifying were proclaimed that day, says the Courier, 11 throughout Charleston, by the Sheriff of the District, ac- " companied by a full band of military music, in a carriage, " with the Star Spangled Banner of the Union, and the " Red Cross of Britain united." The event was celebrated in Charleston, on the night of Tuesday, 28th February, by the brilliant illuminating of public buildings, and private residences. The duties of boarding officer in the early days of the press, were such as required constant exposure of person, whilst great energy and perseverance were essential ad- juncts to its faithful performance. Emanuel Jones assumed the duties of boarding officer after Mr. Willington. Mr. Jones' constitution became so greatly impaired through his devotion to business, that he died September 5th, 1826. Joseph Prevost, who came to Charleston in the autumn of the same year, then entered the service of the Courier. From 1834, until the close of 1836, Thomas Savage You was Mr. Prevost's assistant ; then John Gordon performed the duties of assistant boarding officer, and continued so to do, until his death, which occurred in 1846. The office then devolved upon George Lindsay, another of Mr. Prevost's assistants. The most formidable of the opponents Mr. Prevost had at various times, in this line of business, were Samuel Wilcox, William Patton, William G. Trenholm and John G. La Roche, boarding officers, at intervals, for the offices of the Gazette, Post, Mercury, and Patriot. Messrs. Jones, Prevost and Wilcox, were, in that line of busi- ness, men of indomitable will and purpose. R. A. Tavel succeeded Mr. Prevost, and became boarding officer and marine reporter for the combined dai- ly press, with Mr. John Knox, as his assistant. For the past twenty years, Mr. Tavel has been one of the most OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 107 assiduous of workers in this, as well as in other depart- ments appertaining to journalism. Mr. Willington, when about to leave the State in 1819, on his first European tour, appointed Mr. Isaac Course, his brother-in-law, and Mr. John Goodwin, who was also a relative, his attorneys ; the editorial duties he confided to Mr. T. G. Woodward, and E. P. Starr. An observatory, erected by J. M. Elford, in August, 1822, over his " Navigation School," located at 149 East Bay, opposite Atlantic Central Wharf, was of great benefit to the boarding officers of the newspapers, and the Commer- cial public also. This observatory was so elevated as to have a commanding view over the bar, and from the middle of Sullivan's Island, to the then located tower in rear of Fort Johnson. A signal staff was erected on the South side of the observatory. When a square rigged vessel was seen in the offing, a black ball was hoisted ; when two or more were in sight, two black balls were hoisted ; for fore-and- aft vessels, white balls were hoisted in the same order. The balls were kept up until the vessels came to anchor. The frame of this observatory was to be seen as late as 1849. Mr. Elford was the author of the " Marine Tele- graph, or Manual Signal Book," published in August, 1823. This excellent invention of Captain Elford grew into extensive circulation. It reminds us of the fact, by the way, that the first practical employment of telegraphic communication between distant points, was by the French Government, and cannot with certainty be traced to an earlier period than the year 1793. Flag signals from the cupola of the Custom House, or " Old Post Office," suc- ceeded these ball signals, and were used to designate the approach of the Wilmington steamers bringing the North- ern mail ; at a more recent period the New York line of steam ships were sighted by means of a strong achromatic 108 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. telescope from this cupola full twenty miles at sea, and these signals were hoisted, regularly, in notification of their approach. The death of Captain Elford, which took place on the evening of 25th January, 1826, was considered at the time as a loss to the commercial interests of the United States. CHAPTER XI. TITLE OF THE COURIER CHANGED, 1821 — WILLIAM CRAFTS AS EDITOR — JAMES GORDON BENNETT, 1823 — THE COU- RIER POWER AND STEAM PRESSES — ITS THRIFTINESS — A. S. WILLINGTON, RICHARD YEADON, WILLIAM S. KING, PROPRIETORS — CELESTIAL PHENOMENON — A PERPLEXING INCIDENT. In tlie spring of 1821, the Courier appeared in its fourth, and, up to that time, its most approved, new dress. The title was then changed from Charleston Courier, to The Charleston Courier. The motto, " What is it but a map of busy life," from Cowper's Winter Evening, and the quotation for the Poet's Corner, from the pen of Washing- ton Irving, were adopted at the same time. The Hon. William Crafts was, at this time, called, for a brief period, to the editorial charge of the paper. Not only then, but repeatedly afterwards, the Courier s columns were adorned by his elegant contributions, in prose and verse. The Courier, with the daily editorials of William Crafts, assisted occasionally by Henry T. Farmer, Jas. Carrol Courtenay, that vigorous pamphleteer, Edwin C. Holland, Wm. Gtlmore Simms, Reverend Samuel Gil- man, Wm. Henry Timrod, Thomas Bee, and others, was distinguished for vivacity and variety ; though its promi- nent object, as a business paper, was not overlooked. It is quite reasonable to suppose that the motto line, taken from Cowper, (who was surnamed Modern Isaiah,) 10 1 110 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS was the suggestion of the talented Crafts. The personal history and character, and the peculiar talent of the Eng- lish poet, had then been bequeathed to all literary and religious enthusiasts. The recollection of what Cowper was, and what he suffered, must have taken strong hold upon Crafts, who had all the sensitiveness of a true poetic spirit within him, and could, therefore, appreciate the genius of the British author. William Crafts was born in Charleston, January 24, 1787 ; was admitted to the Sophomore Class of Harvard College in the autumn of 1802 ; graduated in 1805, and began the study of law at the age of nineteen years. He died at Lebanon Springs, New York, September 22, 182G. His remains were conveyed to his relatives in Boston for interment. Henry Tudor Farmer, the chaste and ele- gant writer, and graduate of Eaton College, penned Mr. Crafts' epitaph ; fulfilling a promise which had been exacted of him by the deceased, eight years before. Mr. Farmer came from England. While a student, he pub- lished a volume, entitled, " Imagination, the Maniac's Dream, and other Poems," which exhibited some strong and beautiful touches of tenderness and pathos, and was issued from the press of Kirk & Mercier, New York. Other poems also were from his pen. He wrote frequently for the daily press. Farmer survived his friend Crafts but three years and three months. His epitaph can be seen in St. Michael's Church yard. Sons of this editor and essayist — C. Baring Farmer, and H. Tudor Farmer — reside in Walterboro, South Carolina- It has been said of Crafts that " no limit could have "been assigned to his reputation, felicity and usefulness, " had his application been equal to his genius." The only surviving male relative of the late William Crafts is his OF CHARLESTON, S. C. Ill half-brother, our courteous fellow citizen, Captain George I. Crafts. It will be mentioned just here, parenthetically, that about 1823, James Gordon Bennett, now the most re- nowned of Northern journalists, became an employe in the office of the Courier. After a few months' residence in Charleston, he returned to New York, and connected him- self with the Courier and Enquirer. He issued proposals in October, 1832, for the publication of The New York Globe. It was published, a short time, in William Street. In May, 1835, Mr. Bennett brought into existence the present New York Herald, the second paper of that name ever published in New York ; a paper which, in its early career, had the reputation of being the most unscrupulous journal in the United States. Fame and wealth have, since that period, marked the career of James Gordon Bennett. A new font of letter again became a necessity with the Courier, and the edition of 2nd January, 1826, was work- ed off on a form of new type, which came from the foun- der}- of Messrs. William Hagar & Co., of New York. Mr. Willington, in mentioning the fact, stated " that " the circulation had become so large, as to render it diffi- " cult to strike it off, with the presses then in common use, " in the period allowed for that purpose. But it is our "intention," said the proprietor, "as soon as experience " shall have tested the advantages of some recent inven- " tions in printing presses, to avail ourselves of them, in " order to expedite the printing of our paper." At the time alluded to, Smith's iron press was used in working off the edition ; Adams' power press, with compo- sition rollers, was afterwards, (September 1st, 1834,) intro- duced and adopted. It gave seven hundred impressions to the hour. Steam was not applied, in working off the 112 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS ( hurier, until early in 1851, though its proprietors would have been the first to use it, in working off their paper, had it not been for the disclosure of the secret order given by Messrs. A. S. Wellington & Co. to Messrs. Cameron, McDermid & Mustard, early in the year 1849. This order was for an engine, to be made entire by those ma- chinists, and which was to be put on exhibition, in com- petition for the prize, at the first fair of the " South Carolina Institute." This contemplated advance in the Courier press-room was not, as it was hoped, smothered up in silence, and before that piece of mechanism — pretty and creditable as it was — could be completed, these in- struments were imported, and other presses were driven by steam. The credit for the adaptation of steam power for print- ing here, is due to Messrs. Walker & James, who were extensively engaged in book and job printing. This firm, in February, 1850, applied steam to a double medium cyl- inder machine, manufactured by Messrs. E. Hoe & Co., of New York. The imprint of their firm was " Pioneer Steam Presses, of Walker & James, Charleston, S. C." The first sheets issued through the agency of steam, were those of a short-lived hebdomadal, issued by this firm, and edited by W. C. Richards, assisted by Paul H. Hayne and Henry Timrod. Mr. Willington remained sole proprietor of the Cou- rier, until the 1st day of January, 1833, when he associated with him, as joint co-partners and editors, Richard Yea- don and William S. King. These gentlemen became, each, an owner of one portion of the paper, by purchase. Continued prosperity followed this change. From this office, the first letter-sheet Prices Current was issued, in September, 1833. It is not only opportune, but interesting to narrate here, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 113 one of the grandest celestial sights, ever viewed by man ; which account is extracted from the Courier of the 14th of November, 1833 : " Brilliant Phenomenon.* — The atmosphere was on Tues- day night last, illuminated with a brilliant and extraor- dinary meteoric display. It consisted of myriads of falling or shooting stars, even of a large size, darting in an oblique direction towards the earth, seemingly from every part of the heavens, and occasionally exploding like rockets. The luminous appearances commenced about midnight, and were most brilliant between 3 and 4 o'clock, A.M. ; being assimilated, by those who witnessed them, to a fiery rain or hail, and continued until sunrise. We understand that a very large meteor exploded imme- diately over the City Hall. A sudden change of atmos- phere from hot to cold, which took place during the night, was, probably, closely connected with the origin of the phenomenon. We have been informed by Captain Jackson, who was at sea at night, at the distance of nine miles from land, that the heavens were illuminated with meteors, during nearly the whole night, as far as the eye could reach, in every direction ; presenting a spectacle of uncommon magnificence and sublimity, attended with frequent explosions, resembling the discharge of small arms. We learn, also, that a meteor of extraordinary size was observed at sea, to course the heavens for a great length of time, and then exploded, with the noise of a cannon. We trust that a full account of it will be fur- nished by some scientific hand." A very singular occurrence took place in the Courier *This remarkable occurrence was witnessed by the author, then a mere boy. Through the thoughtfulness of his father, he was aroused from his sleep, to view a spectacle which he never can forget, and which filled him with fear and admiration. 11 I THE NEW8PAPEE PRESS establishment after midnight of the 27th of April, 1835, which prevented the appearance of the Conner in the morning. One of the journeyman, Samuel F. Cole, was engaged in justifying the form, after the foreman had finished " making up," and had left the office ; Cole was left alone with his only attendant, a negro press-hand, and the latter, as was the custom, had gone for the other press-hand, two being required to do the labor. When the negro returned, he found a large quantity of type on the pavement, in front of the office, and the remainder of that which belonged to the form, in most admirable confu- sion, lying about the "imposing stone." From appear- ances, Cole had broken the second page, "locked up" the other, and lifting it up to the window, precipitated it into the street, furniture and all ; an exertion that required considerable strength. Mr. Cole was found, shortly after, in bed. On being charged with the commission of the outrage, he readily acknowledged it, and when asked his object in destroying that which took so much labor to ac- complish, answered, "I did it in masonry," and also said " it is the want of money." Some suspicion was attached to him, as being the person who had set fire to both the Courier and Mercury offices, on the night of Saturday, 4th of October, 1834. When charged with this act, he ac- knowledged that also. Cole was likewise charged with setting fire to a residence in Laurens Street, where he boarded, and which was burned down on the night of the 7th of November, 1834. When this offence was imputed to him, he sneeringly replied, " You accuse me of every thing, you may as well say, I burned down St. Philips' Church, also." Cole was committed to the Poor House, where his father was at the time, confined as a lunatic. The office of the Courier was, on the 3rd of January, 1837, removed from G3 East Bay, to 111 East Bay, just OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 115 after the completion of what was then a novelty, even in New York City, its present marble front. Some idea can be formed of the comparative insignifi- cancy of the mail matter which came into, and went out of Charleston, even up to a period as recent as 1839. On the 15th of November, 1836, consequent upon a change of schedule in the departure of the United States Mail from Fayettefcille, North Carolina, the Charleston papers of that day announced that the Government had estab- lished a horse express, between this City and the point mentioned. Much interest was manifested by the people of Charleston, at the daily coming in of this express. The carrier would urge his horse, with whip and spur, in his course down Meeting street, through Broad street, and up to the very steps of the Post Office, and there deliver his mails. An accident, which happened to this express on the afternoon of October 14, 1837, will be remembered by many of our citizens. For the purpose of cleaning out a drain which then intersected Meeting and Chalmers streets, an aperture of considerable size was necessarily made. The rider on coming in, the afternoon alluded to, did not discover the opening in time to avoid it, and into the chasm both the rider and his horse went. The rider crawled out, but much injured, but the horse, owing to the injuries re- ceived, had to be shot. This express mail was robbed on the night of June 17, 1838, when about forty miles from Charleston. The rate of postage by the express, which was in operation upwards of three years, was 75 cents for single letters, and $1.50 for double letters. CHAPTER XII. FIEE OF APRIL 27, 1838 — LOSS OF LIFE ATTENDING IT — HISTORY OF " OLD SECESSION" — CHARLESTON'S UNPAR- ALLELED FIRE, DECEMBER, 1861 THE COURIER FORCED TO CHANGE ITS PLACE OF PUBLICATION — W. B. CARLISLE, U. S. BIRD AND A. 0. ANDREWS — WHITTEMORE AND JOHN- SON TAKE POSSESSION OF THE COURIER UNDER OFFICIAL ORDERS — WM. L. DAGGETT — THE COURIER REVERTS TO ITS PROPRIETORS. Of all the fires that had happened in Charleston, that of the 27th April, 1838, was, up to that period, the most ruin- ous. It broke out at 9 o'clock at night, at the North "West corner of King and Berresford Streets. The list of houses destroyed, covered three and a half columns of the Courier. The loss of property was estimated at three millions of dol- lars ; and the loss of life plunged many of our most worthy families in the deepest distress. It was greater than at any previous, or subsequent fire, excepting, perhaps, that less important one produced by the terrific explosion, at the depot of the North Eastern Rail Road, at the time of the last surrender of Charleston, which has been estimated at