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228 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY CHAPTER XII THE PRESS The Newspapers of Shelby County—Sketches of the Daily News, Democrat, Journal, Republican, etc.—The Editors and the Proprietors. THE DAILY NEWS AND THE DEMOCRAT The first number of The Shelby County Democrat was issued January 1, 1849. As no files of the paper were preserved until it came under the present management, very little is known at present about its early history, except that S. Alex. Leckey, then a contractor and active in politics, was the leading spirit in starting the paper. William Ramsey was the first editor of the paper. Mr. Leckey afterwards became the editor. In the first and second years of its publication it was called the Democratic Yeoman, but after that it was called The Shelby County Democrat. We learn from old citizens of Shelby county that during the first ten years the Democrat had a precarious existence and changed hands almost every year and sometimes twice a year. In 1860, A. Kaga, of Tiffin, came to Sidney and became the editor. He remained until the spring of 1861, when the Civil war broke out, he abandoned the paper, raised a company and went into the army. After Kaga left, the paper was run by a committee for some time. Then General Thomas L. Young became the editor and published it for several months. One day he wrote a very bitter anti-war article and went to Cincinnati. This stirred up an intense sentiment against him in Sidney, which he learned of on his way home, and he too, abandoned the paper and never came home. He shortly afterwards went into the army, rose to the rank of brevet brigadier general and afterwards served in the Ohio senate, two terms in congress from Hamilton county, was elected lieutenant governor and when Hayes became president Young became acting governor of Ohio. After Young abandoned the paper, it was again published by a committee of democrats for some time. In the year 1863 Joseph McGonigal became the editor and publisher of the paper. McGonigal was the first man to put the paper on a basis that met current expenses. He published the paper alone at first, but afterwards took in his son-in-law, Dr. Lewis, and the firm of McGonigal & Lewis published it. In 1872 H. Hume bought the interest of Dr. Lewis and McGonigal & Hume were the publishers until April I, 1874, when it was sold to James Van Valkenburg, who became editor and publisher. Van Valkenburg died 228 - AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS December 6, 1875, and January 25, 1876, James O. Amos bought the plant and took charge as editor and publisher January 28, 1876. He has been the editor of the paper ever since., When Mr. Amos took charge of the paper the office occupied two rooms of the building on the alley north of Christian's drug store, now owned by Dr. C. B. Arbison. In 1882 a two story building was erected south of the Robertson block and The Democrat was moved into a borne of its own. Afterwards another story was added. In 1882 the paper was changed from a four page paper to an eight page paper. The South Ohio avenue building was the home of the Democrat for ten years. It was in this building that the publication of The Sidney Daily News was commenced. The Sidney Daily News was started in 1891 at the urgent request of many of the citizens of Sidney. It was run under the management of Miss Delia Amos until her marriage to Horace Holbrook in November, 1905. Since that time it has been under, the same management as the other departments of the office. Although The News was started at the solicitation of many of our citizens, a daily paper was an innovation in Sidney and it took time and lots of hard work to place it on a basis to make it a paying investment. It has always been an up-to-date paper and now ranks as one of the best papers in Ohio, in a city the size of Sidney. With the addition of The News, the increased circulation of The Democrat and the establishment of a large job department, the business had outgrown the size of the rooms it occupied and it became necessary to look for new quarters. The old United Presbyterian church was purchased, torn down and a new three story building erected in its place. The Democrat and Daily News were moved into the west side of this building in April, 1893. They occupied the first floor and part of the second floor. In 1903 a large Meihle job cylinder press was added. This press will do as fine half tone work as any press in the country. Since it has been introduced into the office of the job department The Sidney Printing and Publishing Company has printed a large number of fine half tone jobs for Sidney manufacturers, besides jobs for factories in several other cities. In 1905 a new linotype machine was added and a two story addition sixty-five feet deep was built expressly for accommodation of the newspaper department. In 1906 a new Cox Duplex press was added. This Duplex press will print on both sides from rolls of paper, cut, paste, fold and make ready to mail 6,000 newspapers per hour. At the same time a new twenty-two horse power gas engine was put in. In 1909 another linotype machine was added to the composing room of the office. The first story of the new building is occupied by the Duplex press, engine and a stock room, the second floor is used for a composing room. This room is lighted from three sides and is one of the finest rooms in the state for the purpose. THE SHELBY COUNTY DEMOCRAT In 1903 The Shelby County Democrat, job department and The Sidney Daily News were incorporated under the name of The Sidney Printing and 230 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY Publishing Company and have been continued ever since as a corporation. J. 0. Amos, Delia E. Amos, W. T. Amos, E. C. Amos and Howard A. Amos became the active members employed in the company, the three latter having learned the printing trade during their school vacations. Delia Amos had entered the office after she had finished