The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 99

Decatnr, Illinois, Sunday, February 19, 1961 DECATUR SUNDAY HERALD AND REVIEW OUTLOOK 51 Decatur Newspaper History The Zietung had short lives in the 1870's. If there is one thing that stands out prominently in Decatur newspaper history it is that a continual battle to exist was waged from the first newspaper until the turn of the century. And then within a. few years of the new century mounting costs of publication brought a wave of news-, paper mergers throughout the nation including that of The Herald and The Review in Decatur. 110 Years Nearly with The Democrat and lasted only until November.

The material and presses were leased to Alfred F. Wuensch who started The Review. The Decatur Weekly Sun appeared in February, 1875 with Leonidas H. Tupper as editor who sold the paper to G. F.

Kimball. S. S. Jack bought the material of the old Magnet and Tribune and with Kimball started The Decatur Times in January, 1876 as a daily and weekly. Jack sold out to Kimball in four months.

Publication thereafter was irregular and in May, 1876, Kimball started The Whip and Spur that lasted only six months. Kimball also published the Temperance Bugle in 1876. The Sun was established by Alfred Wuensch and Howard Mon-tressor in January, 1877 and sold it in April to Kimball who discontinued The Times. In May, 1879 he moved the plant to Belleville. The Tomahawk appeared May 11, 1880 with A.

R. Arbuckle as editor and proprietor and didn't live long. The Illinois Volksblatt and also only way to reduce heavy costs in several of departments of publication. In the consolidation Howard C. Schaub was elected president of Decatur Newspapers, which later became Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, Inc.

Frank M. Lindsay became vice president and general manager. After the death of Howard Schaub, Mr. Lindsay was elected president and Frederick Schaub became vice president and general manager. Warren F.

Hardy was editor of the consolidated papers and upon his death he was succeeded by Edward E. Lindsay. It is worth noting that in down-state Illinois there is only one two-paper city Champaign-Urbana. In Chicago two families own the papers. The Marshall Field family owns The News and the Sun Times while The Tribune owns The Tribune and The Herald-American.

Early History Decatur newspaper history starts with the first edition of the Decatur Weekly Gazette, June 26, 1851. In the spring of that year, James Shoaff of Pekin, came to Decatur on a visit. He liked the struggling 21-year, old village and since it did not have a newspaper he returned to Pekin, loaded his press and equipment in a wagon and moved to Decatur. When his paper came out in June it halted the efforts temporarily of William J. Usrey to publish a paper.

The Gazette was a good paper for its time, serving not only Decatur but a wide area of Central 'UNEXPENDABLE' MAN Butte, Mont. (AP) A railroad is operating at Bulte because one man was waived from jury duty. Or so he wants his boss to think. The man asked to be excused from duty in Judge T. D.

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And yoa decide how lortgyotrTJ take to how much a was used by The Tribune which was started in March, 1872. In 1856 leading Democrats in Macon County wanted a newspaper with strong Democratic policies. A press and type were purchased and the first issue of The Decatur Democrat appeared April 4, 1856. Eli Hosea was the editor and run the paper until Dec. 16 of that year when the office was sold to Elam Rust.

His son, George Rust came into the business and the name of the paper was changed to The Herald with the first issue appearing Jan. 2, 1857. This Herald had no relation to the present Decatur Herald. During 1857 Dr. W.

J. Cheno-weth became a part owner of The Herald. Rust sold his interest to1 James Brent and in the winter of 1857-58 the plant was sold to Milan S. Beckwith, who moved it to Pana. P.

B. Shepherd and Robert Irwin founded The Decatur Magnet in 1858 and started publishing in January, 1859 with James Shoaff as local editor. There were several changes in ownership before the plant was leased to E. N. Buck and Isaac N.

Underwood in 1861. In the later part of 1862 James Shoaff purchased the office and continued publication until March, 1868, when he formed a partnership with Major Asa Miller, which continued until February, 1871, when Shoaff traded his interest for material and presses of the old Democrat office and moved to Paris, 111. The Magnet continued under Miller and W. H. Addis until it was consolidated with The Tribune in June, 1874.

The Tribune had started publication in March, 1872 when A. H. Corman moved his printing office from Maroa to Decatur and consolidated it with material of the old Gazette and Chronicle office then in possession of W. L. Hammer.

Under the name of Magnet and Tribune publication continued until March, 1875, when the partnership of Corman and George Sylvester was dissolved and The Decatur Tribune company was formed. The Tribune had J. M. Andrews, A. H.