from seventy-five to one hundred, mostly negroes. The conflagration of '38, extended North and East. Powder was freely used. The firemen having become ex- hausted, it was hoped that the engineer department, then in existence, would, by blowing up, put a stop to the .raging element. In blowing up the house which stood at 118 THE NEWSPAPER PR] the South West corner of King and Liberty Streets, Mr. Frederick Schnierle, a prominent citizen, and a mem- ber of the department, lost his life. With him perished Mr. Joiin S. Peart. Colonel Charles John Steedman, (before mentioned as one of the proprietors of the Gazette) waa killed, while blowing up a house on the West side of East Bay, next South of Hasel Street, together with his attendant, a colored man, named William, the property of Mrs. Taylor, a widow. Capt. Duff, of the ship JL v- ald, and Mr. M. F. Turley, of this City, sustained serious injuries. The services of Mr. J. D. Browne, a gentleman well skilled in pyrotechny, w T ere called into requisition on the night of that fire. To him was confided the responsibility of blowing up the houses on the West side of Meeting Street, from a large wooden building, used as a theatre, North to Market Street; thence from the South East cor- ner of Meeting and Market Streets East to Church Street. The proper time-fuses used by the engineers having given out, they then had to resort to the common port-fire and kegs of powder. Mr. Browne was successfully employed until he reached the house then occupied by an Italian, named Jacob Geanni, midway between the opposite points. In blowing up that building, he met with his first injury — a severe gash on the fore-head. This did not de- ter him in the performance of his extremely hazardous duty. On he went, toppling building after building, until he blew up the last house assigned to him, which was just before midnight. There, he narrowly escaped with his life, and was, as he has told the author, " literally burnt from head to foot." His life was, for a long time, despair- ed of. Mr. Browne still lives, but bears the marks re- ceived on that eventful night. The light of this fire was reported as having been seen OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 119 at 3 o'clock on the morning of 27th April, 1838, full twen- ty-five miles South of Savannah, being in a direct line, about eighty miles from Charleston, A piece of burnt linen was picked up on the morning of the fire, by a plan- ter on his place fifteen miles distant, where the light was most distinctly seen, and where the noise occasioned by the blowing up of houses was heard. The 3d of January, 1853, marked an epoch in the his- tory of the Courier. On that propitious day, the semi- centennial anniversary of this journal was celebrated by a banquet given at Butterfields' Pavilion Hotel. At that feast, the " Press-gang" of the City, editorial and operative, were gathered. Mr. Willingtoh presided, and was as- sisted, at that grateful and joyous festival, by Mr. Yea- don, as Vice-President. The lapse of fifty years found the original publisher of the Courier, still at its head, and gracefully celebrating the occasion, in healthful spirits and manly vigor. At 111 East Bay, for about a quarter of a century, the Courier experienced its greatest prosperity. It was in the autumn of 1860, increased in size to 30 by 44, and worked off on two of Hoe's single cylinder presses. The paper then used was of domestic fabric, having been manufactur- ed by the " South Carolina Paper Manufacturing Compa- ny." That Company had been regularly supplying paper to the concern since December, 185:2, On the 23d February, 1861, the political condition of the country warranting it, there was placed, immediately under the imprint of the paper, the national words, " Con- federated States of America." From 111 East Bay — its present location — this paper daily recorded the upheavings of " Secession," events which were temporarily to reduce the paper to the period of its second greatest trial. It was in close proximity to this 120 TIIE NEWSPAPER PRESS site, that a piece of ordnance — known as " Old Secession," obtained by the author from the Spanish Bark Olympia, through her consignees, Messrs. Hall & Co., was kept in readiness for the work it was required to chronicle in that momentous drama. From the corner of East Bay and Broad Streets, near midnight on the 10th November, 18G0, the discharges from that gun — a six pounder — first an- nounced to the slumbering citizens of Charleston, that the Bill calling a Convention of the State, had just passed the Legislature. That gun which had then begun to play a conspicuous part in the incidents destined to become his- torical, again, on the 20th December, 1860, pealed forth, almost instantaneously, announcing the passage of the Or- dinance of Secession. On that occasion, it stood on the vacant space, to the North of the Exchange, and thence it thundered forth the news, as soon as received, of each State falling into line, in support of the political sentiments of South Carolina. The sons of the soil who were called by the projector, to aid him in consecrating that gun to patriotism, resolved that it should never again be devoted to a common use. The columns of the Courier of the 12th and 13th De- cember, 1861, record a terrible and mysterious dispensation of Providence. We allude to the devastating fire of that year, known as the greatest of all our City fires, in mag- nitude. It began in the large sash and blind factory of Messrs. W. P. Kussell & Co., near the foot of Hasel Street, about half-past eight o'clock, on Wednesday night, December 11, 1861. The wind, which was blowing strongly from North- Northeast, increased almost to a hurricane. The flames rose to a terrible pitch, and in a few moments, notwith- standing the most gallant efforts of an efficient fire brigade, were communicated to the adjacent workshops and build- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 121 ings, including the large foundry of Messrs. Cameron & Co. This was, for the second time, destroyed. By this time the fire indicated the most disastrous results. Building after building caught, and became, as it were, one vast sheet of flame. Furious gusts of wind carried and scattered, in every direction, the burning flakes. Men, women and children were to be seen fleeing from their homes in the greatest distress, and adding much, of course, to the excite- ment. From the foot of Hasel Street, on Cooper River, East, to the end of Tradd Street, on the Ashley, running West, the conflagration made a clean sweep of portions of the following streets, and together with these are enumerated the number of sufferers who owned one or more houses : Hasel Street, 6 sufferers ; Pritchard Street, 8 ; Pinckney Street, 19 ; East Bay Street, 29 ; Anson Street, 11 ; Motte Lane, 4 ; Gruignard Street, 7 ; State Street, 12 ; Church Street, 18 ; Cumberland Street, 17 ; Meeting Street, 33, exclusive of the Circular Church and Theatre; Clifford Street, 7 ; Horlbeck's Alley, 12 ; Queen Street, 29 ; King Street, 50; Broad Street, 21, exclusive of St. Andrew's Hall and St. Finbar's Cathedral ; Mazyck Street, 8 ; Frank- lin Street, 2 ; Short Street, 7 ; Friend Street, 21 ; Tradd Street, West, 23 ; New Street, 15 ; Savage Street, 28 ; Logan Street, 10, exclusive of St. Peter's Church; Limehouse Street, 4. Thus it will be seen, that there were, at least, 389 sufferers, many of them owning more than one house ; buildings, not of wood, but mostly of brick, of good size and appearance. The area of ground was 540 acres, and the loss of property variously estimated at from five to seven millions of dollars. The great fire of 1838, was almost obliterated from the memory of Charlestonians, by this more disastrous one of 1861. It can well be said, that this fire " caused poverty to wring her hands in agony." li 122 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS During the memorable siege of Charleston, the shelling from the Federal fortifications on Morris' Island and its vicinity, which began at half-past one o'clock, on the morn- ing of the 22d August, 1863, had increased to such an extent as to cause the removal of the Courier establish- ment, two months later, out of range of the enemy's shells. For the purpose of this removal, the publication of the paper was suspended Saturday, November 21, 1863, on the one hundred and thirty-first day of the siege, and resumed Monday, November 30, 1863, on the premises of Mr. F. H. Whitney, South East corner of Meeting and Reid Streets. But once before, in the long course of over sixty years, has the Courier been known temporarily to suspend. It was at the corner of Meeting and Reid Streets, and while he was still editor of the Courier, that the mind of William Buchanan Carlisle became overshadowed, and soon afterwards, irretrievably lost. The editorial de- partment of the paper was not permitted to suffer, how- ever, as that early and tried friend of the establishment, Colonel Augustus Oliver Andrews, together with the Reverend Urban Sinkler Bird, were engaged in its sup- port. A. 0. Andrews was born in Charleston. His education, collegiate, was thorough. Reared as a merchant, he has since become most prominent and useful. He has for many years been closely identified with the commercial interests of his native city. A long and distinguished administra- tion as President of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, is associated with his name. Fond of literature, his friendly and very intimate relations with the editors of the Courier, dating as they do from early life, gave him scope in the indulgence of a logical and facile pen. His diction is ad- mirable ; admitting of no addition or subtraction without risking the destruction of a charm. His writings — gener- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 123 ally miscellaneous — admit of no substitution of terms. They have that curiosa felicitas which proves that in their preparation much thought and time have been judiciously expended. That portion of the Courier which is devoted to 11 Leisure moments with new publications," receives the at- tention of this discriminating writer. Mr. Bird, whose writings were miscellaneous and easy, became connected with the Courier in November, 1858. In February, 1865, he terminated his connection with the paper, and associated himself with the Reverend F. A. Mood, and together, published, for a short time, The Weekly Record. Mr. Bird went afterwards, to reside in Florida. The second day after the occupation of Charleston by the forces of the United States, under Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Bennett, Commanding, and which occurred February 18th, 1865, the establishment of the Courier was taken possession of by Stewart L. Woodford, Lieutenant-Colo- nel of the 127th New York Volunteers, and Provost Marshal General. The seizure was under official orders from Gen- eral Quincy A. Gilmore, and is here appended : "Office Provost Marshal General, D. S., \ "Charleston, S. C, February 20th, 1865. J 11 [Special Orders J\ T o. 1.] 11 The Charleston Courier establishment is hereby taken 1 possession of, by the military authorities of the United 1 States. All the materials and property of said news- 1 paper, of every kind, will be immediately turned over ' to Messrs. George Whittemore and Geo. W. Johnson, 1 who are hereby authorized to issue a loyal Union news- 1 paper. They will receipt to Lieutenant-Colonel "Wood- ' ford, Provost Marshal General, D. S., for all property 1 taken possession of by them, under this order. They 124 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS "will keep possession of the building now used for that " purpose. " By Command of Major-General Q. A. Gilmore. 11 Stewart L. Woodford, " Lieut. Colonel 127th N. Y. Volunteers, 11 Provost Marshal General, D. S." It was announced officially, March 2d, 1865,. that the Military authorities had extended facilities to the editors of the Courier for executing all kinds of Job Printing. Mr. William L. Daggett, who became connected with the Courier as its foreman, in January, 1859 — on the re- tirement of Mr. Henry W. Gwinner, who had discharged the duties with acceptance and laborious fidelity — was then called as superintendent of Job Printing. The new proprietors, made so by force of arms, suspend- ed publication, April 5, 1865, and republished eight days after, from 43 Hayne Street, two doors East from Meeting Street. Both Whittemore and Johnson were, up to the time of their entrance into the City with the troops, attach- ed to the Federal army, as correspondents of Northern journals. William L. Daggett, who took charge of the Job de- partment at the time mentioned, was born in New Bedford, State of Massachusetts, August 6, 1824. After having begun his apprenticeship, in 1832, with the late Colonel Samuel Green, of the New London (Conn.) Gazette, he worked in the office of the Mercury, a publication in the Town of his nativity. He came to Charleston in 1838, being then in his fourteenth year. After " sticking type" in the offices of B. B. Hussey, Burges & James, The Charleston Mercury, and The Southern Patriot, he was called to the foremanship of The Evening News, in Octo- ber, 1845, at the time that journal was started. Warmly OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 125 participating in the municipal contest of 1849, his energies were rewarded shortly after, by a civil appointment from the dominant party. In 1S52, Edward C. Councell and himself became co-partners, and as Councell & Daggett were popular job printers. Withdrawing from that firm some time after he accepted the foremanship of The Charles- ton Standard. His next change found him in the office of the Courier. In his acceptance of the position he was called to, the proprietors were benefitted ; for, up to the present period, he has proved himself the most efficient, energetic and skillful of foremen. Messrs. George Whittemoee and George W. Johnson continued to control the paper until the 24th of April, 1865, when Mr. Johnson, not only suddenly, but rather mysteriously, left the City. The paper was then issued by Geoege Whittemore & Co. It was then increased to full size from half a sheet ; the dimensions being 16 by 11? inches. The subscription price of $20 per annum, re- mained unchanged, and was paid in Federal currency. This condition of things remained until 20th November, 1865, when the firm of A. S. Willington & Co. again assumed control of the paper. It was then enlarged, and the subscription reduced to the ante-bellum rate of $10. In May, 1866, Mr. George Whitte:moee left Charleston for New York. It is needless here, to state how the paper reverted to those who had for so many years upheld its ever popular usefulness and integrity. But a few weeks before this change, the office was, in consequence of a fire, which burned out the establishment, on the morning of 18th October, 1865, removed back to 111 East Bay, and once more occupied its old stand. CHAPTER XIII. THE COURIER AND ITS PRINCIPAL EDITORS — A. S. WILLING- TON, R. YEADON, W. S. KING, AND OTHERS — NULLIFICA- TION, A CIVIL EXCITEMENT, 1831-32 — THE COURIER AND POLITICS — NEW YORK AND CHARLESTON LINE OF STEAMERS — MEXICAN WAR — PONY EXPRESS — ELECTRO- MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH. The Courier includes among its leading editors, within the author's recollection, one of its founders, Aaron Smith Willington. Mr. "Wellington became from practice, a very excellent writer, of unaffected style and manner, never attempting ambitious nights, always maintaining the proper level of the subject he undertook to discuss. A literary friend remarked in company, not a great while ago, that Mr. Willington's excellent biographical sketch of William Crafts, at one time editor of the Courier, would do credit to any journalist. Mr. Willington was a man of wonderful energy, and nothing can more fully demonstrate the fact, than his surmounting of difficulties in early life, as publisher. His tour in Europe in 1851, gave him a place in our native literature, through the in- strumentality of an exceedingly well written volume, en- titled, "A summer's tour in Europe, in 1851." A stroke of apoplexy, sudden in its effect, which occurred on the night of the 1st February, 1862, first indicated the ap- proach of death ; four hours later, on the morning of the 2nd, this highly esteemed editor and associate proprietor 128 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS of the Courier, closed his long, useful, and well directed life, within forty days of his 81st year. His remains were deposited in the cemetery of St. Philips' Church. The widow of Mr. Willington is now the representative of his interest in the paper. Richard Yeadon, who was the second associate pro- prietor of the Courier, was the only son of Col. Richard Yeadon. He was born in this City, October 22, 1802, Mr. Yeadon became the de facto editor of the Courier, July 1, 1832, taking the editorial pen, to wage the war of the Constitution, against nullification, as advanced by the State Rights Party. He took active charge of the editorial department of the paper, at the time of his connection with it as a partner, on the 1st January, 1833. About this time, the Courier, which had pursued a com- mercial course, gradually became involved in politics ; its tendency in this direction increased, and was, finally, more decided ; in fact, it was hardly possible to escape the ap- parent