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Audubon County |
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CHAPTER XIII.THE PRESS.From History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915)
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The first newspaper in the county was the Audubon County Pioneer, started at Audubon City in December, 1860, by John C. Brown and J. J. Van Haughton. It was Democratic, and published the delinquent tax list for that year. It was moved to Lewis, Iowa, where the same proprietors started the Cass County Gazette, in January, 1861. Both were Democrats, but their paper stood for the Union, and in September, 1862, both became members of Company I, Twenty-third Iowa Infantry. Brown became captain and was killed at Milliken's Bend, June 7, 1863; Van Haughton succeeded to the captaincy, served through the war, and returned to Lewis. About 1871, Lafe Young, editor and proprietor of the Atlantic Telegraph, devoted a page of his paper to Audubon county affairs and news, edited by H. F. Andrews. It was Republican. The Telegraph was selected by the board of supervisors as the official paper of Audubon county, on April 4, 1871, and, for the first time in the county, the proceedings of the supervisors were printed in a newspaper. In the winter of 1870-1, the Democrats organized a printing company at Exira and started the Audubon County Sentinel, edited by Royal Lespenasse, a French gentleman. He was succeeded by James P. Lair, as editor. Later Lespenasse purchased the plant and continued it until 1873. The materials of the office were old-fashioned, badly assorted and worn, but its genial editor was an enterprising, energetic gentleman, who gathered and spread the news industriously, and let it be known that Audubon county and Exira were on the map. It served to advance public affairs as a resident newspaper. In the spring of 1873, Judge Daniel M. Harris came back to Exira, bought out the paper and changed the name to Audubon County Defender. He managed it a year and sold out. In 1874 Emerson H. Kimball took charge of the Defender as a Democratic paper. He was a New Hampshire Yankee and first approached Audubon county by way of Carroll, settling in section 16, Viola township. His acquaintance with Exira was as Democratic candidate for recorder in 1872. While electioneering that year he met a crowd in front of the Houston house in Exira one evening, among whom were A. B. Houston, Albert I. Brainard, P. I. Whitted, the Cranes, and others of the most bitter types of the then Democracy. To attract their attention and enlist their support, Kimball blackguarded General Grant, and held him up to ridicule and derision as an incompetent and a butcher, comparing him with most uncomplimentary terms with that arch traitor and rebel, Gen. Robert E. Lee. John M. Griggs, who was present, became disgusted and insulted, and "called him down." He said, "Mr. Kimball, you were a soldier and should not speak in that way." "Yes, I was a soldier, but was never in a fight," answered Kimball. It appears that he served in the Thirteenth Maine Infantry, which, of all the Maine regiments, did not "smell powder." It was commanded by Neal Dow, of temperance fame, who was captured by the rebels at Port Hudson. But, upon finding what they had caught, they were disgusted with his lack of soldierly qualities, and sent word to the Federal authorities that if they did not send supplies for Dow, they would turn him loose. So it is probable that Kimball was not a prize soldier. Perhaps he would have swucceeded better under more favorable opportunities. He served two years as recorder, but failed of re-election. When he took over the Defender he erected a new printing office building and residence combined; and equipped the office with new materials in fairly good style. He conducted the paper and business strictly in the interests of the opponents of Exira, which arrayed the people of Exira and their friends against him. In 1877, through the influence of Joe Stotts, Kimball was bought up to support Hon. William F. Sapp, of Council Bluffs, Republican candidate for Congress. His paper changed on the instant, chameleon-like, to a Republican (?) organ. He came out with a statement that he was happy to live to see and reform the errors of his past political mistakes, etc., but that his paper henceforth would be Republican with a big R. No one believed his hypocritical cant and in the winter of 1877-8, he transferred his interest in the paper and left the county, despised alike by saint and sinner. To emphasize his disgrace, he was arrested on the charge of stealing a hog. He did not have friends enough in the county to float his disgraceful sheet longer. , In the winter of 1877-8, John A. Hallock and A. L. Campbell took charge of the Defender and conducted it as a Republican paper at Exira, successfully for several years, until after the removal of the county seat to Audubon, when they sold it to William A. Millerman and William A. Crane, who conducted it as a Democratic paper. Milliman sold his interest to Van Buren Crane, and the proprietors, Crane & Crane, moved the concern to Audubon and the Defender was merged with the Audubon Advocate. Then Van Buren Crane sold his interest to Frank D. Allen and the firm became Allen & Crane. William A. Crane