Corman and George Sylvester as partners. Asa Miller retired. In May, 1875, Corman sold his interest to his partners who continued publication until November, 1875 when financial difficulties closed the plant. Other papers included: The Decatur Emprise started in September, 1859, and lived only a short time. The Decatur Tribune was established in the summer of 1864 by Joseph M.

Prior. I. N. Coltrin became a partner and publication continued until September, 1865, when it was sold to Burlin-game Brothers who later leased the plant to Miller Williams who operated the paper for a few months and the office was closed. W.

M. Stanley and J. R. Mosser bought the presses, added material and started the Decatur Republican in August, 1867. In January, 1871, The Sunbeam was launched by Merrill Dashiel as a morning daily and four months later consolidated tan Momwr rAjmtm nans mb pmymtt fmymti 10t 5 5.90 i 7.27 $10.04 518.45 200 U.69 14.43 1958 36.79 300 17.13 21.26 29.61 54.83 500 27.22 34.15 48.09 90.04 800 41.69 52.81 75.12 142.21 month.

Drop in or phone forthis he fiA loan service offered exclusively at HFC. life insrnnte at grop mf Char res computed ml 3 mm limn part tckatukd monthly balances mat exceeding S1S0. mbomt S150 ts f3O0 and 1 mm mny mninndet. OUSEHOLD FINANCE F. Hardy, R.

C. Parrish, H. F. Wilson and Edward E. Lindsay.

In December, 1926, The Herald started an afternoon edition and published both morning and evening editions until the consol- idation with The Review Sept. 1, 1931. The Herald in its career, like The Review, occupied several locations. In 1880 it was on the northwest side of Lincoln Square. Then it moved to the southeast corner of William and Main and the next change took it to a building at East Main and Park streets back of the Millikin bank.

After a number of years the paper moved in August, 1904, to 237 North Main where it remained until the Herald-Review consolidation. With each move, new equipment in presses and material was added, news coverage was expanded. Associated Press reports received and the paper enlarged. After consolidation with The Review, The Review building and equipment were used to publish both papers. Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, Inc.

At the end of World War I in November, 1918, newspaper publication costs were high and inflation continued year after year until profits disappeared. There also was a growing trend to afternoon publication. As these conditions continued and newspaper mergers "increased in various parts of the country, consolidation talks started in Decatur. Ne-gotations covered many months. Finally, in 1931 the financial situation brought about a consolidation of The Herald and The Review.

For eight months previous to the merger on Sept. 1, 1931, both papers had been operating in the red. Consolidation was the 250 N. Wafer Citizens 2nd Floor PHONE: 428-4466 Decatur Hours: 10 to 7 Mondays 9:30 to 5:30 Toesday thru Friday Closed Sotonfayi Loans made to residents within a 100 mile radios Illinois. Shoaff continued It until he sold out on Nov.

1, 1856 to A. J. Davis and Isaac N. Underwood. There were several changes in ownership until in July, 1865, the paper was sold to Usrey who in February, 1855, had started publication of The Decatur State Chronicle.

Charles H. Wingate was a partner of Usrey in the town's second newspaper venture. Wingate dropped out after three or four months and Usrey continued as editor and publisher. The Chronicle politically opposed the Kansas-Nebraska bill and became a leader in the anti-Nebraska party. Usrey proposed the state meeting of anti-Nebraska editors held in Decatur in February, 1856.

It was in this meeting, with Abraham Lincoln present as a visitor and speaker at the banquet, that the foundation was laid for the formation of the Republican party in Illinois, the organization being completed in Bloomington the following May. When Usrey enlisted in August, 1861, for war service in which he was named adjutant, he leased his paper. In October, 1863, he resumed as editor and in 1864 formed a partnership with J. N. Underwood.

In July, 1865. The Chronicle purchased The Gazette and published under the name of Gazette and Chronicle. In 1855 The Chronicle had published a daily briefly and in 1868 again started a daily. Usrey sold out to W. L.

Hammer and eventually the equipment Covers By Otto R. Kyle For Outlook 1961 In the history of Decatur newspapers covering nearly 110 years, The Review and The Herald have had important roles for 88 years. The Review ancestry goes back to 1872 and The Herald to 1879. The Review became a daily on Oct. 2, 1878 and The Herald a daily on Oct 5, 1880.

It is from these dates that anniversaries are numbered but the founding of the papers is part of Decatur newspaper history. THE REVIEW Rev. Alfred F. Wuensch, who owned a confectionary store in Central Block, started The Review as a weekly paper, the first issue appearing in April, 1872. It has been reported that he really wanted the newspaper for his son.

He acquired some equipment of a paper that went out of business and started publishing in the Rothfuss building in the southeast corner of Lincoln Square. The history of the equipment goes back to the short life of The Decatur Democrat started by some prominent Macon County Democrats who formd a stock company in 1868 to publish a campaign paper. J. H. Martin was editor and manager.

After the campaign the paper suspended publication and the office remained locked until May, 1869. W. H. Addis leased the plant from the stockholders and published The Democrat until August, 1870, when Samuel Pike arrived in town. Pike, of Hillsboro, Ohio, brought from Danville, 111., a wagon load of equipment and consolidated it with The Democrat The paper became Pike's Democrat, with Pike the editor and Addis the manager.

Pike went back to Ohio in 1871 and Addis consolidated the paper with The Sunbeam, a paper which had been started in January of that year by two printers, Merrill and Dashiel, as a daily morning paper. It survived only until November. The material and presses remained in possession of Addis who leased them to Wuensch. Wuensch commenced the publication of The Review as a weekly, independent paper. In 1874 the paper was leased to John Lindsay, father of Frank Lindsay, now president of Lind-say-Schaub Newspapers, Inc.

and D. J. Block who published the paper a year. Block retired and Wuensch's son, Alfred came into the business. Lindsay and Wuensch remained lessees until June 1, 1876, when Wuensch sold to W.

H. Bayne who started to publish The Review daily but lack of support forced abandonment in two months. On Oct. 2, 1878, the daily was resumed and never halted again. In the meantime John Lindsay and G.

F. Kimball as editors and publishers started The Democratic Era in July, 1877, but it lasted only two months. S. S. Jack bought The Review July 23, 1880, added type and presses and under his management the paper doubled in circulation.

Then he sold a half interest to W. J. Mize and the firm name became Jack Mize. After a year or two Jack retired. In the meantime The Review Publishing Company had been formed as an incorporated stock company.

In 1887 all the stock was sold to R. E. Pratt and W.F. Thompson when Mize decided to go to Chicago. Pratt was a member of the grain firm of Pratt Co.

In August, 1888, John P. Dren-nan and Jerry Donahue, practical and energetic newspaper men who had been publishing the Roodhouse Eye at Roodhouse, 111., bought into the company, Pratt remaining as president. H. C. Schaub, who had been composing room foreman at Roodhouse and a journeyman printer of several years experience, came along to look over The Review plant and remained as a reporter.

In July, 1891, Pratt dropped out of the company, and Mr. Schaub became a partner with Drennan and Donahue. All three of these men had attended Illinois College. Drennan was business manager, Donahue was editorial writer and Schaub was in charge of the editorial department. When Pratt retired from the paper in 1891 and H.

C. Schaub became' a partner. The Review Publishing was reorganized with Mr. Schaub as president. He remained president of the company and its successor, Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers, for 52 years until he died Dec.

2, 1947 in Florida. Mr. Drennan died in 1919 and Mr. Donahue retired in 1925. Early in the organization some stock in the company was sold to employes and this policy continued for a number of years.

The first office of The Review was on the second floor in the southeast corner of Lincoln Square. Then the plant was moved to the second floor at 127 East Main and from there to the old knitting factory building, 122 West Prairie where the Miller-O'Neill store is now. It was in this location when Drennan and Donahue bought into the paper. It remained there eight years. In March, 1895, the plant was moved to a new building erected by the company at North Main and North Streets, the first building outside of Chicago erected in the state exclusively for a newspaper.

On Aug. 23, 1899, The Review ceased to be a morning newspaper, published every morning except Monday, and started publishing every afternoon and Sunday morning. This change was made in carrying out an agreement with the owners of The Herald-Despatch by which the two papers absorbed the business and plant of The Decatur Republican, an evening newspaper founded in August, 1867 that became a daily in 1872. The Review in this deal took the subscription list, accounts and goodwill of The Republican and The Herald-Despatch took the job printing equipment. Briefly, the 32 year history of The Republican is that W.

M. Stanley and J. R. Mosser took over the plant of the Decatur Tribune, added new material and presses and started the Republican, Aug. 1, 1867.