her course in the high school. The office of The Sidney Printing and Publishing Company now has an eight page Cox Duplex newspaper press, three job cylinder presses, two plat- ten presses, two linotype typesetting machines, two gas engines, a power paper cutter, power wire stitching machine and card cutter and was recently equipped with new type. For the past five years it has given constant employment to twenty people, all skilled in the department in which they work. In each year of that time it has used an average of over 200,000 pounds of paper per year in the newspaper and job departments in the office. The plant is considered by men engaged in the printing business to be one of the best equipped to be found anywhere. A systematic arrangement of the machinery with an ability to turn out the very best in the printing line has resulted in the building up of a large business. Anything in the printing line that can be done anywhere can now be done in Sidney and the output of this establishment includes anything from a small visiting card to large bound books. Letter heads, envelopes, printed stationery of all kinds, anything in the bill line, the finest half tone and three color work is handled with neatness and dispatch at this printing establishment. Their line of work not only includes circulars and catalogues for the local factories but it has taken large orders for catalogues and circulars, which have come to them through bidding from some of the larger cities of the state. James 0. Amos was the owner of the plant from January, 1876, until it was organized as a company in 1903 and has been president of the company ever since. He was born in Monroe county, near Beallsville in 1833. He grew up on the farm, attending school in the winter and worked on the farm in the summer. At the age of eighteen he began teaching school and between the age of eighteen and twenty-seven he continued teaching school and working on the farm. With the exception of one term in an academy his education was obtained in the common school and private study at .home. While on the farm he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1859, and immediately began the practice of law. In 1861 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Monroe county and served two terms. He was appointed school examiner in 1860, an office he held until 1870, when he resigned after he had been elected to the senate from the nineteenth district. He served two terms in the Ohio senate and in 1874 was appointed adjutant general, a position he held for two years. During his administration of the adjutant general's office, the nucleus for the present system of the Ohio National Guard was founded. He also settled $144,000 worth of claims between the state of Ohio and national government, whereby the old condemned arms that had been given to the state during the Civil war were turned back to the national government and credited up to the state. The state drew in place of these AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 231 Springfield breech loading rifles. At the expiration of his term of - office he came to Sidney and purchased The Shelby County Democrat, a history of which is given above. In 1878 he was appointed a school examiner in Shelby county serving three years and refused a re-appointment. In 1891 he was elected to the senate to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator A. J. Robertson. He enjoys the distinction of having been elected to the senate of Ohio from two separate districts, an honor that no other citizen of the state can claim. Besides his connection with The Democrat and Daily News he has been in a small way identified with several of the manufacturing enterprises in Sidney, more from the purpose of encouraging the growth of Sidney than from a financial object. His work as an editor and publisher for the past third of a century has been an open book before the people of Sidney and Shelby county almost everyone of whom know him and who are better able to judge the manner he has filled the difficult position before them, than he is himself. Delia E. Amos, now Mrs. Horace Holbrook, was closely identified with The Democrat ever since she graduated from the Sidney high school and was the manager of The Daily News from the time of its first publication to November, 1905. She was an all around employee of the office. During her connection with the paper she traveled extensively in this country, Mexico, Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land. She wrote over one hundred letters descriptive of her travels which were very much appreciated by the readers of The Democrat and News. She has delivered a number of lectures on her travels and newspaper work. She is president of the Ohio Women's Press Association, a position she has held for three years. Four years ago she was married to Horace Holbrook and they went to California and published the Yreka News for more than a year and then sold out and purchased The Western Reserve Democrat at Warren, where she has a beautiful home. W. T. Amos, who has been business manager of The Sidney Printing and Publishing Company for the past ten years, was educated in the Sidney schools from which he was graduated. He spent one year in West Point Military Academy. He then entered the Wooster University from which he graduated in 1891 and immediately entered the office of The Democrat and News, having learned the trade during his school vacations. He at once became a useful and active man in the office and soon became the general manager. Soon a fter he graduated from the university he was elected captain of Company L, Third regiment, Ohio National Guards, a position he filled during the Spanish American war. After that war the Third Regiment was re-organized and he was made lieutenant colonel, the position he still holds. At present he is the ranking lieutenant colonel in the Ohio National Guard. He has charge of the extensive job department of The Sidney Print- ilia- and Publishing Company. He is known by every business man in the county. He is a director in the First National Exchange Bank since its organization and a director of the Sidney Home Telephone Company. Ernest C. Amos was born at Woodsfield, Ohio, and was educated in the Sidney public schools. After graduating from the Sidney high school he 232 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY entered Wooster University from which he graduated at the age of twenty- one. After graduating he entered the office of The Democrat and News as local editor, which position he held for a number of years, subsequently becoming bookkeeper, circulation manager and all around man in the office. He has been treasurer of The Shelby County Building and Loan Association for the past two years. Howard A. Amos was born in Columbus and was educated in the Sidney schools. After leaving the high school he entered the job department of The Sidney Printing and Publishing Company. He worked several months in the Chicago Legal News Record office. At the age of twenty he became foreman of The News composing room which position he held several years when he became city editor of The Democrat and News, a position he still holds. Miss Katherine Amos entered the office after Mrs. Holbrook retired and has been actively employed in the business department ever since. After graduating from the Sidney schools she entered the School of Art at Columbus from which she graduated. She has taken post graduate courses with several of the leading artists of this country and taught in her profession in Sidney, Cambridge and Barnesville. She has traveled extensively in this country, Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land and her many letters on her travels were published in the News and Democrat. THE JOURNAL-REPUBLICAN The Sidney Journal, the oldest newspaper in Shelby county, was established in the year 1832 by J. Smith, a very eccentric individual who, it is said, would go to Cincinnati on foot, a distance of 100 miles, buy paper for his office and carry it on his back to Sidney. About 1842 the paper was called the Bugle Blast of Fredom which pretentious name was changed to Aurora; it was then bought by Clinton Edwards, who rechristened it the Herald. He continued the publication until 1854, when it was purchased by Samuel Mathers, who came from Pennsylvania. He changed the name to the Sidney journal and ran the paper until 1861, when it was bought by P. A. Ogden. Subsequently it was passed into the hands of Bliss Adgate, J. Dubois and John McElroy now editor of the National Republican, of. Washington. In 1869 it was purchased by Trego and Binkley, who published it until 19o-, when they sold it to J. H. Williams and Elias J. Griffis, who named it the Journal Gazette, and in 1908 they sold it to David Oldham and a stock company, since which time it has been known as the Journal-Republican and is now a daily as well as a weekly, and at present edited by Harry McGill. SHELBY COUNTY ANZEIGER The Anzeiger, established 22 years ago by Frank Sieverding of Botkins, Dinsmore township, is an eight-page, seven column sheet with offices in the Oldham building on Poplar street. It is the only newspaper published in German in Shelby county and has a large circulation in the outlying German AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 233 settlements. It is politically a democratic sheet and is building up a splendid job printing department. Hugo J. Antony, the present owner, resides at Minster, Auglaize county, and bought out P. E. Sherman a few months ago. One of the former editors, Ambrose Wirtz, is now a sugar planter in the Hawaiian Islands and will represent those possessions in congress the next session. THE SIDNEY GAZETTE In the year 1890 a company was formed for the publication of a new republican newspaper with Jesse L. Dickensheets as its editor, but in a few years it was sold to J. H. Williams who with E. J. Griffis subsequently bought the Sidney Journal, so the press of Shelby county in Sidney consists of the Democrat, the News and the Journal-Republican, the Anzeiger, the Botkins Herald and the Jackson Center News. THE JACKSON CENTER NEWS The Jackson Center News was established in 1896, Vol. 1, No. I, appearing July 24th of that year. C. N. Shook, now mayor of Lima, O., was the first editor and publisher. The paper was at that time a five-column quarto with inside patent. Mr. Shook's equipment at that time consisted of a Washington hand-press and a few fonts of type that had seen better days. Yet he put out a bright newsy paper and enjoyed a liberal advertising patronage from the start. In January, 1907, the paper was enlarged to a six-column quarto and from that time on had a steady growth. In 1905 Mr. A. J. Ulsh, of Kansas, bought the paper. He made many improvements, both in the paper and in the equipment. He continued to publish the paper until January 1, 1911, when he moved the plant to Oakfield, N. Y. The Carter Bros., of Greenup, Ill., purchased the subscription list and good will of Mr. Ulsh and continued the publication until December 1, 1911, when they sold the plant to the Socialists of St. Mary's, O., leaving Jackson Center without a paper. J. G. Sailor, who was at that time mayor of the village, purchased the plant of the Quincy Inland Press, that happened to be on the market at that time. He moved the plant to Jackson Center and continued the publication of the News. It is now a six-column paper of from eight to twelve pages and has a large circulation throughout north Shelby, Logan and southern Auglaize counties. In politics it is independent. THE BOTKINS HERALD The Botkins Herald, a six-column quarto weekly, was established about 15 years ago by Adam E. Blakeley, who conducted it until his death in January, 1911, when he was succeeded in the proprietorship by his son, Lowell E. Blakeley. The paper is independent in politics and has a considerable circulation throughout this part of the county. A new cylinder press has recently been installed. |