vortex. It was the period of the great struggle of the Union, and the Nullification Parties, and no organ, not even one of the commercial and miscellaneous nature of the Courier, was suffered to retain a position of perfect neutrality. A position indeed of that sort would have been untenable by any journal in the presence of ques- tions so vital ! The doctrine of nullification has been alluded to in con- nection with the press. This powerful fulcrum of public opinion, tended much to irritate that burning civil excite- ment ; therefore, an outline of the contest cannot be re- garded as out of place in this work. Those who figured at the time, when there were daily apprehensions of the shedding of a brother's blood, are rapidly passing away. While complying with the behests of nature, they have, thus far, failed to leave to posterity, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 129 except in irregular form, any record of the most bitter of political disputations — one which has been such a prolific source of injury, politically, commercially, and socially. It can be said of nullification, that though the question began to be agitated in the year 1824, it did not assume a very threatening shape until the celebrated protest of the South Carolina Legisture, on the subject of the tariff; a document of great historical interest, which was put forth in December, 1827. Mr. Calhoun, regarded" as the great High Priest of nullification, published about this time an exposition of the nullification doctrine* On the 4th July, 1831, General Robert Y. Hayne, and others, addressed the nullifiers, and Colonel William Drayton, the same day, in an oration which occupied over two hours of time, addressed the Union Party. Colonel Drayton was followed by Thos. R. Mitchell, Judge Huger, Judge Lee, Hugh S. Legare, James L. Petigru, and others. From that period, party lines were formally drawn. The General Assembly of South Carolina, on the 23d November, 1832, called a Convention. The Convention, with Governor Hamilton at its head, passed, by a vote of * Nullification was a word never used by John C. Calhoun. It was a term used by Thomas Jefferson. A venerable statesman and townsman of ours— he, who made the call in our State Legislature, in 1831, for a Convention— has furnished the author with the following extract of a letter, in justification of the assertion, to many unknown. The letter from which these sentences are taken, is dated June 9, 1865. The letter was written by a relative, a con- fidential friend in fact, of John C. Calhoun. In the following language the eminent statesman has spoken : " Nullification is not my word. I never use it. I always say State interpo- sition. My purpose is a suspensive veto, to compell the installing of the highest tribunal provided by the Constitution, to decide on the point in dis- pute. I do not wish to destroy the Union. I only wish to make it honest. The Union is too strong to break. Nothing can break it, but the slavery question, if that can. If a Convention of the States were called, and it should decide that the protective policy is constitutional, what then ? Then give it up." 130 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS 13G to 27, the Ordinance of Nullification. This instrument ignored certain acts of Congress, laying duties on foreign commodities. A proclamation, denunciatory of this Ordinance was made by President Andrew Jackson, dated at Washing- ton, December 10, 1832. It was a powerful composition, four columns in length, and couched in language not to be mistaken. This proclamation, repugnant as it was to the nullifiers, gave hopes and assurances to those of the Union Party. The nullifiers were for putting down the tariff, by the action of one State, with the expectation of being joined by the other Southern States. The Union and State Eights Party, were likewise opposed to the tariff, but advocated a Convention of the Southern States. They hoped by peace- ful means to pursuade their tariff brethren to gradually lesson the burthens under which they labored. It could not be accomplished. Parties pro and con, already form- ed, increased numerically, civil strife waxed warm, and mischief — incalculable mischief was threatened. A sover- eign State had openly defied, and by legislative enactment, annulled the laws of the Union. The silver cord so oft confessed, was about to be severed, and no man could then say at what hour the troubles were destined to burst in an overwhelming deluge of ruin and disaster. With no intention to narrate the many incidents which were enacted during a period when the result of one single rash act could not have been foreseen, the author continues, and briefly narrates the settlement of that serious domestic dissonance. Upon the enactment of Mr. Clay's tariff or compromise bill, in February, 1833, which was a substitute for that of Mr. Verplank's, nullification began to wane. The enactment of Mr. Clay's bill, together with the cogent influences OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 131 produced by Benjamin Watkins Leigh, who came as Commissioner from Virginia to South Carolina, to promote an adjustment between a sister State and the General Gov- ernment, brought about a revocation of the Nullification Ordinance, on the 15th March, 1833. That obstacle hav- ing been removed, there was inaugurated a restoration to harmony in our State. Then came that era of good feeling which was again to unite all in the bonds of social, if not political brotherhood. Alienated affections gradually re- turned to their wonted, but long deserted channels. The rankling wounds of the social, and even the family circle, began to experience the healing influences, and all felt that if party warfare had again to be waged, it should be char- acterized by the courtesies and charities of life. A review of the troops by Governor Hayne. Hamil- ton's successor, and a salute of one hundred guns, which was fired on the 1st April, 1833, bespoke the end of nulli- fication. Thus it was, that the Union was saved, by the spirit of concession and compromise, that presided at its formation. 11 Nothing in the nature of newspaper controversy" said The Courier and Enquirer, of New York, during that ex- citing time, " could be more pointed, or more pungent, than " the weapons of warfare wielded by The Charleston Courier, "in doing battle with the Calhoun cohorts in South Car- 11 olina. It is almost painful to stand by, and see the exe- " cution done by the grape and cannister, which the Cou- " rier throws into the nullification ranks. Its shots tell, "with fearful effect, upon the Mercury in particular." The Courier, which is more of a commercial and miscel- laneous than a political journal, has nevertheless played its part, and that boldly in the issues which have, at different periods, agitated the country. In the era of nullification, it was the leading Union organ in the State, and upheld 132 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS the Union cause against what it regarded an unconstitu- tional resistance to the laws of the Union within the Union. It upheld the cause of the Union, in the secession crisis of 1851 and 1852, and threw its influence in favor of co-operation against the secession element, as a choice of evils. Again, in I860, during the secession era, it held the election of a sectional President, on grounds of political and practical hostility to the constitutional' rights, and cherished domestic institutions of the South, to be properly and inevitably the knell of the Union, and went with the State, and the South, in dissolving a connection with faith- less confederates. It is only, however, when such, trials become inevitable, that the proprietors of journals like the Courier, should countenance a deviation from tenets, akin to those which that journal has long adhered to, with determined persis- tency. The unavoidable change of policy, alluded to in the edi- torship of the Courier, was greatly regretted by the asso- ciate proprietors. Mr. Yeadon continued to conduct the editorial depart- ment of the paper, until the strife of local, State and Na- tional politics was safely over, and society had once more returned to a condition of repose. Mr. Yeadon withdrew from the editorial chair, on the 4th November, 1844, in a valedictory of three columns, addressed " To the Patrons of the Courier and the Public." Then it was, that he concen- trated his labors upon his exacting profession — the law. The enticement of composition, however, upon all topics of public interest, natural to one of his remarkable intellect- ual endowment, he could not resist, and, at intervals he contributed to the columns of his paper. With that stern and inflexible disposition, evinced by him when assailed, he responded to the gross and vulgar OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 133 attack of The New York Herald, when the latent hostility of that journal was aroused against himself and his paper, in January, 1858. The reply was not only curt, but con- vincing. Here is the article : " The New York Herald. — " This scurrilous journal has made a gross, vulgar, and un- " provoked attack on one of the editors of the Courier, so 11 utterly at war with propriety and decency, as to require " no other notice, than an expression of unmitigated con- 11 tempt for the author, whose notorious venality, destitu- " tion of moral sense, and insensibility to shame, have long 11 since caused him to be put to the social ban, and to be " tabooed by the press of New York, where he is generally " regarded as a moral leper, whose touch is pollution, and " whose disease is so deeply seated, that not Arbana and " Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, nor Jordan, and all the wa- " ters of Israel, can wash him clean." This rebuke was generally commented upon at the time, by the New York and Carolina presses. In the capacity of editor, Mr. Yeadon was recognized as a man of power : of a vigor, in fact, equal to that which he exhibited as a lawyer. He wrote clearly, with a mind einmently logical, and a memory stored with facts, always ready with his authorities, and prompt in seizing the strong points of his argument. Quick and comprehensive in his intelligence, he was never otherwise than patient, and in- defatigable m investigation. " And thus working, toiling " incessantly, day and night, now in his law office, or in " the courts, and now writing column after column for the " Courier, this strong man continued to labor, until the de- " cree went forth from the Supreme Governor of the world, '• that his labors should cease." Sorrowing relatives and friends witnessed the closing of his grave, in the cemetery of the Circular Church, on the afternoon of the 26th of 12 134 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS April, 1870. He was 68 years of age, when his death occurred. William S. King, the junior of that co-partnership which was formed in 1833, was born at Queenstown, in the western part of the State of New- York, 23d December, 1801. He had been for about twelve years, the manager of the business, mercantile, and miscellaneous departments, when he succeeded, after the withdrawal of Mr. Yeadon, to the editorial chair of the Courier. This paper had, even then, become a prominent and popular reflex of public opinion. Mr. King was distinguished for cool judgment, general intelligence, and for his indisputable authority among the craft. His whole course of procedure, for thirty -seven years, while in the several departments which he occupied, will bear ample testimony to his natural gifts and capaci- ties, while at the same time, they will give equal proof of his general amenity ; his reluctance to give pain ; his dis- like of strife, and all unnecessary discussion. From the 1st January, 1833, when he became part pro- prietor in the Courier, he devoted himself to the manage- ment of its commercial and business departments. In these employments it will be admitted, that he displayed that zeal and energy which placed him in the front-rank of his profession. He was of a social and genial disposi- tion ; a quality, indispensably necessary to men living in this sphere of society. We need scarcely say here, that it was the high appreciation of his many qualities of worth, which moved the members of the " Charleston Typograph- ical Society" so repeatedly to call him to preside over their Society, an old association of printers, and of which body, James Grant was the father, and founder. It was during the administration of Mr. King, as editor OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 135 and manager, that the first line of steamships was estab- lished between New York and Charleston. The persis- tency evinced by Captain Michael Berry, aided by the Courier's unceasing importunings, went very far in the ac- complishment of this important enterprise. The breaking out of the Mexican war, at the close of 1846, offered a fine field for newspaper enterprise in the South. The time then expended in the transmission of the regular mail between New Orleans and New York, was seven days. To obtain advices of the struggle then about to begin in that distracted country, in advance of the mail facilities, became the fixed purpose of the management of the Courier, and Moses Y. Beach, of the New York Sun. The telegraph line then extended only as far as Richmond, Virginia. In this attempt to out-strip government, Mr. Beach very readily obtained the co-operation of Mr. King, and a "Pony Express" was conjointly established. It went at once into effect, and the first intelligence from the land of the Montezumas, was received and published in this City, exclusively, the 27th March, 1847. Thou- sands of extras were gratuitously distributed, from the office of the Courier, to an eager crowd, full twenty-four hours in advance of the United States Mail. The running of this express, by which the intelligence was received and published exclusively in this paper, while the war lasted, was of immense pecuniary benefit to the proprietors. The point at which the regular mail was out-stripped, was between Mobile and Montgomery, where one hundred and fifty miles of staging had to be performed, consuming thirty-six hours of time. This ground was, by a contract made with J. C. Riddle, to be covered within' twelve hours, and to overtake the previous day's mail ; the riders of the express taking with them not less than three nor more than five pounds of mail matter. In this great un- 13G THE NEWSPAPER PRESS dertaking, $750 was paid for each successful trip. A fail- ure very rarely occurred. Several horses were killed, and only in one instance was the life of a rider sacrificed to the accomplishment of an adventure quite hazardous, the mo- dus operandi of which, has never been revealed. This was the first step actually taken which led to the formation of the now famous " News Association." Mr. King was the first, and most prominent of our Southern editors, whose zealous pen contributed so exten- sively to the support of the " Electro Magnetic Telegraph," which has accomplished so much in revolutionizing the newspaper business. The limit of its usefulness to the press has, however, not yet been reached. This want was supplied to Charleston, in April, 1847. The leaders of the Courier incessantly plead in behalf of this momentous subject, whereby Charleston, like other commercial empo- riums of the republic, soon received and transmitted mer- cantile, military, political and general intelligence, with the speed of lightning. Communication with Columbia, by this method was opened under the management of G. L. Huntington, of the Charleston office, and Dr. L. C. Dun- can, of the Columbia office, at twenty minutes past four o'clock, on the afternoon of December 1st, 1847, from the building formerly owned by the " Union Insurance Com- pany," on State Street, near Broad Street. The very first message sent was : " Columbia — Do you get my writing?" " Charleston — I get all you write to me." The Hon. Wm. D. Porter, a member of the General Assembly, then in session in Columbia, received from Major Alexander Black, a Director, the first regular or business message. It was" an inquiry as to whether a memorial and charter for the Telegraph Company had been received. The first dispatch to the press, was received by the Courier, Mr. King being also a Director. It was dated at Columbia, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 137 at 8 o'clock, P. M. The first Telegraph line contracted for in the United States, the reader may like to know, was put in operation, in June, 1844, between Washington and Baltimore. These comments on the career of a practical man like Mr. King, should encourage all young men of the craft. In him can be seen a modest artisan coming to a strange land, at the age of twenty years, accepting position as a journeyman compositor, growing in public opinion, pros- perous in fortune, and gathering in a short space of time a host of friends about him. How was it that under these circumstances he achieved so much? By processes which are open to the youngest and humblest follower of the art, chief among which is attention to business, with a constant consideration of the duty which lay before him. Society here has, generally, ranked Mr. King, as a model journalist. He is, therefore, one, whose course and con- duct ought to be studied and imitated. It will suffice to close this tribute from the frank and generous testimonial of John Milton Clapp, of the Mer- cury, who terminated his very feeling eulogium with the following compliment : " That in his long association with 11 him of fifteen years, as neighbor and confrere in the edi- 11 torial world, he could recall no word, or act of Colonel "King, which has need to be forgiven." Does not this go far to verify the assertion made by the author of this humble sketch, that with the newspaper press of Charles- ton, there once existed a grateful and happy social organi- zation. CHAPTER XI V. DEATH OF WILLIAM S. KING. 1852 — ALEXANDER CARROLL SUCCEEDS AS EDITOR — WILLIAM LAIDLEE JAMES H. MCRRELL HENRY M. CUSHMAN JAMES LEWIS HATi'H — WILLIAM B. CARLISLE — THOMAS Y. SIMONS — DEATH OF WILLIAM ROGERS. 