This firm continued just two months when Stanley sold his interest to B. K. Hamsher. A strong Republican paper was published until it was merged with The Herald-Dispatch. Much could be written about the development of the plant from hand-operated presses turning out 500 papers daily to the perfecting press turning out thousands of papers an hour, how printing changed from hand-set type to linotypes and the introduction of stereotyping.

On Jan. 1, 1896, The Review became a member of The Associated Press and began publishing the first telegraph press report ever taken regularly in Decatur. In October, 1907, the twice-a-week Review was discontinued. The Herald and The Review were consolidated in 1931. THE HERALD The Decatur Herald began as a weekly when C.

N. Walls, formerly of the Tuscola Journal, started the Saturday Herald in Decatur in October, 1879. Four months later, in February, 1880, the paper was purchased by H.W. Rowell and W. H.

Addis. It was changed to a daily on Oct. 5, 1880. In August, 1881, Frank Hall, a printer bought the paper and in 1890 sold an interest to Virgil N. Hostetler.

In July, 1889, Dr. W. F. Calhoun started the Decatur Despatch in a little office in South State back of what is now the Standard Life building at Water and East Main. Dr.

Calhoun at the age of 16 had enlisted in the army in Pennsylvania. He practised dentistry in Dewitt County in the middle '80's, served in the Illinois Legislature and was at one time speaker of the House. The Despatch had been launched as a Republican morning paper by a group of Decatur men who formed a corporation. Among these were James Milli-kin, Orlando Powers, Jason Rogers, John Ullrich, E. P.

Vail, and I. R. Mills. In March, 1890 the Herald and the Despatch merged as the Herald-Despatch. Dr.

Calhoun went to the Republican as its editorial writer. This consolidation left four newspapers in Decatur which had less than 20,000 population. The Herald-Despatch and The Review were morning papers while The Republican and The Bulletin were afternoon papers. Not one of the four was prospering financially in this crowded field. In 1889.

Owen Scott, a former Democratic congressman, who had published a paper in Bloom- "WORKMEN READY PRESSES ington, came to Decatur as busi- ness manager of The Herald-De- spatch and acquired V. N. Hostet-ler's interest in the paper. In a few weeks negotiations started to put the newspaper business on a profitable basis. After long negotiations the owners of The Republican, The Review and The a 1 d-Despatch reached an agreement whereby Dr.

Calhoun and K. Mosser, owners of The Republican would merge its job plant with The Herald Despatch which would take the morning field. The Review would take the Republican subscriptions and change from the morning field to the afternoon. This change came on Aug. 26, 1899.

The Labor Bulletin had been started by John Lindsay in 1885 in a basement room at the corner of South Park and State streets back of what is now the National Bank of Decatur and published six days a week. John Lindsay operated the paper until his death in 1891. After The Herald-Despatch Review Republican change in 1899, The Bulletin changed its name to The News, went into the morning field printing seven days a week to become a competitor of The Herald-Despatch. George and Charles Wagonseller became associated with the six children of John Lindsay. in The News at that time.

This morning competition continued only a short time, the Herald-Despatch taking over The News and increasing its capital stock from $22,500 to $26,000. At the same time the name was changed back to The Herald. In August, 1904, Owen Scott retired as business manager of The Herald and B. K. Hamsher went into the printing business for himself.

Dr. Calhoun was appointed postmaster but continued to write editorials. Frank Dodd, son-in-law of Dr. Calhoun, left his position in the office of the internal revenue collector in Springfield and came to Decatur to install a new system of bookkeeping for the paper and ended by buying Owen Scott's interest and becoming general manager. Dodd sold his interest to Dr.

Calhoun in 1912 and bought The Item in Richmond, Ind. Frank M. Lindsay, now president of Lindsay-Schaub newspapers, and E. B. Keusink contracted with Dr.

Calhoun to purchase his 80 per cent interest. Lindsay became general manager and Keusink, treasurer. Frank Lindsay had gone to Oklahoma after graduated from the University of Illinois in 1904, got out a special edition of the Shawnee Herald and remained there a year. He returned to Decatur Jan. 1, 1906 to be classified advertising manager of The Review and was made advertising manager in 1908.

He was serving in that capacity when he went to The Herald in 1912 as general business manager. F. Hardy came to The Herald from the East in 1908 as managing editor and in 1912 took over the editorial writing from Dr. Calhoun. In 1920 Dr.

Calhoun severed his connection with the paper in a corporate reorganization. Mr. Keusink sold his interest at the same time. Mr. Lindsay became president of the new corporation Decatur Herald Co.

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