The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-03-17
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Rock island. ILLINOIS.
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| Maj Eastman and came to Rock Island.
arriving here 10 October, 1851. He was
10 business with VIM. l.. Lee Tor about a
year, when the partnership was dissolved
and, at the solicitation of many prominent
Democrats, he connected himself with this
paper In the fall of 1852 and is still one of
its owners and editors. He was elected
alderman from the Second ward in 1852
the first Democrat ever elected in the
ward. He has been often chairman of the
Democratic county committee, and several
times member of the state committee
for this congressional district. In the
winter OF 1928 he was appointed to the
military staff of the governor
| OF the state, with the com
mission and rank of Colonel. In 1853 he
was appointed, by President Pierce, u. s.
Custodian for the Island of Rock Island. a
military reservation of thousand acres in
the Mississippi, and the site of old Fort
Armstrong, opposite this city. In 1854 he
started the first daily newspaper ever pub
lished in Rock Island or near here. There
was then no daily in this city or iu Daven-
port. He also brought here the first steam
power press ever seen in this region.
ln 1856 he was a delegate from this
congressional district (then 10 the Chicago
district) to the Democratic National con-
vention at Cincinnati that nominated
Buchanan and Breckenridge. He was
offered the same position to the National
convention of 1868, but declined it. In
1857 he was appointed by President Bu-
chanan Purser in the u. s. Navy, and
ordered to the West Coast of Africa upon a
cruiser in search of slavers. Resigning
his position as Custodian of the Military
Reserve and selling his interest in The
ARGUS to Messrs Pershing & Connolly,
he sailed from New York, 10 the war shin
Nincennes, Oh the duties of bis position.
Ills diary of that cruise among The
islands and along the West Coast
would furnish material for a
pretty good insight into the abomiu-
able traffic 10 human beings. He resign
ed his position the following year as will
be seen by the letter below, the original of
which is in his possession.
NAVY DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON. October IA, 1883.
SIR Your resignation as a Purser in the NAVY
of the United States rendered in your letter of this
date, is hereby accepted,
am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
ISAAC ToUCRY,
Secretary of the NAVY
To Mr. j. B. Danforth Jr., late Purser .: s.
Navy, Washington, D. c.
Settling his accounts with the navy de-
partment and finding about 1000 his
due, be received his pay and in the spring
1859 returned to Rock Island and ,repur-
chased two-thirds interest in THE ARGUS
and again became its editor. In 1862, in
connection with Maj. Connolly, he COM
meneed to raise military company for
the war, he was sworn in and nearly one
halt the men necessary for a company
were enlisted IN two days, and. while
engaged in an adjoining county making
speeches in aid of Gen. Henderson S
Henry county regiment, he met the order
OF the governor to stop all enistments as
| more men were offering than the state
could employ. This ended his aspira-
tons for ''goah." and he resumed the
weapon which Bulwer makes Richelieu
say, in hands of men entirely great is
mightier than the sword" The ARGUS
was. however, war paper. and fourished.
At one time during the war it was the
only paper printed in the city.
In 1869 he sold his interest in THE
ARGUS and went to New York city and
engaged in business. While there he was
frequent contributor TO Democratic
newspapers, and correspondent of THE
ARGUS, Not succeeding in business, as
he expected, he returned to Rock Island
IN May 1872, repurchased an interest in
The ARGUS and has since been one Of its
editors and proprietors.
From the spring Of 1858, when Nichols
left for Australia to January !. 1856,
published the paper alone, and had, in
the meantime July Is, 1854, commenced
the publication of daily paper, but on
the LIST of January 1856 | took Robert Y,
Shuriy as partner.
sHURLY.
Robert V. Shurly was born 10 Brent
wood, England, in 1884. He was educa-
ted in a printing Office, commencing to
learn his trade in the Office of the Ohio
Democrat" New Philadelphia, Ohio,
in 044, where he worked about Is months,
finishing bis trade in the Office of the
Buffalo, N. Y, Commercial Advertiser.
he was in the Chicago Times Office for
some years. His connection with this
paper ceased Sept. %, 1853. when he left
Rock Island; since which time he has
published the Oshkosh, Wis Democrat,
where he was burned out and lost all he
had. He then published the DEBORAH,
Iowa, Democrat, which he afteryard
moved to Lansing, Iowa, and published
under the name of the "AHansakee Demo-
crat." He was connected short time
with the Dubuque Telegraph and at
present is city editor of the Dubuque
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