1870. At the death of Mr. King, which occurred March 19, 1852, the editorial duties devolved upon his assistant, Al-' exander Carroll, the business management upon Wm. Laidler, and that of finance upon James H. Murrell. Alexander Carroll was born in Cheltenham, Eng- land, and before his arrival in Charleston, was associated with the London press. He came to his adopted home in August, 1849, and through the instrumentality of Mr. King, became, for a while, an attache of the Mercury ; subsequently, through the same influence, aided by Mr. John Heart, he was, before the close of the year, called to the direction of the State Eights Republican, then pub- lished in Columbia, South Carolina, by I. C. Morgan ; W. B. Carlisle, the editor, having withdrawn with the view of associating himself with Edwin De Leon, in the publi- cation of The Telegraph. Mr. Carroll was called to the editorial staff of the Courier early in 1851, by Mr. King, who desired respite from duties, which were most arduous. In Mr. Carroll were combined great energy, close ap- plication and versatility of intellect ; qualities though in- dispensable, not often met with, in an editor. His power 140 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS of endurance, also, was marvellous. Mr. Carroll con- tinued a faithful worker, up to the time of his illness, and death. The latter event took place August 21, 1856, just >. \ en years after his arrival in Charleston. His remains were interred in the cemetery of St. John's Lutheran Church. William La idler, who became one of the proprietors of the Courier, January 1st, 1854, is a son of Captain Wm, La idler, an old .ship master of Charleston. Mr. Laid- LER, (brother-in-law of the late Colonel King,) was born in this City, July 30, 1812. A thorough craftsman, he began his apprenticeship in the office of The City Gazette and l)a'dy Advertiser, under James Haig, on the 9th June, 1825. He was transferred to the Courier, at the instance •of Mr. Willington, in the summer of 1828, and while in the employment of that journal, in the fall of 1833, the guardians of his covenant of apprenticeship returned his " indenture" to him with honor, and expressions of satis- faction for having been so faithful in the performance of his duty. James H. Murrell, whose association with the Courier bears date, March 13, 1841, was born in Stateburg, South Carolina, on the "High Hills of Santee," May 12, 1814. His education was academic, and under the tutorship of the Keverend Jesse Hartwell and Doctor .Richard Ba- ker. He was, subsequently, prepared for West Point, by William Capers, nephew of Bishop Capers. When about to leave for West Point, that institution of education became the scene of insubordination. A relative and a neighbor of Mr. Murrell, being-prominent in that tu- multuary disturbance, it was deemed advisable to change the provision of life thus cut out for him. After having finished a course of commercial studies, first in Camden, and afterwards in Columbia, he came to Charleston. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 141 Mr. Laidler and Mr. Murrell, are so well known, that it is not necessary to point to the earnest devotion to business displayed by the former, upon whom devolves the general management of the establishment. Still less, need the systematic, courteous, efficient and satisfactory manner in which the latter has administered his department be alluded to. For a period of not less than eleven years, Mr. Murrell has had as his assistant, Mr. S. H. King, one of the ablest of accountants, and third son of the late Wm. S. King. Henry M. Cushman, the successor of Mr. Carroll, in the editorship of the Courier, was from New Haven. Con- necticut. He was called from the position of editor of The Daily Times, of Boston, Massachusetts, in December, 1856. He was thoroughly educated, a clever writer, a skillful selector and compiler of news, and well acquainted with the duties of a newspaper office. His course, as a journalist in the South, was brief. He died April 13, 1857, and was buried at Magnolia Cemetery. It was after the death of Mr. Cushman that James L. Hatch left the Standard, and connected himself with the editorial department of the Courier. This editor will be noticed more at length elsewhere, in connection with the Standard. William Buchanan Carlisle, who possessed rare abilities as a writer, and was one of the most profound of mathematicians, was in turn, and to the period of his afflic- tion, the very competent editor-in-chief. In August, 1857, Josephus Woodruff, became con- nected with the Courier as Phonographic Beporter. Mr. Woodruff may justly be regarded as the first " Local Be- porter" known to the Charleston press. He had previous- ly been employed as mailing clerk, at the office of the Mer- cury ; while there he began the study of phonography or 142 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS short-hand writing, by the aid of Pitman's Manual, a copy having been sent to that office for review and notice. Notwithstanding repeated failures in his early reports, he steadily persevered in the study of the art, and has since acquired considerable reputation as an expert reporter. He was correspondent and reporter for the Courier, of the proceedings of the General Assembly, in 1860, which passed the act providing for the Secession Convention ; as- sisted in the extended reports of the Democratic National Convention of South Carolina, which split at Charleston ; was almost the sole reporter for the Courier during the war, and reported the proceedings of the Reconstruction Convention of 1868. His connection with the paper con- tinued up to July, 1868, at which time he was elected clerk of the Senate of South Carolina. The winter of 1860, found Mr. Henry Sparnick, an under graduate at the College of Charleston, in the service of the Courier, as a special correspondent, at the State Capitol. Upon the assembling of the Provisional Congress of the Confederated States, at Montgomery, Alabama, he went thither in the same capacity. When the seat of Gov- ernment was removed to Richmond, Virginia, Mr. Spar- nick followed it there, continuing his duties as corres- pondent, until the civil service of the Government com- pelled him to relinquish his association with the press. In July, 1865, he accepted position as " City Reporter" of the Courier. Mr. Woodruff's phonographic ability calling him to another department of the paper. In that capaci- ty Mr. Sparnick remained until 1867, when he, by pro- motion, became assistant editor, which place he filled until the close of the presidential campaign of 1868. A change in his political convictions made his continuance with the Courier incompatible with the interests of that journal, and he resigned. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 143 Colonel Thomas Young Simons, the present editor-in- chief of the Courier, and who was called to that station in October, 1865, was born within distinct sound of St. Mi- chael's tuneful bells, October 1, 1828. While passing to a consideration of his most promising career, the author will remark, that his youth gave promise of that mental capac- ity, which has been so advantageously developed, in more mature years. After a successful preparatory course of studies at the Charleston College, he is next found tread- ing the classic ground of " Yale;" there, he graduated in August, 1847. On his return to Charleston, he became, in 184S, assistant teacher in the Charleston His;h School, and continued until near the close of 1849 ; was admitted to the bar in February, 1850, having studied law with his kinsman, General James Simons ; was elected to the Legis- lature, in October, 1854, and served his constituents, faith- fully, until the autumn of 1858, when he was returned by his constituency to that body, as Chairman of the Charles- ton delegation, and served until 1860. He retired from the Legislature, and was elected a member of the Conven- tion, called by the free choice of the people of South Car- olina, and which withdrew the State from the Federal Union, December 20, 1860. While the State was prepar- ing for war, Colonel Simons raised two companies ; was elected, and served, as Captain of one of them — the Charles- ton Light Infantry, afterwards company " B," 27th (Gail- lard's) Regiment, until the memorable surrender, April 13, 1865. Without relinquishing the weightier matters of the law, Colonel Simons entered the ranks of professional journalists, bringing to the chair of editorship, a full ap- preciation of the requirements, the dignity, and responsi- bility of the profession. In July, 1867, Mr. John A. Moroso, succeeded Mr. Sparnick, as " City Reporter." Mr. Moroso is a gradu- 144 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS ate of the Charleston (Jul lege, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in March, 1800, and subsequently, the degree of Master of Arts, in 180U. He was admitted to the bar, in April, 1807. Mr. Moroso remained the "Lo- cal" of the Courier up to July, 1869. Luring the canvass of that year, he was the traveling correspondent of this journal, accompanying the nominees of the " Reform Par- ty" during their exciting and arduous tour. His letters were written with vigor and piquancy. On his return, in October, 1809, he was placed, m the chair of the news edi- tor of the Courier, which had been brietiy occupied by Mr. P. J. M alone. This position he continues to hold. The chair of " City Reporter," made vacant by the ad- vancement of Mr. Moroso, in the summer of 180U, was soon occupied by Mr. F. W. Miller. This gentleman was, at one time, engaged with the late 18. Le Roy Ham- mond, in the publication of The Tort Tolio, a sprightly weekly of considerable merit. His pen at various times, before and since the suspension of that paper, has con- tributed to the City journals. In the exacting vocation in which he now labors, requiring as it does, probity and capacity, Mr. Miller is well qualified by long service, and varied experience, no less than by natural ability and industry. The Courier is indebted in no small degree for its char- acter as an enlightened ehronicler of transpiring events, to its intelligent eorps of correspondents, both foreign and do- mestic. We may mention as prominent among those who have been regarded as regular contributors lrom abroad, Mr. William Young, as " O. P. Q.," and Wm. Henry Russell, and also Hr. C. S. King, who, up to the summer of 1853, wrote from Paris, and who so graphically de- scribed the secret journey of himself and his compatriots — Doctors Turnh'seed, Henry, Holt, and Draper — from OF CHARLESTON. S. C. 145 the latter place, through. Brussels, Vienna, Jassy, Odessa, Kichenew, to Simpheropol, and the stirring scenes enacted during the Crimean war, around the then Gibraltar of Rus- sia — Sebastopol. There are the names, also, of Dr. John D. Bruns, Dr. F. Peyre Porcher, Rudolph Siegling, and J. J. FiOKEN, who, as tourists, corresponding for the paper, have made us as familiar with what they have seen, as if we had seen for ourselves. Of the domestic correspondents, there have been many. Most frequent among them have been " Sumter," (Geo. W. Olney, jr.) " Pink," the first, (J. W. Kennedy) " D. 1. 0," and " Pink," the second, ( L. Israels ) who have written from New York ; " Blue," among others, from New Or- leans ; "M. P.," (Miss Pexina Moise,) whose graceful literary productions, in prose and verse, from without and within the city, have been welcomed for many years ; (i Juhl," (J. J. Fleming) .of Sumter, and " Leo," (E. King- man,) who is authority at the seat of Government, and whose admirable letters, for a period of about thirty years, have never been without interest. It was with a keen sense of loss, that the Courier, on the morning of 16th February, 1870, thus addressed itself to the task of recording the death of William Rogers : " This gentleman, so long known to the habitues of the " Courier office, by his unremitting devotion to the duties " of the department in which, for more than a third of a " century, he had moved and had his being, passed away " from all earth's cares at yesterday's dawn." " The recollections of him, by many, will go back to his " first connection with the interests of the Courier, as su- :< perintendent of the Merchants' Exchange and Reading " Room, under the proprietorship, of his warm friend, the "late Colonel Wm. S. King. Protracted and painful ill- " ness, for several months, laid its iron hand upon him, and 13 146 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. " at last unwillingly compelled him to withdraw from the " discharge of duties to which he had applied himself, so " unweariedly, so long, and so faithfully. He will be " missed by numbers — he was so well known to all — but " by none more than by the commercial community, who 11 rightly estimated the conscientiousness and rectitude, " which he ever displayed, throughout his long career, as a " statistician and reporter in the ' Prices Current and Mar- " kef bureau of this journal. In the reputation and au- " thority which the Courier has earned in this department, " he felt a just pride ; and it was in him a labor of love, to " guard and strengthen the standard which had been at- "tained. In the important change of cotton statistics, his 11 trust-worthiness and experience were valued abroad, as " well as at home, and the occasions of a recognition there- " of, were not infrequent." " He had passed his 64th year, thirty-seven of which M had been spent in the service of this journal. From the " editorial sanctum, to the youngest attache of the Cou- « r i er — a ll feel sad, that the kindly greetings of the plea- " sant old gentleman, will salute them no more — forever." CHAP TEH XV. THE CHARLESTON MERCURY — EDMUND MORFORD ITS FOUN- DER, JANUARY, 1822 — HENRY L. PINCKNEY — EXTREME COLD WEATHER — AN EXHIBITION OF POPULAR FEELING JOHN A. STUART — J. M. CLAPP — JOHN E. CAREW — JOHN HEART, 1837-49 — WILLIAM R. TABER, JR. — R. B. RHETT, JR. — HENRY TIMROD — END OF THE MERCURY. The Charleston Mercury, a daily morning print, which was established as a literary journal, on the 1st January, 1822, by that classic scholar, Edmund Morford, who had then returned to Charleston, was purchased and converted into a political organ by Henry Laurens Pinckney, June 1, 1823. From that date it became the representative of the Free Trade and State Plights Party, of South Caro- lina, In the warfare of parties, State and National, Mr. Pinckney was excelled by few, as a political editor. Who of us that knew him, can fail to recollect the marked bearing of the accomplished editor, and astute statesman? From the time that Mr. Pinckney became proprietor of The Charleston Mercury, the editorial management of the paper was assumed by him. Mr. Morford did not withdraw, but remained an editorial attache of the paper, until shortly before his death, which occurred in New Jer- sey, February 4, 1833, (age 51 years.) The Mercury be- came Jefferson Eepublican in principle, yet liberal in its tone. The firmness and tenacity with which Mr. Pinck- ney — who combined, in more than an ordinary degree, the 1 1- tup: newspapee press qualities of writer and speaker — maintained his own views, were always mingled with a spirit of conciliation and tole- rance for the opinions of others. Mr. Pinckney was, on the 31st October, 1832, succeeded by John A. Stuart, former editor of The Evening Post, to whom Mr. Pinck- ney had transferred the paper. Mr. Pinckney was born in Charleston, September 24, 1794 ; graduated at the South Carolina College, in 1812; sent by his constituents to the Legislature at an early age, and became speaker of the House of Representatives, in 1831 ; was elected Intendant of the City of Charleston, September 3, 1832, during the nullification excitement, which, as previously mentioned, began in the summer of 1831. In this election, nullification boasted of a hard fo ught victory. The duel between two well known citi- zens, George Robertson and Theodore Gaillard, grew out of it. In 1833, Mr. Pinckney was elected to Congress from Charleston District without opposition ; re-elected in 1835, and was Mayor of Charleston, in 1839. He was in- stalled as Collector of the Port of Charleston, 1st August, 1840. At a subsequent period, January, 1845, he was elected Tax Collector, for the Parishes of St. Philip and St. Michael. Mr. Pinckney was a strong Southern writer ; the author of " Memoirs of Doctor Jonathan Maxey," who was by the unanimous request of the Trustees, made the first President of the South Carolina College, when that in- stitution w T as established, in 1804. He also wrote the "Memoirs of Robert Y. Hayne," and the "Life and public services of Andrew 7 Jackson." Few names have stood more conspicuous in our country, than that of Pinckney, whether we consider the services they have rendered in the cabinet, or in the field. Mr. Pinckney died February 3, 1863. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 149 The year that the Mercury came into existence, was fer- tile in newspapers ; for besides that which has since been known as the leading organ of the Free Trade and State Rights Party, there were The Evening Spy, a weekly, and The Southern Intelligencer ; a daily. It would seem, that " the reapers multiplied, but the harvest did not abound." Allusion having been made to the extreme cold weather of January, 1737. in the second chapter of this work, re- minds us of an equally cold snap, which prevailed in Feb- ruary, 1835, and the particulars of which are to be found in the columns of that once faithful custodian of State Rights doctrine, the Mercury. Many of the present resi- dents of Charleston remember the sufferings endured on the 7th and 8th of February of that year. Up to the night of the 6th of that month, the weather was comforta- ble ; but at a more advanced period of the night, a change took place. This change was accompanied with occasional but heavy showers of sleet, with a growing blast from the northwest, which continued until Saturday morning. At 10 o'clock on the night of Saturday, the thermometer — one which was suspended about nineteen feet from the ground, and which faced West — stood at 14 degrees above zero ; at 7 o'clock Sunday morning, it was 2 degrees above zero, and from 7 A. M. until 12 M., it remained at 18 de- grees above zero. Wine and porter, in bottles, in the Southern parts of houses, assumed a solid form, and the salt water in the docks andadjacent mill-ponds was frozen. It was in this winter that the orange trees, along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida were killed. From the richly freighted columns of the same journal, which, figuratively speaking, was the main support of the commonwealth in its brightest day, we take the following 150 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS incident, which was an exhibition of popular feeling, that took place in Charleston, August 21, 1835: Summary punishm'ent was, that day, inflicted upon an individual named Richard Wood, who for a number of years, had been carrying on at his shop in Queen Street, near East Bay, the business of a barber, and purchaser of stolen goods from negroes, under the assumed name of W. R. Carroll. On the day mentioned, a number of citizens, prominent among whom was John Lyde Wilson, assembled at an early hour. Three or four of the number congregated, were deputed to enter Wood's shop and bring him forth. This was executed with the utmost promptness and deci- sion, and without the least disturbance, although it had been given out that certain death would be the doom of the first who made the attempt. Wood was immediately marched down to Price's Wharf, (now Accommodation Wharf,) tied to a post, and there received about twenty lashes upon his bare back ; a tub of tar was then emptied upon his head, in such a manner as to cause it to extend over his whole body, and the miscreant individual was decorated with a covering of loose cotton, the principal material in which he had carried on his illicit traffic, with much advantage to his purse. After this operation had been quietly per- formed, he was escorted by a large number of persons through the market, and the most public streets of the City, in order that others, guilty of the like practice, should take warning by his fate. He was then lodged in jail, to prevent his being exposed to further personal injury. This spoiler of the public, had been, for a length of time, carrying on his dishonest traffic in defiance of the commu- nity, and it became the fixed determination of the inhabitants of Charleston no longer to submit, quietly, to such a system of spoliation and robbery. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 151 It is said that Wood, alias Carroll, from his barber shop, exported about sixty bales of cotton annually. Sev- eral trunks were taken therefrom, which contained silver spoons, fine linen, ladies' apparel complete, bed drapery, etc. From this digression we will return to the successor of Mr. PlNCKNEY. John A. Stuart, into whose hands the Mercury was resigned by Mr. Pinckney, at the time already named, was a graduate of the South Carolina College. He brought to the sanctum of the Mercury, not only a well informed mind, but exquisite taste in literature ; was as playful as he was reflective ; was capable of satire, as well as analy- sis ; with rapid transition " from grave to gay, from lively to severe/' He scarcely suffered a single day's paper to go forth to his readers, without a display of sound judg- ment, flavored with keen and racy wit. During the period in which Mr. Stuart edited the Mer- cury, and towards the close of his editorial career, John Milton Clapp was connected with the paper as associate editor, and for some months, owing to the impaired condi- tion of Mr. Stuart's health, it was under his sole conduct and management. Mr. Stuart died at Beaufort, in this State, the place of his nativity, on the 3d May, 1853, in the 53d year of his age. John Milton Clapp, was from Pittsfield, Ohio, at which place he was born, in 1810. He was called by Stuart in 1837, from Beaufort, South Carolina, where he then was, to the assistant editor's chair of the Mercury. Mr. Clapp was a writer of classical taste and culture ; was capable of the most felicitous periods, and, like Stu- art, endowed with a keen appreciation of the humorous, displaying that quality, not only in private, but occasion- ally, also, to the public. Mr. Clapp graduated at " Yale" when in his 21st year. He was one of the ablest of editors, TIIE NEWSPAPER Pitt and showed it in all the high conditions and exactions of edi- torial duties and emergencies. Had we the space, we could amply illustrate by examples, the truth and justice of the distinction which has been awarded to him. At one time he editorially conducted the Southern Quarterly Review, which became the repository of articles of interest to persons of widely different tastes and pursuits, and in the pages of that publication, 'the historian, the antiquary, the genealo- gist, the bibliographer and belles-letters scholar could al- ways find something worthy of his attention. A sad accident did much to shorten his days. About 2 o'clock, on the afternoon of the 22d September, 1852, he stepped on a balcony on the second floor of the Mercury office — then located where the First National Bank now is — when a portion of it gave way, precipitating him a dis- tance of some eighteen or twenty feet, on a brick pavement, breaking his right leg, and otherwise injuring him. Mr. Glapp died in this City, December 16, 1857. His remains now rest in the burial ground of the Charleston Typo- graphical Society, at Magnolia. The chair occupied by Mr. Stuart for about fifteen years, was left to be filled by Colonel John E. Carew, who, on the 1st February, 1847, became editor and sole proprietor of that famous journal. This position Colonel Carew sustained individually, with marked characteristic ability, adorning and illustrating that journal by profound erudition, classical lore, and the chastened elegance of his pen. Thomas A. Hayden was, about this time, the foreman and business manager of the Mercury. He was a native of Florida, and a printer by trade. In all the relations of life, his conduct was such as to command the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens, and secured to him many warm friends. Mr. Hayden died at Rutherfordton, North OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 153 Carolina, November 21, 1851. He was succeeded by Adam 0. Cavis. Charles P. L. Westendorff bad charge of the commercial department of the Mercury, for many years. Not long prior to 1849, Mr. John Heart— who was at the head of The Spectator and Young Hickory, the organs of the Calhoun Democracy, in Washington, and which in 1842 killed off Mr. Van Buren— was called from that City, and appointed to a position on the Mercury ; subse- quently became one of the editors, and on 1st September, 1849, was recognized as a joint proprietor. The firm was, at that time, announced as Carew & Heart. Colonel Carew retired from the Mercury on the 26th January, 1852, taking leave of his patrons, gracefully, feelingly, and modestly— that trait so delicately described by Addison, ' : which sets off every great talent which a man can be possessed of." It was after the retirement of Colonel Ca- rew, that John Heart and William R. Taber, jr., un- der the firm of Heart & Taber, became the proprietors of the Mercury. John Heart, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 19, 1806. He had active practical habits, and also a large experience of the workings of the press. Members of the craft will recollect that he was once President of the Charleston Typographical Socic-ty. William P. Taber, jr., was born in this City on the 18th April, 1828. He was a graceful, accomplished, ver- satile, and genial writer, and a good essayist. After four years of editorship — short years to one so young and prom- ising, a sudden ard melancholy event occurred on the 29th September, 1856, by which our City press lost, in the death of Mr. Taber, a distinguished member of its fraternity ; the community a fine scholar, and society an amiable and finished gentleman. While in the zenith of his editorial career, he responded 154 THE NEWSPAPER TRESS to a call to the field of honor, in defence of a series of arti- cles which received editorial sanction. The result of the call was fatal to Mr. TABEE. He fell at the third fire, 11 mortally wounded in the upper part of the head," on the Washington Race Course, the place selected for the meeting, at half-past 4 o'clock, on the afternoon of the day and year above mentioned, while vindicating the princi- ples of the Mercury s motto, taken from Ovid's Golden Age, to wit: " Vindice nullo sponte sua sine lege fides rectum- que colentur.'" In the City journals of the 2d October, 1856, there can be found the correspondence relating to the cause which had so fatal a termination. Col. R. Barnwell Riiett, jr., became the purchaser of the interest of his kinsman, Mr. Taber, March 2, 1857. On the 1st July, 1858, Mr. Heart sold his interest to Colonel Riiett, and returned to Washington City. While there he was made Superintendent of the Printing Bureau, and was a successful manager of that large and intricate concern. Mr. Heart subsequently — at the breaking out of the war — resigned his position, and returned to the South. Some years after, he removed to Memphis and established a newspaper, called The Commercial. That paper became a popular organ in Tennessee. Col. Rhett has since become known as sole proprietor of the Mercury. But once within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, were the sportive citizens of Charleston favored with such a treat as was enjoyed by them on the 17th December, 1851. From the Mercury, we learn that early on the morning of that day, the thermometer indicated a degree of cold which had not been experienced in this latitude for at least sixteen years preceding At early morn the cloudy canopy of heaven began dispensing a shower of snow, which continued throughout the day, and up to a late hour at night. Though the weather had not been such as to OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 155 freeze the earth, the streets, were, nevertheless, heavily- coated with snow, and an opportunity was given several spirited individuals, among whom we recollect to have seen, Messrs. E. H. Jackson, the brothers Butterfield, Hub- bard, Moses Levy and others, glide through our streets with two improvised sleighs. The spectacle was quite creditable, and the novelty of sleigh-riding was for once witnessed in the streets of Charleston. R. Barnwell Rhett, jr., the last proprietor of the Mer- cury, proved himself a vigorous writer. As editor, he maintained the cause of State Rights and the South, with the same tenacity which had, for thirty years, marked the course of that journal. The cause which that editor so earnestly advocated, had an able and ardent advocate in his coadjutor — Edmund Rhett, his younger brother. The columns of the Mercury will attest the boldness and vigor of the trenchant pen of this writer, and it was in support of the principles of that journal that he pre-eminently dis- tinguished himself. " Almost before he was entitled to the toga virilis," writes a friend, " he took high rank among the thinkers of the period, and placed himself, side by side, with the strong men who were to fight the great battle, the result of which was to decide the future destiny of thirty millions of the human race." In the summer of 1860, Wm. A. Courtenay was invited to take charge of the business department of the Mercury, and entered upon the duties on the 1st October, following. In the ensuing three months, he made a thorough and ad- vantageous change in the business details of the office, and introduced into the establishment, one of Hoe & Co's dou- ble cylinder presses, upon which the paper was printed up to the time its material was removed to Columbia. At the close of the following year he withdrew from the Mercury, and entered the army of the Confederate States, Captain 156 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS Courtenay brought to the management of the Mercury, a well cultivated and active business mind, which still maintains, in other vocations, all its energies, with increas- ed usefulness. Yet another name is linked with the chain which con- nects the editorship of that paper. It is that of one of Caro- 1 ina's poets — Henry Timrod. As editor, whether writing from the sanctum of The South Carolinian, published in Columbia, by the graceful and discursive writer, F. G. de Fontaine, the sedulous printer, Julien A. Selby (the pre- sent proprietor of the Columbia Phoenix, whose comprehen- sion of all the multifarious details which are met within his sisyphean task is well known) and himself, in the fourth year of the war, or from the " Local's'^ chair of the Mer- cury, his style was uniformly elegant. Is not his " Vision of Poesy" entitled to this distinction ? The name of Timrod will descend to posterity, unex- celled by any Southern Poet, as suggestive of chasteness, gentleness, and purity of style ; always graceful, imagina- tive and tender. With pride and pleasure does the author mention, that he was one of Mr. Timrod's earliest and most intimate acquaintances, and that the Poet, from his youth to man- hood, and up to the period of his death, regarded him as a friend in whom he could, and did confide the innermost workings of one of the most sensitive of hearts. The career of this genius — genius gushing with tender and holy emotions, was too soon closed. He died in Columbia, on the 8th October, 1867. He went to his rest "Like .-i bright exhalation in the Evening, And no man saw him more.'' These were the men who stood prominently before the public, as the master minds of that renowned political jour- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 157 nal — that brilliant advocate of the pure government of the fathers, in defence of which it showed a vigor and genius which made it peerless in its day. It is a subject of regret, even with the many of those who differed, toto ccelo, from the political doctrines of the Mercury, that it should, at last, have been forced to succumb with the thousands of fallen fortunes of our City. It was the ruthless torch of Major-General Sherman's legions which forced the sus- pension of the Mercury ', in February, 1865. Its material being in Columbia, at the time that band of vandals visited it, fell a prey to the devouring torch applied to the beauti- ful capital of the State ; an act which the genius of histo- ry should blush while blotting her pages with its record, and which will ever remain a stain upon the military escutcheon of its destroyer. Colonel Ehett resumed the publication of the Mercury, November 19, 186G. During the last two years of its ex- istence, ending in November of 1868, its associate editors were F. W. Dawson, PiOswell T. Logan, R M. Fuller, and Doctor H. Baer. The general abilities of the Mer- cury, irrespective of its politics, always made it a popular favorite. 14 CHAPTER XVI. THE SOUTHERN STANDARD — ITS PROPRIETORS AND EDI- TORS — ITS RESISTANCE TO SEPARATE STATE ACTION — TRIUMPHANT IN ITS PRINCIPLES — END OF THE STAND- ARD — HOSTILE ENCOUNTER OF HATCH AND CUNNINGHAM. The Southern Standard was another morning paper. It Lad daily, tri-weekly and weekly editions, and was the successor of The Sun; in fact, was first published with the material which was purchased from the proprietors of that paper. It was founded by Messrs. B. C. Pressley, Ker Boyce and M. C. Mordecai. " Perseverance keeps honor bright," was its motto. The Standard came into existence, on the 1st July, 1851, under the editorship of B. C. Pressley, assisted by "W. C. Richards, who was, for about five years, the editor of a periodical called The Southern Literary Messenger, and Dr. T. C. Serine, for- merly editor of The San. A. G. Magrath and S. Y. Tupper frequently wrote for this paper. The place of publication was then in the rear of the " Exchange." The proprietors of The Southern Standard were induced, by the perils and necessities of the times, to establish in Charleston, an organ opposed to the agitating question of secession of South Carolina. The Resistance or Co-opera- tion Party of the State was not divided as to her right to secede ; but many were convinced that such a movement at that time, would be fatal to the cause of resistance. It must have been with the greatest reluctance that the pro- 160 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS prietors took the step during that political condition of the State, to widen that division, or do that which would make it thus apparent to the enemies of the principles which actuated the proprietors of the Standard. It was not free for the paper, it seemed, to choose in the matter. The issue came in such a form as made silence and self- respect wholly inconsistent with each other. It was as- serted, in the face of the fact, that the State was pledged to secession, and that the supposed minority was bound to submit. And if, as it were, to make their position more odious, arguments were daily promulgated, and very gen- erally, from the press throughout the State, based upon the further groundless assumption, that the issue, then pending, was separate secession or submission. The Stand- ard, did not choose to be bound by pledges which, as it al- leged, the State never made, nor to accept an issue which it regarded as unfair and deceptive, and, therefore, the publication of the paper was put forth in defence of the principles of themselves and their party, which were that the State was bound by the action of her General Assembly up to 1850, to await the action of the other Southern States. The Standard was successful, in the fall of 1851, in bringing about a test vote by the people, as to whether South Carolina should alone sever her connection with the Union, or whether the Southern States should act conjoint- ly. The result of this vote was against separate secession, and the State Convention, which had been previously elected, adopted a compromise course. In October, 1852, five more prominent gentlemen became associated with the founders of the Standard, and a stock company was formed — the first instance with the Charles- ton press, subsequent to 1828. The stock company of the Standard was composed of Messrs. Ker Boyce, M. C. OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 161 Mordecai, B. C. Pressley, L. W. Spratt, E. H. Brit- ton, W. D. Porter, James Tupper, and Jacob Cohen. The combined wealth of the individual shareholders, was estimated at six millions of dollars. Mr. B. C. Pressley, withdrew from the editorial chair, June 14, 1853. His mantle fell, gracefully, on L. W. Spratt. For about eight months the paper was published by Spratt, Britton & Co. Those facile editors — B. C. Pressley, L. W. Spratt, J. L. Hatch, and the very practical and energetic E. H. Britton, gave to that paper — the title of which was changed in October, 1853, to The Charleston Standard — their untiring devotion, and as news- paper editors, did much in limiting the range of errors. Mr. Britton began his apprenticeship to the business in the office of The City Gazette, and finished his time in the office of the Mercury \ He left Charleston and went to Columbia, in this State, in 1840, and there, in 1847, re- vived The Southern Chronicle. He removed to Winns- boro' in 1848, and published The Fairfield Herald and Register. He returned to Charleston in 1853, as associate proprietor and editor of the Standard. He returned to Columbia and bought out The Columbia Times. Mr. Britton has since settled finally in Charlotte, North Car- olina, where he established The Charlotte Bulletin, which he is still conducting. Mr. S. R. Crocker, who edited the paper after Mr. Hatch, in consort with J. D. Budds, its business manager and collector, struggled persistently, though unsuccessful- ly, to sustain it. The Standard was not published after June 25, 1858. Messrs. Pressley and Spratt had before that period, confined themselves, exclusively, to the prac- tice of the law, which has since given them their deserved celebrity. Mr. Crocker returned to his home in New England. He is now the publisher of The Literary World, 162 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS a monthly journal of Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. BuDDS became devoted to the interests of the Mercury, down to the period of the forced discontinuance of that journal. William D. Clancy, was, for a brief period, near the close of 1857, assistant editor of the Standard. His con- nection with that paper, was not sufficiently long, however, to experience the reality that although cares, responsibili- ties and fatigues had to be encountered, the position of editor had, nevertheless, its rose-hued pleasures. Mr. Hatch, of whom mention has already been made, was from New-Gloucester, in the State of Maine. He was a young man of much energy and talent ; one of the swiftest, of stenographers, and reported in full, for the Standard, the memorable ^Eriel murder case, which took place in February, 1856. He also reported and published, in pam- phlet form, " Rights of Corporators and Reporters," being a lengthy report of the case of " R. W. Gibbes, editor of the Columbia South Carolinian, vs. E. J. Arthur, Mayor of Columbia, S. C, and John Burdell, Chief of Police," which was tried in the Court of Common Pleas, for Rich- land District, March term, 1857. It was an issue made by Dr. Gibbes, with the City Council of Columbia, as to the right of a citizen to attend their public meetings, and report their proceedings, if he saw fit. A poignant attack in the Standard of 23d July, 1856 — the work of Mr. Hatch's pen, editor pro tern,, in the ab- sence of Mr. Spratt — severely animadverted upon the political expressions of Colonel John Cunningham, then editor of The Evening News. Mr. Hatch, though by birth a New Englander, had become strongly Southern in his political sentiment, and conceived that the editor of The Evening Nexus had spoken uncivilly of the course taken by the Southern delegation then in Washington, "insinuating," Mr. Hatch said, " that our delegation in OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 163 Congress have done nothing, and can do nothing that will contribute to or consist with the welfare of the State, that — in its mildest form of expression — they have exhibit- ed a want of statesmanship. Moreover, that the members of this same delegation have been influenced in their pub- lic conduct by a consideration of the spoils." This was during the Brooks and Sumner embroglio. The caustic leader in the Standard, met with a taunting response from the News. This led to a correspondence between the two editors, which terminated in a hostile meeting. The en- counter, which took place in close proximity to the Wash- ington Race Course, was bloodless, and after an exchange of shots, an amicable adjustment of the difficulty was effected. Mr. Hatch fell a victim to the epidemic of 1858 — the vellow fever — dying on the 25th September, of that year, in the 26th year of his age. The skillful medical treat- ment and personal attention of Doctor Peter Porcher, at whose home Mr. Hatch was staying, could not prevent the death of one, who, had he lived, could not but have been prominent as a journalist. That gallant corps, the Washington Light Infantry, of which he was a member, took charge of the body of their comrade, and deposited it in their sepulchre at " Magnolia." They were, subse- quently, removed to a neighboring spot, in the same " city of the dead.'' CHAPTEE XVII. MONTHLY AND QUARTERLY PUBLICATIONS OMITTED —WEEK- LY PAPERS — THE CATHOLIC MISCELLANY UNDER BISHOP ENGLAND, AND OTHERS, 1822 — POPE PIOUS ?TH AND BISH- OP ENGLAND — DEATH OF THE LATTER, 1842 — END OF THE MISCELLANY, 1861 THE WESLEYAN JOURNAL, AND ITS EDITORS — THE CHARLESTON OBSERVER — BENJAMIN GILDERSLEEVE AND OTHERS, 1826 — THE OBSERVER, ITS REMOVAL TO RICHMOND AND ITS FAILURE — THE SOUTH- ERN CHRISTIAN SENTINEL REVEREND THOMAS MAGRU- DER AND W. C. DANA — THE SOUTHERN PRESBYTERIAN, REVEREND N. BAIRD, AND ITS OTHER EDITORS — THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST, AND ITS EDITORS. We have purposely avoided speaking of the few Quar- terly, and of the several Monthly and Weekly publica- tions — six of the latter will be excepted — which from time to time were issued, and to which the struggle of 1812, was instrumental in giving life and vigor. They were too ephemeral, to have a place in this history. If we omit three, it is likewise the case with the Periodical Press of Charleston, which, in its purport, is not the less effective. Of this more elementary branch, we no not propose to speak. The six hebdomadals, however, were solid, and outlived opposition. They were The United States Catholic Mis- cellany, The Wesley an Journal, The Southern Christian Sentinel, The Charleston Observer, The Southern Presbyte- rian, and The Southern Baptist, 166 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS The Miscellany came into existence under the control and editorship of the Right Reverend Doctor John Eng- land, first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, on the 5th June, 1822. For some cause not now known, the Miscellany was discontinued, but was re- sumed after an interval of one year, on the 7th Januarv, 1824. A writer in the Courier, who signed himself " A Metho- dist," thus alluded to Bishop England's discourse, in fa- vor of the Greek's, delivered Sunday, 25th January, 1824 : " The picture which Bishop England drew of Grecian misery, was calculated to move the coldest enemy of liber- ty and religion." The Miscellany, which was printed at different times by Thomas Martin, jr., John Healey, Jeremiah Denne- hy, William J. Mosemann, Walker & James, and last- ly by the then well known firm of Harper & Calvo, had among the priesthood, many able contributors. The most prominent were Bishops England and Reynolds, Reve- rend R. S. Baker, Vicar General under Bishop England, Reverend J. F. O'Neill, Very Reverend Doctors Corco- ran and Lynch — the latter now the highly intellectual and esteemed Bishop of the Diocese, appointed to the See of Charleston, in January, 1858 — and Birmingham, the present Vicar General, and others. Bishop England's chief literary labors were bestowed upon the paper he was so devoted to. Its editorial columns were continually supplied with the fruits of his clear and gifted intellect. John England was born in the City of Cork, 23d Sep- tember, 1786. At an early period he entered the College of Maynooth, in the vicinity of the Irish metropolis ; after leaving college he placed himself under the tutorship of an eminent barrister, with whom he studied law for about two OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 1G7 years. He then relinquished the legal profession for the ministry, and entered the Theological College of Carlow, where he completed his ecclesiastical course of studies with distinction. He was ordained a priest in 1808, at the early age of 22, and entered on the duties of the ministry in Cork. This young priest, with eight different functions already enjoined upon him, became the editor of the Cork Morning Chronicle, in which office he mastered the typographical art. " With the same promptness to perceive, and daring to perform, which always marked his subsequent course, he wielded his pen in one bold denunciation of the moral dee- o radation of his unhappy country, the corruption of judges, and the packing of juries. He stemmed the political tor- rent which had already swept before it, many that were dear to him. In that denunciation, this patriot priest made issue w T ith the tory Lord Lieutenant Earl Talbot, the English representative. Though this Catholic editor had, in that article, engraven upon the people their rights, it was, nevertheless, at a cost of tive hundred pounds." The Court before which he was summoned, in addition to the fine, decreed, also, his close confinement, until the pecuniary penalty was paid. So firmly did the people de- termine to protect these rights, that the mother of Mr. England, from the gallery of ladies above, at the close of her son's masterly defence, exclaimed: " Well done, my dear son. In my hand I have a check for the amount ; write but another essay, expose again the tyranny of the persecutors of your church, and your country, and I shall meet the forfeit, though it be double the amount of this !" This editor and priest is said to have allowed his name to be placed among those who were willing to go forth to new fields of labor. But he affixed this condition, that he should be sent to some country over which the English 1G8 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS held no control. This proviso to the priest's name, at- tracted the attention of Pope Pius 7th, at the time a new See for the Carolina's and Georgia was about being made. The Pope knew the priest's record, and appointed him, in 1820, to the new prelacy, though only in his thirty- fourth year. He came from Belfast, in the ship Thomas Getston, and arrived in Charleston, on the last day of that year. Under these circumstances was it, that this man, whose name is one of the proudest in the list of prelates, distinguished for strength of mind, power of argument, deep and various learning, and a bold and impressive elo- quence, was transferred to our, then, unoppressed land, and became one of the literary ornaments of our City. In private life also, this distinguished editor was greatly esteemed, and the author well remembers how wonderful was the charm he threw around it. He possessed a na- ture, warm and overflowing to a class who revered him. And yet, the regard for him was not bounded by monastic vows or rules, for among the immense throng who visited the remains, until the interment of this pious defender of his church, there were to be seen the Catholic, the Hebrew, the Episcopalian, the Lutheran, the Baptist, the Congre- gationalist, the Methodist, the Universalist, the Unitarian, and the Presbyterian — the various sects into which our people are divided. Bishop England was taken from his field of labors, by the Providence of God, on the 11th April, 1842, in the 56th year of his age. The Miscellany was printed in octavo form, and was the first regular organ of the Catholics in the United States, receiving as it did, the support of Catholics, generally, throughout America. It was changed to a super-royal sheet in 1824. It was, at that time, the strong advocate for a modification of the laws then in force against aliens, before they could possibly acquire the benefits of citizen- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 1G9 ship. Its discontinuance was owing entirely to the de- struction of all its material, in the great fire of December, 1861. The first Methodist weekly newspaper published in the South, and the second, in point of time, in the United States, was published in Charleston, under the title of The Wesley an Journal. It was projected by the late dis- tinguished Stephen Olin, D.D., then a resident of this State, and subsequently, President of the Wesleyan Uni- versity. The South Carolina Conference then embraced Georgia, and this body adopted the Journal, as its organ, and made arrangements for a more extended publication. The Wesleyan Journal made its debut on the 1st October, 1825, under the editorial supervision of Reverend Doctor William Capers, of South Carolina. The health of Doc- tor Olin having failed him, it was, after a couple of years, merged in The Christian Advocate, a coherent journal which was started in New York, during the autumn of 1826; thence it was, that it took the title of Christian Advocate and Journal. The lapse of ten years showed that a great central organ at New York, however ably conducted, could not supersede the home demand for religious literature and representation. Accordingly, resolutions were, adopted at the General Conference, held at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1836, authorizing the publication, in this City, of a weekly reli- gious journal, called Southern Christian Advocate. Doctor William Capers was elected as editor. The first number was published June 21, 1837. The paper had no printing office, but was " worked off" at the job printing establish- ment of Mr. James S. Burges ; and the editor acted as his own clerk. The Advocate came out, in form, vastly superior to The Wesleyan Journal. The leading editorials were more elaborate, the selections more varied, and adapt- ed to the popular taste. Doctor Capers stood up, firmly, 15 170 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS for the rights of his portion of the ecclesiastical connection. " He was earnest," says his biographer, " and high-minded in his advocacy of all the great measures subscribing to the spread of Christian influence — educational, missionary, and literary. But he did not warm to a work which was not, to him, a labor of love." At the General Conference, held in Baltimore, in May, 1840, Doctor Capers resigned the editorship of the paper. He was succeeded by Reverend Doctor Wm. M. Wight- man, who was, by the same Conference, appointed his suc- cessor. Dr. Wightman entered upon his duties in No- vember, 1840. During the interval, Reverend Doctor Whitefoord Smith, who was then stationed in the City, assumed the editorial chair pro tern. Dr. Wightman was a native of Charleston, and a graduate of the College of Charleston. He had youth and enterprise in his favor ; wielded a facile