Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-02-20
"reminiscences of an old Editor.


NUMBER I.
To the Editor Of the New Vienna Register:
In the New Vienna Register, of the 31st
ult., 1 find the following paragraph:
s'W. H. P. Denny, mot liking the pros
pect in the God-forsaken REGION is back
in Washington G. III. again. He will soon
be as notorious as the late Sam. Pike for
his numerous changes"
If this is to be construed into a rebuke,
so far as am concerned, the writer is un-
fortunate in his aHusion. 1 am not
sshamed to be classed with Sam Pike. He
was veteran printer and editor, and
though he and 1 always differed, polit-
ieally, a more honorable gentleman, in
private life, / have never, known. Be-
sides this, he welded trenchant pen,
and many an opponent felt the force of
his well-directed shafts. He was too
much inclined to personalities, but, new
ertheless, he was possessed of a tender
heart: was filled with the 'fmilk of hui
man kindness" and, in his day and gem
Grafton, did as much good as the best Of
men. It is true he established many pa
papers; but this can be said of all of
them: they were excellent papers, and
he generally sold them to advantage. He
did not like to stay long in place. He
was fond of change, and hence was con-
nected with more Journals than any man
in this country. Is this anything to his
discredit? do not think, in this regard,
that it is fair to compare me with Sam
Pike, and this leads me to relate, perhaps
with some egOtism, my experience, in
Ohio, as newspaper man:
My father, George Denny was printer,
and was publisher, in connection with
George. Nashee, Of the Supporter and sctotO
Gazette, at ChilIicothe, from 1908 to 1916.
They were, apartof the time, State Print
ers, while the capital of the State was at
Chillicothe. may be said to have been
born in printing Office. My father was
a printer, and my mother also, was a type
setter, and often assisted him in his la
bors.
For few years, after disposing of his
interest to Mr.. Nashee, my father kept
hotel and followed farming; but, with
the welI-known instincts of all old print
ers, he was not satisfied until he returned
to the business again. I ought to mention
here, in justice to his memory, that he
and the late Samuel J. Brown, of Cincin-
| natl were employed as journeymen, at an
early day, and while Ohio was Terri
tory, on the Northeaoster1s Sentinel, and sub
sequently on the Liberty Hall and CinciR-
natl Gazette. After remaining there for
several years, he went to Lebanon, and
with the assistance of the late Nathaniel
Mclean, published the first numbers of
the Western Star, in 1906 and 1907. It's
publisher and editor was the distinguish
ed John Mclean, late Judge of the U. S.
Supreme Court, one of the purest and
best men this country has produced.
consider it great honor, that as long as
he lived, Ireceived, from him, on ac-
count of my father, many evidences
of his esteem and friendship. In early
times there were few postoffices, and the
papers were conveyed by private hands
The father of Judge Mclean, mounted
on horseback, carried the Star all ovel
Warren and the adjoining counties. L
had a quaint motto, reading thus:
| .sThe western STAR issues forth
From Lebanon, the seat OF worth"
Twas born June Sc, 1911, at Chillicothe
and am, therefore, now in my 68th year
old enough, but not near SO old as an
sometimes reported.
In 1920, my father, after having resided
ten miles west of Chillicothe, on the Ole
Turner farm, and at Greenfield and Mon
roe. in Highland county, removed to Xe
MIA, and, in partnership with Mr.. JOhl
Kendall, established the Ohio Interior Ga
zstte. Then, at nine years of age, learnet
to set type. 1 was mounted on a chair
In 1921 he sold his interest to Mr.. Ken
dali, and, on the invitation of Samuel b
Hale, Isaiah Morris, James Fife, VIM. r
Cole, Wm.and Thos. Hibben, and others
removed to Wilmington and started tn
Gala1y, the second paper published il
Clinton county. The first was by Ric
Gaddis, the title of which / can
not now recall. In September 1928, m
father and mother both died in one night
and now fill common grave in the old
neglected burying ground at Whining
ton. 1t was his request that no mOnumen
should ever mark his resting place. Th
GGIary was bought by the celebrated Jel
emiah N. Reynolds, well known to. tn
early citizens of that place as teacher
scholar and gentleman. He was a MAJ
lot great eloquence. After disposing of hi
office, he became the expounder of Symm
theory, aad lectured throughout the Un
ted States. He, subsequently, was COZ
nected with Wilkes expedition aroun
the globe, and wrote glowing account
its adventures and discoveries. worke
a short time for Mr.. Reynolds, who hs
been my schoolmaster, and then began
display my remarkable activity as cor
positor. hope will be pardoned whe
1 say, that from twelve years of age unit
the present time, never met a man wi
had more endurance, or could set mo
+ ems in day than I could. worked
compositor at Wilmington, Leblanc
Xenia, Columbus, Cincinnati, COvingtt
and Louisville. At the latter place w
the foreman for George D. Prentice for
time, and was employed also by the Ia
lis wilkins Tannehill in the publication
the Louisville Herald. Myself and t,
others, with the assistance of the fol
man, wo imposed the forms, did all t
work on that paper for Is months wit
out missing number, losing a day
hiring a substitute. ''Subs,'' at til
y time, were unknown. The wages was |
week. The paper was not large, |
we averaged, daily, eight to ten thousa
ems each. When left Louisville, in 1s
Mr.. Prentice offered me $40 a week to
sumo the foremanship of the Journ
and prospective partnership.
After the death of my father 1 worl
on the Western Star for Cameron 6 S
lars, and on the american Democrat,
Lebanon, for Geo. Kessling; at Wilmil
l. ton. on the Ay0us. for John B. Sema1