HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY - 399 CHAPTER XI. THE PRESS OF UNION COUNTY. OCTOBER 1, 1880, an article was published in the daily Marysville Tribune (issued as a daily during the County Agricultural Fair), treating upon the press of the county. It was written by John H. Shearer, editor of the paper, who had taken great pains to procure the facts it contained. The article was substantially as follows: "The first paper in the county was issued at Marysville, February 20, 1830, eighteen years after the town was declared to be the county seat. Stephen McLain and Robert McBratney were the publishers and William C. Lawrence was the editor. The title of the paper was, Our Freedom and Union County Advertiser. After running part of a year, the title Was changed to The. Union Star, and was continued by the same publishers until about the middle of the second volume, when the name of McLain dropped out and the paper was issued by R. McBratney. The Star was continued until about the first of May, 1841, when the office was purchased by John Cassil, who changed the name of the paper to Union Gazette. Mr. Cassil was the editor and J. E. Wilson the printer. The paper, after the publication of a few numbers, was, in May, 1842, removed to Bellefontaine, and Thomas M. Robb became editor while this arrangement lasted. The paper was sent to Marysville each week and distributed to subscribers. About the 30th of May, 1843, the press was moved back to Marysville, and Mr. Cassil again assumed editorial control, and published the paper until the 4th of May, 1844. The Gazette was Democratic in politics during the time Mr. Cassil had control of it. "The Gazette establishment was purchased of John Cassil by P. B. Cole and W. C. Lawrence in May, 1844, and the name of the paper was changed to The Argus, and it espoused the cause of the Whig party. Six weeks later the name was changed to The Argus and Union County Advertiser. Cole and Lawrence ran the paper just one year. and then sold it to James S. Alexander, who ran it about five or six weeks and stopped its publication. It was then resold to John Cassil. Mr. Cassil published the paper irregularly for about a year, changing it into a Democratic paper. 400 - HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY. "In June, 1846, P. B. Cole re-purchased the Argus and became its editor. He changed it back to a Whig paper, and continued its publication, under the foremanship of David W. English, until September, 1849, when he sold the establishment to C. S. Hamilton, and he in turn established the Marysville Tribune. David W. and George English were the early printers of the Tribune, and continued such until October 16, 1850, when Eckert and Cassil became printers lend remained such until April 5, 1851. The printers then changed to J. G. Cassil and C. C. P. Davis. Both of these veteran printers are still living, the former printer of the Woodfield Spirit of Democracy, in Mon. roe County, Ohio, and the other editor of the Democrat, published at Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio. These gentlemen published the Tribune until December 1, 1852, when Eckert dropped out and the printers were Cassil & Plumb; but these dropped out in February, 1853, and J. W. Durable became printer. About the 1st of December, 1853, John B. Coats bought the office and became the editor, with C. S. Hamilton as associate editor, and J. W. Durable and P. B. Plumb* printers. Plumb, as printer, dropped out January 20, 1854, and J. G. Cassil assumed the responsibility as foreman. In June, 1854, Hamilton became disconnected as associate and, on the 1st of December, in the same year, Coats sold the press to Samuel McBratney and D. S. Parker, who became the editors. On the 25th of March, 1855, Parker retired from the paper, and C. S. Hamilton again assumed the editorial control, leaving the business department to McBratney, J. G. Cassil continuing as printer. This association, as editor, publisher and printer, continued until October 1, 1858, when the present editor, John H. Shearer,. purchased it, and has continued the paper ever since under its ancient name, The Marysville Tribune. "In May, 1843, John Shrenk started a Whig paper in Marysville, entitled The Union Journal. It survived only fourteen weeks, when it gave up the ghost with the acknowledgment that, through the unfortunate schism of the Whig party in this county, for the last few years, the locofocos have the county offices. which secure to them the public printing. All the numbers of the Journal were bound in book form and are well preserved. "The Eaglet was a small paper started in October, 1845, to catch the county printing. on the suspension of the Argus after it came into the hands of Alexander. It was published by O. A. Cassil, and lived only about three or four months. " The Union Journal was a literary paper started in Marysville early in the year 1853. It was edited in the early part of its existence by A. Tolland Turner, and printed by J. G. Cassil and Andrew M. Pollock. It was a good literary journal, but was clearly in advance of the times. It survived not quite a year. (2) "The Union Press was established in October, 1858, by Hylas Sabine. It was Republican in politics, and was continued until August, 1863, a period of four years and ten mouths. The last year of its existence it was edited by John B. Coats.