The Evening Kansan-Republican from Newton, Kansas • Page 18

August 22, 1922 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 9 WILLIAM J. KREHBIEL 7 Sold Republican to Kansan Company at Time of Consolidation Elsewhere in this publication appears a reminiscent sketch from Mr. Krehbiel's typewriter which gives many recollections of interest, and helps toward completing the general value of this edition. a prohibition paper then owned by C. L.

Rood, in the fall of 1880. The Golden Gate, by the way attained a statewide prominence about that time, and undoubtedly had much to do with the successful campaign of 1880 and 1881 which made Kansas a "dry" state. The late Capt. R. B.

Barger was foreman of the office and under his expert tutelage young Reynolds learned the rudiments of the "art preservative." He became a very efficient printer, and remained with the Golden Gate until the paper was discontinued about 1883. He then went to work for J. B. Fugate on the Ar- MRS. NOBLE PRENTIS, "OF KANSAS" fully watching the laws of the state and often having a guiding hand in seeing that statutes for the betterment of the people of Kansas were placed on the book.

It is her pleasure that she has known, personally, every governor of Kansas, both as a state and territory and that she has never missed attending at least a part of a Kansas legislative session. In recognition of her work for Kansas, especially its women, she was made hostess of the Kansas building at the exposition held at St. Louis in 1904, and the hospitality of Kansas was known far and wide. Her work Associated with her husband in his newspaper work on the Newton Republican was Mrs. Noble Prentis, who came to Newton with her husband and daughters in May, 1887.

While Mrs. Prentis never followed newspaper work as a vocation, she enjoyed work Among the owners and editors of the Newton Republican, and the last one before the consolidation of the Kansan and Republican, was Wm. J. Krehbiel, now owner and editor of the McPherson Republican. Mr.

Krehbiel came to the Newton Republican well equipped in preparation, enthusiastic and virile in his young manhood, and he took over the paper at that period following the depressing conditions prior to the fight for the city water system which meant the bringing of the Santa Fe shops to Newton, when conditions were bright and the future hopeful. These things combined to make his experience with the paper prosperous and successful. Mr. Krehbiel is the son of Mr. and Mrs.

J. J. Krehbiel. He was born in Iowa, coming here with his parents in 1879. He attended the city schools and worked in his father's blacksmith shop, one of the pioneer industries of the city.

In 1888, then a lad of 18 years, he accepted a position as bookkeeper in the Newton Republican office, then under the management of T. J. Norton. He worked for the Republican more than three years or until the fall of 1891, when he entered the University of Kansas. During those three years he accumulated not only much knowledge and experience, but also a liking for the newspaper business.

Hence after his graduation from the university, he began newspaper work in Topeka, first with Arthur Capper's North Topeka Mail, and later as telegraph editor of the Capital, which position he held until he came back to his home town and purchased the Republican newspaper plant, sub 1 1 I V-' Si If i 'If I MRS. NOBLE L. PRENTIS ing the exchanges for Mr. Prentis, thus relieving him of some of the monotony of a days work in getting out a paper and giving him opportunity to do other writing. The office force always welcomed Mrs.

Prentis, and the young men soon came to call her "mother." Unlike the newspaper office of the present day, there were no other women there, even the "society reporter" was a man. Mrs. Prentis was a pioneer in women's work, however, and who knows but that her presence in the newspaper office suggested the possibility of women being employed for part of the work, for it was not many years until they were found in the various departments. True it is, that Mrs. Prentis opened the doors of the Santa Fe railroad offices to women, as it was during her widowhood as Mrs.

Caroline Anderson, that she was employed in the auditor's office of the Santa Fe, the first woman to be accepted by the great road, which now has office buildings teeming with womankind. She also had positions at the state house in Topeka, first as enrolling clerk for the legislature and later in the secretary of state's office. It was not until after her marriage to Mr. Prentis that she had time for club work, and in fact women's clubs were in that day rather few and far between. She saw in the movement, a means of bettering womankind and although timid at first, was encouraged by her husband to take an active part in the club life of the state and as early as 1888 was president of the Social Science club which later became the State Federation of Women's clubs.

It was at a meeting of the Social Science club held in Newton in 1893, that the Social Science club became a Social Science Federation and Mrs. Prentis lived in Newton at the time and helped take the progressive step. It was also during her residence in Newton that she took charge of a department of the Ottawa (Kans.) Chautauqua assembly, then an annual affair, known as the "Woman's Council." scription list and good will from John A. Reynolds, assuming control Oct. 8, 1897.