and polished pen. With the increasing income of the paper, an office was fitted up in Pinckney Street, and a Hoe's cylinder press purchased, and the reg- ular routine of a first class journal was entered upon. Subsequently — June 7, 1850 — the press was propelled by steam. It was the second application of this motive power to newspaper press- work in this City. In 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church was divided, by mutual consent, into its present Northern and Southern organizations. During the perilous times which ensued, the Southern Christian Advocate was one of the great sheet- anchors of the South. The judicious course of the editor was commended by the General Conference. Benjamin Jenkins, a native of Bermuda, was the first foreman of the Advocate. He quitted a similar position in the office of The Charleston Courier, to accept that, a less arduous one. He was a good Hebraist and classical scholar ; was master of the principal modern languages, and, alike, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 171 master of his own business. Having been appointed a missionary to China, he took orders in 1848, and sailed from Boston to Shanghai. He subsequently held the posi- tion of Interpreter in the United States Consulate General. Mr. C. Canning, of Ireland, succeeded Doctor Jenkins, in the foremanship of the Advocate, and still retains the position. In 1850, Reverend Doctor Thomas 0. Summers, an En- glishman by birth, was appointed assistant editor of the Advocate, and was associated with it four years. His crit- ical acumen, and sensitive poetic taste, with his varied at- tainments, were acquisitions to the journal. The sheet was enlarged, and the subscription list extended, at the time Doctor Wightman's term of service — fourteen years — closed. While recognized as the fearless defender of evan- gelical religion, according to the views of the denomination of Christians whom it represented, its tone was always courteous, its spirit genial, and the ability of its editorials sustained ; in fact, it became a power in religious jour- nalism. When Doctor Wightmax accepted the Presidency of Wofford College, in 1854, the Reverend Doctor E. H. My- ers, of Georgia, was elected his successor, in the editorial management of the paper. This Divine brought energy and business talent to sustain its financial department. The paper was again enlarged, and removed to apartments more commodious, in Hayne Street. During the desola- tion consequent upon the late war, it was deemed advisable to remove the office of publication to Augusta, Georgia. Subsequently, it was removed to Macon, Georgia. The war having left it without any resources that would insure its continuance, it was sold to Messrs. J. W. Burke & Co., prominent publishers of that City, and by whom it is at present published. The Advocate is a double sheet, of 172 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS eight columns each, measuring 29 by 22 inches, and printed in the best style, on excellent paper. The Charleston Observer was the organ of the Presbyte- rians, and was established by the Reverend Benjamin Gildersleeve, who came to Charleston from Hancock County, Georgia. It was conducted by the members of the Charleston Union Presbytery. The leading object of this publication, was to make its readers early acquainted with the progress of the Redeemer's kingdom, at home and abroad ; both as it related to the labors, and conflicts of his servants, on the one hand, and the gracious influences of his spirit, on the other. Assurances were at the same time given to its patrons, by the editor, that while carrying out this benign design, he would also communicate such information representing the affairs of government, and the advancement of literature and science, as an enlightened mind would desire to receive. Prominent as writers in support of this weekly, were B. M. Palmer, D.D., A. W. Leland, D.D., F. C Henry, D.D., Reverend W. A. Mc- Dowall, and Reverend A. Buist. The first appearance of the Observer was in July, 182G. It was issued regularly in Charleston, from the office of the paper, Chalmers Street, near Meeting Street, until the 26th July, 1845. On the 8th August, of the same year, its pro- prietor, who stood high among the Titans of controversy, changed its place of publication to Richmond, Virginia, there to be united with The Watchman of the South. It was issued from that City as The Watchman and Observer \ August 21, 1845. The change impaired its vitality, and in Richmond it died, but a few years before the war. Mr. Gildersleeve now lives, in his declining years, in the " Old Dominion." Mr. John Cudworth, a practical prin- ter of this City, and one who has, long ago, laid aside the implements of the craft, was his foreman and general su- OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 173 perintendent, for full nineteen years — the length of time it was published in Charleston. In the office of that pa- per, the present foreman of the Courier, Mr. Oean Bas- sett, well known to the craft, served his apprenticeship. The Southern Christian Sentinel made its appearance in Charleston, March 2d, 1839. Reverend Thomas Magru- der, a Georgian by birth, was editor, assisted by Reverend W. C. Dana. The Sentinel was the organ of the Charles- ton Union Presbytery, during the agitation consequent on the disruption of the Presbyterian Church, in the United States, by certain acts of the Assembly in 1837-38. The Charleston Union Presbytery had disapproved those acts, as being " unconstitutional and unjust." This disapproval was imputed to them as a crime ; and they were denied their rights as members of the Synod. But Providence des- tined for them a signal and almost unexampled vindication of the rectitude of their course. The " Old School" Gen- eral Assembly of 1852, meeting in Charleston, and becom- ing acquainted with the facts, re-instated them in their rights ; and lately, the whole Presbyterian community — " Old School" and " New"— at the North, where the " un- pleasantness" originated, have given the strongest proof of their disapproval of those acts, by becoming again one Church. Reverend Thomas Magruder was a man of the purest integrity and honor, incapable of indirection, and uniting with a guileless nature, inflexible adherence to principle. It was impossible for him to be an unscrupulous partisan, or a narrow-minded bigot. In Christian simplicity and transparency of character, he resembled another firm friend and ally of the Sentinel — the late Reverend Dr. B. M. Palmer, once pastor of the Circular Church. The closing years of Mr. Magruder's life were spent in Madison County, Mississippi, where property had been left 174 TTTE NEWSPAPER PRESS him by a near relative. As long as declining years per- mitted, be preached, for the most part gratuitously, and with great acceptance. He died in 1853. A beautiful tribute was paid to his memory, by those who, taking " sweet counsel" with him as a clerical brother, had learned to appreciate his solid mental qualities, and his great moral worth. Reverend W. C. Dana, whose pen freely contributed in aid of the Sentinel, was born in Newburyport, Massachu- setts, in 1810 ; graduated at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. He completed his theological studies in Andover ; spent one session at Princeton, and, several at Columbia, in this State. He was, in November, 1835, called to the Third Presbyterian — now Central — Church of this City, and is the devout and much loved pastor of that Congregation. The Southern Christian Sentinel was originated as a local and temporary necessity ; it was not expected to be self- sustaining. Generously aided by a few friends, and edited gratuitously, it was continued as a weekly paper through the years 1839-'40 ; and as a monthly periodical, to the end of 1841. In its valedictory were quoted these pro- phetic lines : " Truth, crushed to earth, shall live again ; The eternal years of God are her's ; But error, wounded, writhes in pain, And dies, amid her worshipers.'' The Southern Presbyterian, the most variable of the hebdomadals, was first published at Milledgeville, Geor- gia, and edited by Reverend Washington Baird, before it was removed to Charleston. After twelve months pub- lication, it was sold to a company composed of Joseph A. Enslow, John M. Fraser, William Harral, James M. Caldwell, and others. It was then printed and issued OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 175 by that well known printer, John B. Nixon, in Meeting Street, next South of the Hibernian Hall. Subsequently, early in 1856, Archibald Campbell became the manager, and directed it for the said share holders, until the spring of 1857, when he relinquished the position, to assume the duties of City Treasurer. Archibald Campbell was born in Greenock, Scotland, August, 1799. He was the only son of Robert Campbell, of the British Navy. Archibald Campbell will be re- membered as an able, pure and just man. These attributes enabled him to hold, for nearly thirty years of his life, the offices of clerk of the Court, and Commissioner of Equity for Beaufort District. He died at Summerville, October 21, 18G6. The editors, at that period, were Reverend J. L. Kirkpatrick and Reverend B. Laxxeau. About 1857, Reverend Dr. W. M. Cunningham assumed the editorship, and published it at the printing office of Messrs. James & Williams, at No. 16 State Street, nearly opposite Chal- mers Street. Early in the war, the material was removed to Columbia, and while there, Reverend A. A. Borter took editorial charge of the paper. Finally, it passed un- der the control of Reverend John B. Adger and El am Sharp. The title of this religious weekly has been chang- ed to Southern Presbyterian Index, and is now in success- ful operation at the State Capital, under the superintend- ence and editorship of Reverend James Woodrow, D.D. The last, though by no means the least of these weekly prints, was Thr Southern Baptist. This paper was started in the fall of 1839, by Reverend T. W. Haixes, a native of Tennessee. He was its publisher and editor, assisted for about two years by Reverend William T. Braxtly, D.D., and Reverend Thomas Curtis, D.D. Doctor Braxtly was one of the earliest students of the South Carolina College, having graduated with distinction, 176 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS in 1808. He was a man of enlarged and cultivated mind; delighting equally in the walks of literature and science. A holy man of God, eminently useful in his voca- tion and generation ; more beloved, the more intimately known. He was stricken with paralysis, which affected both mind and body. He died in Augusta — whither he had removed, in the hope of alleviating his suffering con- dition—February 28, 1849. Doctor Curtis, was an Englishman, of the old school, perfected by the crowning graces and influences of humble, fervent and exemplary piety. For many years before he came to America, he was a leading reporter of the debates in the English Parliament. He came to this country about the year 1833, and settled in Bangor, Maine. In 1841, he accepted a pastoral call for the Wentworth Street (Second) Baptist Church, of this City. This Divine attained eminent distinction in the world of letters, and found ready access into high literary circles. While in Charleston, he took great interest, and actively co-operated in the formation of a Society for the observance of the Lord's day. He like- wise, took an active part in the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention, held in the City of Augusta, in May, 1845, and ever manifested a lively interest in all institu- tions of charity and benevolence. Doctor Curtis lost his life on board of the North Carolina, one of the Bay Line steamers, while she was making her trip from Baltimore to Norfolk, on the night of January 28, 1859. The Baptist, in the spring of 1849, passed into the hands of a Committee, who became managers and editors. Reve- rend J. R. Kendrick, B. C. Pressley and James Tup- per, composed the Committee. From 1848 to the spring of 1849, Reverend Jas. P. Boyce edited it for the Com- mittee, with great vigor, and contributed his private means in its aid. During the successful career of this journal, OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 177 Reverend E. T. Winkler, D.D., ably presided over its editorial department. In a controversy conducted by hirn at that time, his pen gave evidence of great erudition. The Baptist was, at a later period, edited by other pleas- ing and talented writers, the Reverend J. P. Tustin and the Reverend W. B. Carson. Its suspension occurred while it was under the management of Reverend Mr. Car- son, not from any want of capacity, but from unavoidable circumstances. CHAPTER XVIII. THE CONTEMPORANEOUS PRESS OF 1871 THE CHARLESTON DAILY NEWS, AND ITS CORPS EDITORIAL — THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEADER, T. HURLEY AND OTHERS — THE SUED- LICHER CORRESPONDENT — THE REFEREE — THE SOUTHERN CELT — THE SUNDAY TIMES — THE WORKING CHRISTIAN. The author has brought down and blended history and biography quite up to the opening of the year 1871. The want of a more extended record prevents him from enter- ing upon similar details in regard to the present represen- tatives of local journalism. They constitute the following: The Charleston Daily News, which paper was presented to its patrons and the public through the instrumentality of Benjamin Wood, George E. Cathcart, James W. McMillan and Man- dred Morton, on the morning of August 14, 1865. Mr. Wood was the proprietor of The Daily News, of New York ; Mr. Cathcart, a native of Spartanburg County, in this State, and was, at- the time, the New York correspond- ent of the London Morning Post; Mr. McMillan, a Charlestonian, and a very practical member of the craft, and Mr. Morton, said to be a nephew of Mr. Wood. Mr. Wood supplied the means for the enterprise. To Mr. Cathcart was assigned the responsible duties of editor, and to Mr. McMillan was apportioned the exacting duties of business manager. Mr. Morton, unlike his co-partners, was entirely unknown to the fraternity of editors in the 180 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS City. Quite dissimilar to any other Charleston daily, pre- viously published, no line of policy was marked out for this paper. It was, of course, to be a Southern journal, representing Southern interests, but it was not to be under the control of any one man or party, other than' was deem- ed advisable by the editor. The News was established at a period favorable to the undertaking, and under the edi- torship of George R. Cathcart, assisted by L. W. Spratt, A. G. Magrath, W. H. Trescott, J. Barrett Cohen, James Lowndes, Dr. H. Baer, Roswell T. Logan, and John D. Miller, the paper acquired prosperity and pop- ularity as it went forth from the office of publication, 18 Hayne Street. In October, 1867, the co-partnership of Cathcart, McMillan & Morton was dissolved, and the entire management of the paper devolved upon Messrs. Riordan, Dawson & Co. B. R. Riordan is the senior of the firm now conducting The Charleston Daily News. He was born in Fairfax County, State of Virginia, in 1839. He graduated at Mt. St. Mary's College, Maryland, in 1858. It was in the office of the Washington Union that he received his news- paper training. In 1859, he became connected with the editorial staff of the New Orleans Delta. He was sent by the proprietors of that journal to represent their paper in the Democratic National Convention, which assembled in this City, April 23, 1860, and came with the delegation, in the steam ship Coatzacoalcas. In the summer of 1860, he became connected with The Charleston Mercury, and on the retirement of George A. Gordon, in September of the same year, he accepted the position of managing editor of that paper; there he remained until just before the evacuation of Charleston. Since the war, he was, for near- ly a year, on the staff of the Richmond Examiner. In the winter of 1866, he accepted position as one of the assistant OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 181 editors of the Courier, and continued in that capacity until shortly before he became one of the proprietors of the News. F. W. Dawson, of the News, was born in London, Eng- land, in 1840. At the time of the breaking out of the war between the Confederate States and the Federal Union, he was engaged on the editorial staff of a London newspaper. In December, 1861, he enlisted at Southampton, England, as a sailor on the Confederate steam ship Nashville. On the arrival of the steamer at Beaufort, North Carolina, early in 1862, he was appointed a Master's Mate in the Navy of the new Confederacy. This position he resigned in June, 1862, and joined the " Purcell Battery," Hill's Division, Army of Northern Virginia, as a private. In August, 1862, he was commissioned First Lieutenant of Artillery, and assigned to duty as ordnance officer, on the staff of General Longstreet. In the spring of 1864, he was pro- moted to a Captaincy of Artillery, and in the fall of the same year, was tranferred to the staff of General Fitz Hugh Lee, where he served until the end of the war. When the Kichmond Examiner was revived in 1865, Mr. Dawson became one of its " Local Reporters." After the Examiner had been suppressed by the United States mili- tary authorities, Mr, Dawson accepted a position among the corps of editors of the Richmond Dispatch, and held