(3) The materials of the office were purchased by the Vallandighamers, who at that time, in the midst of war, treason and the assailing of the government, were determined to establish a paper that would advocate the freedom of speech and the press, '-that was, to advocate license to assail the government and its friends while they were in the act of putting down rebels. (1) Mr. Plumb has since become distinguished as United States Senator from Kansas, to which State he removed about 1834. (2) The materials were purchased by J. W. Dumble and P. D. Plumb, who removed them to Xenia and published a paper called the Xenia News. This paper was the same afterward edited by Whitelaw Reid, now of the New York Tribune. (3) In the spring of 1861, soon after the war of the rebellion began, Mr. Sabine went to Washington, and left the editorial management of the paper to Mr. Coats. In the fall of the same year, Mr. Sabine went to Harvard University to take a law course. Mr. Coats continued as editor until the fall of 1862, when his labors upon the paper ceased, and Mr. Sabine edited It during the balance of the time until August, 1863. HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY. - 401 Consequently, the Union County Democrat was built upon the ruins of the Union Press, and William M. Randall became its editor. The first number was issued August 26, 1863, and was continued until the fall of 1864, when its publication ceased and the materials were sold. "In the spring of 1872, W. H. Gribble, of Bellefontaine, started a paper entitled The Press, having received new materials. After publishing the paper about five months he abandoned it and the office, and left the place. A botch by the name of Conklin was allowed to take possession of the office, after Gribble left, under the promise that he would continue the paper, but he possessed little ability other than to ruin the materials. which he did most effectually. He published, or tried to publish, a small sheet entitled The Monitor, which was a burlesque upon typography and a disgrace to the profession. He finally left for other parts, and the materials of the office, were partly disposed of in Marysville and the balance shipped back to the type foundry. "About the first of April,(1) 1874, the Marysville Journal was established by O. M. Kenton, which was soon after changed to Union County Journal, and has since been continued under that name without change until the present time. The Journal and the Tribune are now the only papers published in Marysville. "About the first of August, (2) 1872, the Messrs. Vaughan established the Richwood Gazette, which was continued by J. H. Vaughan till the spring of 1880, when he sold the office to the present proprietors, Smith & Ferguson. "In 1878, the Union County Journal published during the fair a daily journal, the first daily ever issued in the county. In 1880, the Tribune issued the first morning paper-the Journal's being an evening one-during the week of the fair. Theme are small matters within themselves, but they belong to the history of the press and we give them for what they are worth. "The Marysville Tribune is the oldest paper in the county. Its genealogy runs back through the Argus, Union Gazette, Union Star and Flag of Freedom, so that the Tribune, counting back through its predecessors, has a line age of over forty-three years. "It is difficult, at this late day, to secure enough of the old papers to enable as to got a chain of all the changes that have taken place in proprietors and publishers of the early papers of the county. A change seemed to be necessary whenever the means of a new proprietor was exhausted. From 1839, the time of the issuing of the pioneer paper of the county, until 1849, the beginning of the Tribune, the county was almost in its native forest state. The few settlers who were laboring hard to open out their farms were not in a condition to be liberal in supporting the press, and few of them had much time to spare for reading. The times have greatly changed since then. We have so many advantages at the present day, and there is so much in the way of improving the county, that we cannot form a proper estimate of the struggles of the early pioneers. The press of the county has done a fair share in advocating and bringing about this millennium of advancement and prosperity." In 1879, Mr. Shearer erected the commodious building in which the Tribune has since been located, and has made numerous improvements in the office at recent dates. In May, 1882, a new two revolution Campbell cylinder press was placed in the establishment, superseding the Potter cylinder press (1) The first number was issued June 9,1874; Charles M. Kenton, proprietor. Started as an eight column folio; was slightly enlarged June 15, 1875, the number or columns remaining the same and the name being changed to Union County Journal. June 1, 1880, it was again enlarged, to a nine-column folio, which is its size at present. When the paper was started it was printed on a "Washington " hand-press. In 1876, the present Cottrell &,Babcock cylloder press was put in, and four years later steam power was added. The office has also a 13x19 Nonpareil jobber and a smaller Peerless jobber, and in generally well stocked. It has occupied its present quarters in the Robinson block since the fall of 1879; was previously In the upper story of the building at the southeast corner of Main and Center streets. (2) The first number of this tuner was Issued on the 16th of August 1872 402 - HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY. which has been in use for eighteen years. Other presses have been added, for job work, and in November, 1882, a four and a half horse power engine was purchased to take the place of the one of three horse power which was hardly sufficient to run all the presses at one time at a required speed. The office is now one of the best stocked country offices in the State, and the paper enjoys a large circulation. The Richwood Reporter is the latest venture in the journalistic field in Union County, and bids fair to be very successful. The proprietors, J. S. Blake & Bro., issued the first number January 28, 1882, subscription price $1.25 per annum. The paper is a seven column folio, printed entirely at home, and on the first of November, 1882, had reached a circulation of about 600 copies, with the list rapidly increasing. The office is well stock with first class material, and with its neighbor, the Gazette, will doubtless continue to be well patronized by the people of that section. (RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE)