The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-10-08
- AN ARKANSAS EDITOR
EunulnG a Paper with y sSesotss

E7t... AN AHA&NSAD a-DaA~
rrnn,nr 4 paper with n Revolver.
Tur CAREER OF TBg FIRST NEWSPAPER IN THE
f sr.Ty-soNe on THE P1.EAsASTElEs or
81 goRpEE LIrE--EDlToRs WHO CARRY AAFss
OF THEIR DUsLLfSG PAYS.
Icarrsspondencc OF the Phi adelphia Times.l
I.rTTLg Recs, September FL was
standing to-day on Main street, smoking 4
cigar and watching the bales Of cotton as
they were brought into the State capitai on
numbering wagons driven by diiapidalea
but Jolly negroes, when carriage drove
rep!dly up in front OF the Gdzetse once.
8 little old gentleman, with ford race;
hazel eyes, and rather Jewish nose, ana
with bis hair aud the whlskers undef
his chin as white as snow. spranS out, ran
n,nb'v I'D stairs, chatted awhile with the
bovs. gathered up bis mail, and was OIL
ngair, TO his residence, over a mile away. In
the afternoon I walked out there, some dis.
tance beyond the State arsenal. His house
1s an oid.fashIoned two-story brick, sur
rounded by trees and flowers, and the pic
ture OF comfort and cententmcnt, such as
gather about and tinge the southern homes
CT bali-century's growth.
T found the old gentleman sitting on his
,rocmy porch reading bis newspaper, ana
ready to talk OF bis long and eVeotfui ex-
nerience as the Oldest editor west OF the
Mississippi. William E. Woodruff Will DC
eiyh.y.fve years old next December, ana he
Is Is tale and sprigbti In mind and body as
The majority OF men who have attained no
more than three-quarterS OF DIS age. he
Yas born on Long Island, learned The
priu;ers' art, and was a iourneyn1an ut
Nashville at the time Arkansas was erect
ed into Territory, March 2. 1919. It
struck him that this section offered
a favorable opening for one who desired
10. grow I'D with the country. Accordingly
he purchased quantity OF old type-ln
.s pi,'' and that bad been thrown ASIDE as
Utmost worthlesS-and with wbeezy,
wooden press, upor which the first paper
in Tennessee had been printed, he embark
ed UPON keel-boat at Smithland and float
ed down the Ohio to Montgomery Point, at
the mouth OF White river, in Arkansas,
which was then the depot FOR freight and
travel from The interior OF the Territory.
Here be engaged couple OF cottonwood
canoes, and ut the end OF six weeks from
starting reached his destination, Arkansas
Pest, then the, site OF The Territorial Gov
ernment. % tbe Goth Of November
1919, he issued the first No.. OF the
arkansas Gazette. The edition was less
than hundred, and he started without a
single subscriber. There were four col
umns TO a page, few advertisements, and
the editorial was modest, well written, and
correctly printed. This paper was the first
printed in Arkansas, the fifth started west
Of the Mississippi, and the oldest one pub
,isEfd continuously by the same name.
There were two ut st. Louis, one at Cape
Girardeau, one at Natchitocbes, La, and
one for short time at Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Missouri Republican is the representa-
tive OF the old St. Louis Gazette, established
in 1905, its name being changed in 1928.
All The other papers had an ephemeral ex-
istence. 49,. ..r.a ..~.
Che arkansas Gazette was issued in a
little log cabin, and young Woodruff was,
publisher, editor, foreman, compositcr,
p;ooi-reaGer, pressman, ball-boy (they had
no rollers in those days., mail clerk, and
carrier. The paper was printed on an old
Ramage press, and Arkansas Post at that
time numbered less than half dozen
cabins. There were only five counties in
the Territory-Lawrence Arkansas, Hemp
stead, Pulaski, and Clark. There are now
seYenty-lour. The price was three dollars
3 year in advance, or four dollars at. the end
OF the year. ,,...
The next season Mr.. Woodruff was
Joined by partner, but he withdrew
shortly after, went to New Orleans, and
died Of ytllow-fever. Soon after, the site
OF the Territorial Government was removed
to Little Rock, whose entire population was
Jess than hall d hundred. The Gazette es-
Establishment was worth, perhaps, $3.50; to-
day its appraised value Is 100000.
BORDER PLEASANTRIES.
-, Woodruff ~ a ni1iot poptEnlinalA
nan. attending strictly to business, and a
clear. forcible writer. AS he always had an
opinion Of his own upon ell questions, it
was impossible 10 steer clear Of difficulties.
9he pistol and "Arkansas toothpick".
were an indispensable part Of every gentle
mans wardrobe in this section in its early
days. During the heated contest between
the Crittenden and Colonel Ashley parties
lbe Gazette esEoused the cause OF the
latter. One day, jack Garrett, a we'll,
saoHn dcsperaco, doubtless melted by Crit
ten den, stalked into the Gazette office with
a cooked pistol in each hand-the left be-
ing under his cloak. Woodruff saw him
coming and sprang up to close the door, but
the fellow hurled him aside and made for
Colonel Ashley, sitting: ut the other END OF
the office. Ashley was near-sighted, but ne
saw his danger and drew his pistol. Wood
ruff at the same time caught up q weapon,
which was unloaded. lie seized Garrett
by the lett arm, and instantly the desperate
discharged both weapons and Colonel Ash
ley fired. The bullet Of che latter passed
through the arm OF Woodruff; the pistol
in the right hand of tho desperate missed
its mark, aud the discharge OF the one. In
his left-under bis cioak-was probably ac-
cidental, "a 1t entered his own body. Gar
rett turned about and coolly walked out Of
the Office and across the.street, where he lay
down and died. - t,.I
The Arkansas citizens Of the olden time
were lively boys, and the cheerful crack OF
the pistol and the flash OF the bowle-kDiie
were heard and seen at all hours OF the day
sud night Andrew Scott and Joseph Shell
con, both judges Of the United States csuit.
had little misunderstanding, and adjourn.
cd business to settle it on the Mississippi
shore opposite White river. Judge Sheldon
YSas killed at the first lire.
II ilson, Of Clark county, Arkansas, was
elected Speaker OF the House OF Represen-
tatiyes and Joseph Anthony was member
from Randolph county, in The same State.
In the course Of debate Anthony said some
thing which Speaker Wilson regarded as
insulting, and be left his chair and started
for him. Anthony rose to his feet and drew
his bowie. The Speaker whipped out bis
knife and made one rushing plunge, and
Anthony, tumbled back and died in u few
minutes. Wilson was tried and acquitted.
While at Arkansas Post, in 1920, Dir.
Woodruff met Captain William Allen,
formerly OF the United States army, return