soon retired from the partnership. About this time, 1888, the Western Blizzard, of Gray, was merged with the Advocate, and Frank D. Allen became sole proprietor and editor of the paper. It was not an influential journal under the management of Mr. Allen. At some time after the Cranes obtained the Defender, Richard W. Griggs and Hiram Statzell published a "one-horse" sheet at Exira, called the Defender, which was sold to Bert Simmons, who turned it back to Griggs, and he took the outfit to Kansas in 1883. In 1876, Mr. Lespenasse set up a new printing office at Exira and revived the Sentinel, under the management of D. D. Standiff, but Lespenasse did not then reside here personally. Typographicall, it was in advance of any newspaper that had previously been printed in the county. It was a decided factor in driving Kimball out of business, by decreasing the circulation of his paper. The Sentinel was not a financial success and collapsed in 1877, for want of proper management, when Hallock and Campbell obtained control of the Defender. In 1878 Harlan P. Albert started a Democratic paper at Hamlin, assuming the name and serial number of the defunct Audubon County Sentinel, which was soon moved to Exira and conducted there until the following year. It was then removed to Audubon and continued there until about 1884. This paper attracted some attention. Mr. Albert was a man with a head of red hair; hence was called "Pinkey." He gave to his paper the sub-title, or motto, of "Pinkey's Pious Paper," which for notoriety, was sometimes printed on pink colored paper; but its character was far from any idea of piety. It was funny and witty; often obscene and indecent; not a choice article for family reading, nor suitable for Sunday school literature. Albert was industrious, perservering and freely catered the news. At one time he became fiercely hostile against John M. Griggs, the lawyer; loaded his paper with bombastic slurs and malicious comments and slanders about him; adorned himself with belt and pistols; sore Indian moccasins, and made loud threats of what he intended to do, etc. Griggs bore with him a while, but getting tired of the abuse, put a gun in his pocket and called upon Mr. Albert at his office. Upon meeting Albert, Griggs drew his revolver and announced: "I understood you were looking for me, and here I am." Albert, who was engaged in looking up a form, promptly threw an iron "shooting stick" at Griggs, but missed him. The sherrif and Mr. Nichols seized Griggs by his gun arm, but could not disarm him until he had emptied the contents of his gun into the ceiling. Albert would not stand fire, but fled, and Griggs was arrested. Not long afterwards the Sentinel was merged into the Advocate, and Albert left the county. Like a bad penny, Kimball returned and, on January 1, 1879, on borrowed capital under opposition, issued the first number of the Audubon Advocate at Audubon. As "Uncle Jim" Davis once said: "The cuss had talent." His aggressive, extravagant style took with the progressive element, who were promoting the young city and who had not yet learned his character. Benjamin F. Thacker soon became associated with him in the concern, under the firm style of Kimball & Thacker, but it was of short duration. Before the end of the year Seth Paine, who had furnished the capital for the enterprise, came on from Chicago and took possession of the plant, to obtain his pay. Under the management of Mr. Paine, the paper was improved and secured a reliable standing. He was energetic and sought the improvement of the community. On January 1, 1881, he issued an edition of four thousand five hundred copies of the paper, giving the county, and especially the town of Audubon, a grand boom, which was sent broadcast over the country and even to Europe. This effort was supposed to have brought the result of many new settlers to the county. In 1882 the paper was sold to R. Moore Carpenter, who conducted it successfully, as a Democratic organ. In 1888 it passed to Crane & Crane and in the same year Van Buren Crane sold his interest to Frank D. Allen of the Western Blizzard, and the firm became Allen & Crane. Mr. Allen soon became sole proprietor. Under his control it was a failure, and exerted but little influence. In 1879 Emerson H. Kimball again entered the journalistic field as proprietor and editor of the Times at Audubon, virtually a gift from the railroad company. His prospects were the brightest of anyone who had ever started in the newspaper business in the county. But he had not yet learned the faculty of success. He turned the paper to the abuse of those with thom he did not agree, and the kindnesses of his friends were devoted to promote his own selfish ends. He stirred up and kept alive the antagonisms between Audubon and Exira, and spared no efforts to slander and scandalize everybody with thom he disagreed. He kept slanderous effusions standing in the columns of the paper against those he disliked for pure devilishment, until people became tired and disgusted with him and his paper. On one occasion his firm and fast friend, Arthur L. Sanborn, postmaster at Audubon, fell into some difficulty with the post-office department, and Kimball went to Washington, ostensibly to accommodate the matter for his friend, but returned with a commission to himself as