Mr. Reynolds retained the job printing business. Mr. Krehbiel also JOHN A. REYNOLDS kansas Valley Democrat, and when Allan B.

Lemmon started the Daily Republican early in 1885, Reynolds accepted the foremanship of the paper, staying with the job until the paper gave unmistakable signs of going on the rocks of financial depression, when he opened a job shop of his own. This he continued until about 1892, when his wife, who was Miss Ina V. In-ghram, began to fail in health, and they sold out and went to California, where Mrs. Reynolds passed away. John then returned to Newton and bought the Republican in 1893, as above stated.

He maintained the high standard of the paper editorially and in a business way. He consistently supported the Republican party through the strenuous Populist days of Simpson, Peffer and Mary Ellen Lease, and had "barrels" of fun as well as some concern regarding the politics of the day. In October, 1897, he sold the news 1 5 VI 1 fc WW1 at Ottawa had given her a state wide acquaintance so that she was often called upon to help in the organization of women's clubs over the state and now and then a club is named in her honor as in the case of the "Prentis Club" at Wellington. After the death of Mr. Prentis in 1900, she took as her work the introduction of the school history of Kansas, which was the last work of his pen, and she did a wonderful work in visiting teachers as they met in their summer institutes, and revealing to them the real heart of the author in writing the story of the state which he loved.

Her special delight is in the school children, whom she learned to love as she traveled over the state and so widely known and loved is she, that she is commonly introduced as "Mrs. Prentis of Kansas." Her happiest day was on her seventy-second birthday when dear friends in Topeka gave a tea for her to which the members, both of the House and Senate of the legislature, then in session, were invited and which they took pleasure in attending. Alwrays interested in her beloved husband's calling, she asked that she might have a financial share in the Kansan-Republican of which her son-in-law, John C. Mack, is the manager and largest stockholder, and it is thus that she is numbered among the stockholders of this paper. While her home much of the time is with her daughter, Mrs.

Lawson Gilbert who now lives in Denver, she likes to spend parts of the year in Newton in her other daughter's home and visiting with old friends. Best of all she loves to go to Topeka, which was her girlhood home and where she spent many of her maturer years, and she is hoping to attend the 1923 session of the Kansas legislature. She has striven nobly through the years and hopes that she has at least helped make better wives for the men of Kansas. Elizabeth Prentis Mack. W.

J. KREHBIEL paper to W. J. Krehbiel, but retained the job printing business. In March, 1899, he moved his business to Kansas City, and after a few months sold it and accepted a position with one of the large printing establishments there.

In 1903 he went to Santa Rosa, where he was foreman in the office of Allan B. Lemmon until 1906, then came back to Kansas and worked a year in Salina, and then went to Wichita where he has since been located. He recently established a job printing business in Wichita, which he still owns. John Reynolds comes to Newton frequently to visit, and has kept in touch with his old home town more closely, perhaps, than most of the former owners of newspaper properties of years gone by. He continues to hold the esteem of all, and the early training he received in the printing and publishing business in Newton is.

finding expression in the success which attends his present establishment in Wichita. Here women from all parts of the state came to camp for ten days and twice daily would meet in the big tent provided for them to discuss problems of interest to women of a wide outlook. Prominent speakers were brought from out the state by the management as the years rolled by, but the talent developed from among the Kansas women, themselves, was the real inspiration. Later a frame building was erected for housing the work and is called "Prentis Hall." After ten years experience at Ottawa, Mrs. Prentis was asked to organize such a work at Boulder, and she gave the work a most successful impetus that is still evident in the fine work being down at Boulder each summer.

Always interested in public matters, Mrs. Prentis has been a constant student of the progress of Kansas, care became associated with Rev. David Goerz in the publication of the Volks-blatt about the same time. Mr. Krehbiel continued the Republican for about eighteen months, when he sold the paper to the Kansan company, and the paper was consolidated with the Kansan.

Then Mr. Krehbiel went to McPherson where he bought the Daily and Weekly Republican, which he continues to operate with much success. He has always been a public-spirited citizen, a wide-awake hustler for business, a consistent Republican, and a clean, Christian gentleman..