it until the fall of 1866, when he became the assistant edi- tor of The Charleston Mercury, as previously mentioned, November 19, 1866. This position he held until October, 1867, when he became one of the proprietors and editors of The Charleston Daily News. The first " City Editor" of the Daily News, was the pop- ular paragraphist and humorist, James H. Simmons. His ready pen, which has given much aid to this journal, was first recognized in the columns of The .South Carolinian, 16 182 Tin: newspaper press when it was resumed in Charleston, in January, 18G6. The Carolinian having suspended in the summer of that year, Mr. Simmons accepted the "Local" chair of the News, then conducted by Messrs. Cathcart, McMillan & Mor- ton. He was indefatigable in the discharge of his du- ties, and known for the "lightness of his brow,"' and the dawning smile of pleasantry in his countenance, uniting humor with seriousness, and, seemingly, caring for nothing so much as a mirth-moving jest. He was succeeded in this department of the office by F. D. Lee, who was called from the office of the Savannah News, in June, 1869. Mr. IjEE — after his association with the paper which lasted un- til October, 1870 — quitted the " Local" chair for another field of usefulness, in the City of Augusta, Georgia. The South Carolina Leader was the production of Tim- othy Hurley. T. Hurley & Co. were, after the first few numbers, announced as the publishers, and Allen Coffin was recognized as the editor. The first number of this weekly appeared Saturday, October 7, 1865, from their office, 430 King Street. In the salutatory article of the paper its patrons were informed that it Would be devoted to the interests of " Free Labor and General Reform.' - Its motto was from St. Mark, 4th chapter, 28th verse : " First the blade, then the ear, after that, the full corn in the ear." Before the (y)ear filled, the dream of Mr. Hurley had flitted away. The Leader became mutable in its proprie- torship, until the spring of 1867, when it became the prop- erty of a stock company, at the head of which was the Reverend R. H. Cain, with A. J. Ransier as the editor. Its title was changed April 7, 1868, to The Missionary Record. R. H. Cain, who is now the publisher and edi- tor, is a colored preacher of the Gospel ; he has, measura- bly, modified the ultra proclivities of the paper. R. H. Cain is a native of Greenbrier County, Virginia, and came OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 183 to Charleston from New York City, in April, 1865. The Record is still published and edited by him, at the office in Morris Street. The South Carolina Republican was also a weekly news- paper. It was founded October 10, 1868, and after two other weeklies, The Free Press, and The Charleston Advo- cate had each run a very brief career. The suspension of these two latter papers, left no " blank in nature." The founders of the Republican were J. M. Morris and Myron Fox. Mr. Morris graduated at " Yale M with the highest valedictory honors, and before he reached the age of 33, was prominent in political organizations, between the years 1865 and '68. He became the boldest champion of Republican principles in South Carolina. Mr. Fox has given evidences of fine intellectual endowment, and his scholar-like editorials in defence of the principles of his paper, were calculated to sustain the dignity and worth of the Charleston press. The first place of publication of the Republican was at the printing office of Messrs. Dexxy & Perry. Subse- quently, it was removed to the Xorth-East corner of Meet- ing and Calhoun Streets ; thence to its present site, where, on the 19th August, 1869, their daily first appeared. Both the weekly and the daily — the latter now enjoying a mo- nopoly of afternoon intelligence — were established in the interest of the Republican Party, by the individuals nam- ed, and during the periods above mentioned. It is now issued from the building South- West corner of Market and Meeting Streets. The assistant editors are Pi. II. \Yil- loughby and E. Gr. Hoffman. In Mr. Charles Sammis, the business manager, there are combined candor, and sound common sense, ejualities conducive to the success of a daily newspaper. The organ of the German population, is The Suedlicher 184 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS Correspond ait. It was established by C. G. Erckman, in January, 18G9. Its placs of publication is on North side of Broad Street, two doors West of Church Street. It is the third of the German organs, strictly national in repre- sentation, known in the City. The first, The Teutone,\va.s started by John A. Wagner, in 1844. It was then print- ed South side of Broad Street, West of the Guard House. The Teutone became by purchase, the property of F. Mel- chers, in October, 1853. The latter proprietor changed its title to The Zcitunij, at that time. From that period until the State called her sons to arms in 1861, Mr. Mel- chers conducted this Teutonic semi-weekly, not only ably, but quite successfully. In January, 1871, The .Zeituiuj was revived by F. Melchers & Son. General John A. Wagner, and Captain F. Melchers have largely con- tributed to the editorial columns of The Teutone, The Suedlicher Correspondent, and The Deutsche Zcitung, three newspapers which have deservedly received the approba- tion and support of our thriving German population. The Referee, weekly — E. Durbec, proprietor, was estab- lished June 12, 1869. It is printed at the office of the paper, 235 King Street, and distributed gratis, the pub- lisher depending solely upon the advertising patronage of a paper, which is in size, only 23 by 32. The Southern Celt, an Irish-American hebdomadal, was established in January, 1870 ; L. C. Northrop was the first editor and proprietor. The Celt was formerly The Gazette, a Catholic organ, which was established by Messrs. Caulfield & Ford, in January, 1866. That firm sold to Bishop Lynch, who purchased it for J. D. Budds ; Father J. D. Quigley was the editor, and the printer was that experienced member of the craft, Conn O'Neale. The Celt is now published by James Brennan, and is issued OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 185 weekly from the printing establishment of The Daily Re- publican. The Sunday Times is another weekly, as its title denotes. This paper, which is published in Hayne Street by J. "W. Dela.no, made its bow for public patronage on the morn- ing of Sunday, 20th March, 1870. The last newspaper, and one which has just taken its place on the list of hebdomadal publications of Charleston, is that called The Working Christian. It was established in the interest of the Baptist denomination, at Yorkville, South Carolina, by Reverend Tilman R. Gaines. In May, 1870, it was removed to this City. The Working Christian is issued from 68 Hasel Street. To allude further to our contemporary press, would be invidious and uncalled for. The living journals of the day speak for themselves, through the work and bearing of those who control them. But beginning, as it were, a new epoch, emerging from ruins under the most embarrass- ing influences of political and pecuniary affairs, it will be well to refer the craft, to the examples we have given of their predecessors. CHAPTER XIX. The amount of material of an historical nature that ac- cumulates gradually on the files of a daily journal, is astounding, and would scarcely be realized by any but persons whose habitudes and necessities of research have led them frequently to explore such sources. Appreciating this fact to more than an ordinary extent, we are struck with the reality that the press which chronicles all things, often over-looks its own exploits and triumphs. While upon this topic, we would suggest that our Caro- lina press might in more respects become auto-biographi- cal, and relate its own experience. In other words, might not important and interesting additions be made to our State history, if each County journal now extant, would furnish a full and authentic narrative of its establishment and location of the press in its section Landmarks might thus be established, so that hence the retrospective observ- er of the progress of the State, as well as its journalistic efforts would not meet with difficulties akin to those that have beset one who has endeavored to ascertain how mat- ters stood one hundred and forty years ago. There was one feature, beautiful indeed, in the life of journalism in our halcyon days, which should be revived. It was the fraternal spirit in which our predecessors lived and met together : their frequent re-unions; their chival- rous deportment; the amenity and courteousness with which they wrote, precluded provocation, to the most sen- 188 THE NEWSrAPER TRESS sitive nature. They sustained, as has been said, a perfect organization among themselves, which, socially, was rarely ruptured. They took no undue advantage of each other, reciprocated all courtesies, and were, especially, above the fault of competing with each other's prices, for the sake of temporary gain, to the common loss of all, and to the dis- paragement of the profession. Courtesy is one of the ex- acting conditions in the life of a profession like that of journalism, which may be said to " live, move, and have its being," in armor. The tone and temper of the Charleston press, in that era of good feeling, has been very correctly depicted -by a wri- ter who has signed himself " S. G." That writer we take to be the late talented and courteous Divine, Samuel Gil- man, D.D., in whose language dissimulation found no rest- ing place. " S. G." thus marked the course of the press in a letter written from Charleston, in the summer of 1842 : "In my early impressions" wrote " S. G.," "nothing struck me more pleasantly, than the air of high-bred courte- sy which characterized the intercourse of the public journals with each' other ; and though I have been a daily reader of the Courier, Mercury and Patriot, I have never read in their papers a gross allusion, or an indelicate remark ; nor, though I perceive they are diametrically antagonistic in political sentiment, has one indulged towards the other in bitter invective, or violent animosity. I can attribute this to no cause but the refinement which is, certainly, pe- culiar to Charleston." Frequent intercourse, and interchange of sentiment are, doubtless, advantageous to the mutual interests of the press. There can be no reason why the example set by our predecessors should not be observed by the proprietors and editors of newspapers, not only those of the City, but OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 189 by the press of the State, at large ; for it has a high mission to perform, and responsible duties to discharge. Editors occasionally show themselves careless of that courtesy which is due to contributors, who deserve, and should receive respect, even if their desires are not strictly complied with ; to the public, to whom the deportment of an editor should ever be the model of propriety, politeness, and the most graceful social observances. Time and again have we seen in days past, individuals who demanded to be heard through the columns of one of the papers, depart from the sanctum of the editor, fully convinced that the responsive monosyllable no ! so affably given, covered a comprehensive reasoning, which they did not at first per- ceive. This is a style of courtesy which should be first in the vocabulary of journalism, and is known only to the true editor. This lesson is important, when it is considered that in working out the duties of journalism, the business is of such a nature as perpetually to demand the exercise of a gentlemanly and Christian amenity. It is admitted that there is no vocation which may more easily be perverted to the indulgence of spite, malice, dis- like, and a rivally which too frequently ends in prejudices never to be subdued. These evils are due to many causes, the greatest of thein being a diseased eagerness for gain. When the competition is great, and the profit meagre, this, as is well known, is one of the fruitful causes which bring into life the evil demon of egotism and self-seeking. The danger is that this demon will acquire strength daily, espe- cially, it is to be feared, among the diurnal press, South of that geographical and political boundary line which was first made memorable to all America, by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, one hundred and seven years ago. And yet, if the true and faithful editors of the South would pause and reflect, they would discover that it is just now of L90 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS more importance to them than all else beside, that they should wort with one common will, to instruct mankind; to spread correct information; to promote the cause of virtue; to support the dignity of law — now, more than ever, needed; to meliorate the heart, thereby elevating the mind. Let them link hands, and say one to another, I know but the South — the South emerging from her ruins ! It is manifestly proper, that we should here draw the attention of the craft to an endowment not a great while ago perfected, having for its object the training of young men to the business — we should properly say, craft of jour- nalism. While acknowledging the generous and liberal temper which prompted such an endowment, the author must be allowed to remark that a long acquaintance with journal- ism in general leads him to question, very seriously, the uses of any specialty of training. Indeed we find it diffi- cult to conceive, through what peculiar course of tuition one could proceed to arrive at the knowledge of a profes- sion, which, almost beyond all others, demands, not only a specialty of gift in the individual, and singularly various knowledge, but likewise, a long experience with the nature, the wants and the wishes of society. There are, also, great and conflicting principles and doctrines, involving a con- flict, not only of years, but of ages. It does seem to us, all that can be done, to prepare a youth at college, for the business of journalism, is what the college now proposes to do, in the work of a classical education. In this, the youth is prepared generally for all the professions, and no college training can possibly do more. It certainly cannot go into the thousand details which enter into the business of the journalist. It surely cannot endow the individual with those gifts of intellect which are special, and should belong- to the journalist. Nor can such an education accomplish OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 101 more than perfect him in the languages, in the sciences, and in general literature. The school for the journalist — assuming that he has acquired all that the college usually imparts, and that he possesses the necessary gifts from na- ture — is the great world-school of humanity. Professors might lecture on journalism, as it is practically known to the craft, day succeeding day. and yet these censors of wis- dom would not impart any journalistic lesson to the stu- dent. The embryo journalist would still have to go through a regular apprenticeship to the craft, and acquire the essential knowledge by hard practice. These lessons, experience has taught us, are to be found in the thorough- tares — in the strife of parties — at public meetings, and un- der the glare of midnight gas. The editorial management of the various issues of the press, calls for the exercise in a wide field of talents and acquirements. They come forth, for instance, in the state- ly quarterly, the less voluminous and dignified monthly, the lively weekly, and the rapid and dashing daily, which is required to photograph the hurrying hour, catching its changing views ere they fly. He whose capabilities have placed him in the front-rank of journalists, is fully competent to teach seven-tenths of all the college professors in the United States. Scholarships are good indeed, when applied to general education ; but the art, craft, and mys- teries of journalism cannot be taught, within the confines of a eollecje. AVe will here state, that we have prepared very elaborate notes in regard to the press, both of the City and State ; likewise, matters appertaining to journalism in general, with the view of giving them to the public at some future day. Journalism, the press, editorship, the craft in general, 192 THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. are fruitful topics. They must, however, be discussed here with brevity. Knowing the objects of the craft, and the probabilities within their aim, we find that there are many who may as- cend the editorial fauteuil. Of the dignity and authority of that chair, we have already spoken. Some will attain the highly responsible position of business manager of the press ; others again, will rise to stations of equally great re- sponsibility, implying large capabilities ; as, for instance, the foremanship, and thus the efforts of the entire craft are be- ing strained according to the personal ambition of its re- spective members, to win the proud position of a public journalist. But to obtain success, what is most required? We answer diligence, industry, propriety of conduct, so- briety of habits, and assiduous study. If these conditions are complied with, success is assured to all. "Stet liber hie donee fluctua formica marinos Ebibat; et totnm testu] y\ M71835 V : THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY ,*. w r&