postmaster at Audubon. Of course, friendship ceased between Kimball and Sanborn. In 1885, when the Jellison murderers were taken from the jail and lynched at Audubon, Kimball gave an account of the affair in his paper, indicating approval of it, saying that at the time of his writing, parties were in an adjoining room to his office discussing and arranging for the lynching, but those who knew him believed he was too big a coward to risk getting hurt by taking an active part in it. His decline was as sudden as his rise had been. The paper flattened out in 1886, and he shipped his office materials away from Audubon in the name of another than himself, presumably to avoid creditors. When he left he was owing one party several hundred dollars, which has never been paid. He went to the wilds of Wyoming, and was soon in difficulty there. High officials in Wyoming wrote to parties in Audubon seeking to learn Kimball's character. About 1881-2 a man named Jones published a newspaper at Gray, the name of which is forgotten. It was continued by Hiram Statzell a short time. In 1885 Timothy Y. Paine, a crippled youth, son of Seth Paine, Esq., for pasttime, published the Liberator, a weekly paper, at Audubon. At first it was a folio, all composed by the proprietor, and printed by him on a hand-press. It contained a neat directory of the professional men and business houses of Audubon, with the current news, witty, spicy paragraphs, and a few specially selected "ads." It was the pet and pride of the owner, whose life was attached to his little paper, and it was generously patronized for his sake. Poor little Timmy died suddenly in 1888, and the paper ceased with his death. It was one of the bright spots in the history of Audubon. In September, 1885, George W. Guernsey established the Audubon County Journal at Exira. It was independent and non-partisan, and took the serial number of the former Exira paper; but was virtually a new enterprise. Mr. Guernsey was a practical printer and journalist. He gave one of the best newspapers ever published in the county. It continued after his death and was published by his widow, who in 1899, sold it to C. A. Marlin, who conducted it as an independent Democratic organ. He turned it over to his brother, Chester A. Marlin. Samuel T. Thompson published the Gray Eagle about 1889-90. The Audubon Republican was started by Ed B. Cousins and Sidney Foster at Audubon in December, 1886. The firm was Cousins & Foster. Foster was succeeded by William H. McClure about 1888, and the firm became Cousins & McClure. In February, 1894, they sold the business to James E. Griffith, who sold it to David C. Mott in the spring of 1897. On July 1, 1905, Mott sold it to Albert C. Ross, who continued the business and sold the paper to the present proprietor, Henry J. Hoogenakker, October 1, 1911. It has been a straight Republican journal from its organization and the leading party organ in the county. It is an ornament to journalism and has always wielded a healthy influence in the political, social and business affairs of the community. The Western Blizzard, an independent journal, was started by Allen & Waitman, at Gray in 1887. Frank D. Allen soon became proprietor. Its motto was: "It blows for humanity." Its character was suggested by its name--bizarre, boisterous, sensational, extravagant and lurid; but it did not appeal to the tastes of people generally. It merged into the Audubon Advocate about 1888-9. In 1889 the Audubon Advocate was sold by Mr. Allen to Robert C. Spencer and James M. Graham. It was edited a short time by John A. Graham, when Mr. Graham's interest was sold to S. C. Curtis and the proprietors have since been Spencer & Curtis, with Mr. Spencer as editor and manager, and Mr. Curtis as publisher and foreman. It is Democratic in politics and is a leading, popular newspaper. In 1891, Nis Larsen, now of Brayton, established a non-partison paper at Audubon, printed in the Danish language, called the Dansk Folketidende (Danish People News). It continued two years and was transferred to Elkhorn, Iowa. H. F. Andrews started a job printing office at Exira, in 1900, which continued until 1905. On January 1, 1905, the Lancelots became proprietors of the Audubon County Journal, and have since added to the already well-equipped plant of the paper. It is one of the up-to-date journals of western Iowa. The proprietors have adhered to the original policy of the paper of making it strictly a newspaper, and have not hesitated to speak out on national, state and local issues when vital to the interests of good citizenship. It is an independent paper. The Kimballton-Elk Horn Record was founded at Kimballton, by G. R. Osborn, January 1, 1913, and is a non-partisan paper. It was incorporated in March, 1915. The present editor is Fred N. Harmon. Audubon county was cursed at times by some of its newspapers, as has been shown, but for many years they have been all that could be desired in any community. By their untiring efforts and public spirit they have been prominent, influential factors in promoting the social affairs of the people and in developing the business interests of the county. Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, January, 2015, from History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915), by H. F. Andrews, page 177-183. |
