The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-03-24
AND NEWSPAPERS
MEN IN ROCK ISLAND
COUNTY.
BY J. b. DANFoRTH, JR
THE NEWS-lS55


THE NEws-lS55.
In the spring of 1854 a good looking
young man came into my Office, then over
Whitaker & Everts' store, and applied
for work as printer He introduced him
self as James Bowie, from Baltimore. He
told a story of want which touched my
heart. He said he had a young wife and
child whom he had Just left over the river,
at the LIE Claire House; that he arrived
here by steamer from below; that he was
utterly destitute-had not cent Of money
left. After considerable conversation |
handed him $40, told him to 60 and pay
his BILL bring his wife and child thi.
side of the river, and | would find him a
boarding place and give him work, lmme-
diately he appeared to be the happiest man
in existence, and he proved to be good
workman and very useful i'll the Office
Afterwards | hired house for him, and
became security for some furniture, a small
payment to be reserved each week from
his wages. He worked for me until the
first part of the year 1855, when he was
induced by certain personal enemies of
mine to start newspaper, they prom
Using to sustain him, hoping thus to
break down THE ARGUS. He called
his paper The Netos. 1t was a morn
ing daily, the first issue being March
10, 1855, aud it lived just l2S days.
the hypocritical promises made him of
aid never being fulfilled and poor Bowie
being left by his new friends to his fate The
paper was printed in Raymonds Office, in
Gothic Block No weekly was ever issued.
IL was very neat paper, well filled with
news items and Astounding with very often
sive personalities, most of which were
directed towards myself. He had always
been treated with great kindness by me-
We had never exchanged a harsh word,
and liked him very much as an employee,
But he probably thought
There is a tide in the affairs OF men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune,
Omitted, all the voyage OF their life
Is bound in shadows and miseries.
But Bowie made mistake in trusting to
those who only wished to use him 1t was
fatal mistake-and brought one of the
vilest traits in mans nature to the surface
II there be a crime
OF deeper dye than all the guilty train
OF human vices lis tDgratitude,i
The wretch whom gratitude once fails to bind
To truth OF honor let him lay no claims
But stand confessed the brute disguised In man
When he issued his first number gave
him, in my paper, the following notice:
DAILY NEWS.
This is the title of very handsome
daily moning paper which we found on oul
sanctum table this morning. 1t is pub
lished by James Bowie, at ten cents a
week or five dollars a year. This is the
third daily 10 Rock Island, and although
printers have hard work to scrape III
change enough to pay their weekly bills
and the prospect does not seem fiatterius
for another daily, yet we should be glad t.
see the Nel0S prosper and grow rich. W.
presume we shall not be accused o
hypOcricy when we say we should be glaC
to have everybody take our paper first
and the Ne,0S next Success to you, MIR
Bowie, and long life to your pretty Dahl
Morning Ne10S. Only think of It'll Thre,
daily papers in this city Hurrah 70
Rock Island and her daily papers"
! have looked through my files iron
that day to the ay his paper ceased t
exist, and did not find one single allu;
ion to his paper, in any manner.
endeavored to treat all his abus
in perfect silence aud not say on
unknd word of or to him. He wa
let alone, severely. The only notice {
his paper after its first issue that | fin
is the following:
"Died.
I'm this city, at 8 o'clock this lWedne
day. morning the 8th day of August 1855!
at Raymond'sl Job Office, in the arms
Brudder Wharton of Ioathsome diseas
called "backguardism, "The Rock /
land Daily Morning Ne,oS." offspring
Jim Bowie, late from de souf, aged Il
days, The corpse will be taken charge
by the members of the Dirty Shing
Party at ii o'clock tonight and remove
from the city,
Not drum was heard, not funeral note,
As his cOrse to the bluffs we hurried,
Not printer discharged his farewell stick
Ger the ditch where Bowie was buried.