Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1860-08-17
Historical Skctchcs.-NO. "a.

Fcs.endca aud other Editors and News
papers,
The ilfst newspaper published in Thu
town was the " Belo,cs Fais Lateafgencer,
federal paper, commenced January, 1917
very neatly printed and of large size fol
that time. II was issued from the printing
office of Blake Cutler, & Co., who owned
the paper and it was edited by Thomas
/ Green Fessenden, who had established
/ himself as lawyer, at Bellows Falls, bu
who evinced much more talent as a politi
cal writer and poet than as disciple O
| Blackstone. Blake, Cutler, x Co. occu
pied the building which stood on the corner
of Mill and Westminster streets, latterly
known as Farr's store, the same which wa:
destroyed by fire, March, 1860; they ear
ried on an extensive printing and publish
ing establishment, had large wholesale
bookstore, bindery in which their publ
cations were bound, and paper-mill where
they manufactured all kinds of writing and
printing papers. Bill Blake was the founder
of the business, and at one time this COM
pany employed from thirty to forty hands
in their establishment. They manufac-
tured school books, bibles, testaments and
other books for their own and the Bos-
ton market. The bookstore and bindery
were at one time in the building now owned
by Jabcz Hills and occupied by him and
others, and that same building was original
ly the horse sheds for the old Mansion
House." The hteHigencer was an able
paper and had very extensive circula-
ton it was dignifed and manly, zealously
advocating the doctrines of the old federal
party, and proving one of the most power
full opponents which the democrats in New
England had to contend with.
THOMAS G. FEssENDEN was the son of
Rev. Thomas Fessenden, and was born in
Walpole, N. H., April %, l77l. He
graduated at Dartmouth college in 1876,
having supported himself while at his stud
les by teaching common town schools and
music during the vacations, and by teach
ing singing classes in the evenings as well
as at other times, when and where he could
find opportunity. He was an excellent
singer and played the violoncello, or bass
viol as it was then called, an instrument
which in his time, few singing masters
could use or procure.
Mr.. Fessenden studied law at Rutland,
and while yet young man contributed
many poems to the newspapers of the day.
In 1901, he visited London, and there lost
all the money he possessed, as well as all
he could borrow from his friends, in an un-
successful attempt to build water mill up
on the river Thames. While in England,
he wrote his Terrible 7roctoration," sat-
ire on the medical profession in general.
Its title was :" A Poetical Petition against
Galvanizing Trumpery, and the Perkins,
tic institution, in four cantos, most respect
fully addressed to the Royal College of
Physicians, by Christopher Caustic, NJ. D.,
LII. d., ASS, Fellow ofthe Royal College
of Physicians, Aberdeen, and Honorary
member of no less than nineteen very learn
ed Societies" The success of this work re-
lieved the authors embarrassments, which
according to story we have heard, had
confined him to- Jail, where the poem was
written and where he also composed some
of the pieces which were afterwards pub
lished in his volume of " Original Poems"
Mr.. Fessenden returned to America, in
1904, wiser if not better man, unincum-
bered with worldly goods, but with mind
vigorous and active. Soon after his return
he published violent attack, in verse, on
the Jefiersonians, entitled " Democracy I'm
Ueided, or 7wrdny stripped Of the gar5 Of
Patriotism" In 1906, with the aid of his
friends, together with such means as he had
obtained from the sale of his publications,
he commenced periodical publication in
the city of New York, entitled the " Week
" Inspector" This enterprise, however,
did not prove paying one, and after strug-
Cling hard for two years, to sustain it, Mr..
Fessenden found himself deeply in debt,
and the Inspector was suffered to die
out for want of sustenance.
In 1912, Mr.. Fessenden came to Bel
lows Falls, "put up his shingle," and COM
menced the practice of the law, and here
he married wife; but in 1915 he was
persuaded to abandon his law business and
go down to Brattleboro' for the purpose of
editing the Reporter" a political paper
there in 1903, by William Fes-
sender; he remained, however, in Brat.
tleboro' only about one year, when he re-
turned to Bellows Falls, resumed his law
business, and in 1917 commenced editing
the lntelligencer" which paper he con-
tinued TO conduct until 1922, when he re-
moved to Boston, Mass, and commenced
the publication Of the Ne,o England Far
mer," paper which obtained a wide cir
eulation and which was highly valued by
the farming community of the whole coun-
try. Mr. Fessenden died of appoplexy. at
n n