The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1880-02-12
THE PRESS OF HlLLsBoRo.
WRITTEN FOR WILLIAMS BROS.
HISTORY OF ROSS AND HIGH
LAND COUNTIES.
By HENRY s. DoGGETr.

| OulJ d lew years. DeIOFe us ClLlLenl Deg a
to agitate the project Of having a neWspa
per published in their village. Forse
years after the settlement of the county
very few newspapers were circulated with
/ in its borders. The nearest newspaper q
that time was the "Scioto Gazette, pub
lished at Chillicothe, BY the father Of n
P. Willis, the poet. A few copies Of thi
paper circulated in Hillsboro and vicinity
The Liberty Hall and Cincinnati Ga
zetts" also had some subscribers here at
verify early day. Several old citizens wer
also patrons of "Niles' Register" publish
ed at Baltimore, Maryland. This iourna
was looked on in these early times as au
thOrity, both in news and politics.
As early as 1915, a movement was mad
to have a newspaper published in Hills
bOro, but nothing was done until early il
1918. In the autumn of the previous yea
young printer, Moses Carothers, haC
come to Hillsboro from Martinsburg, Vir
ginia. He had served his apprenticeship
in the Office of the "Martinsburg Gazette.
This paper was edited by the veteran JOhr
Alburtis, disciple of Jefferson and tn,
Virginia school Of Democracy, and on,
of the most noted editors of that day
Mr.. Carotbers had not only learned hi
trade we'll, but had imbibed the political
principles Of his employer. He was an
active, intelligent and energetic young
man, of pleasing manners and sterling in.
tegrity of character.
After consulting and advising with lead.
ing citizens Of the town, Mr.. Carothers de-
termined to commence the publication in
HiIlsboro of a weekly newspaper, The
people of the town and county gave him
a cordial welcome, and his enterprise q
liberal support, from the very start. A
subscription list of over 500 was obtained
and patronage of other kinds promised.
Capt. Cary A. Trimble, Of the army OI
1912, was then young and enterprising
merchant of HillsbOro, and one Of Caro-.
thers' warmest friends. Capt. Trimble
went East in the spring of 1918, and
Carothers made him his agent for the pur-
chase Of a press, type, and other material
necessary to fit up printing Office. He
purchased these in Philadelphia, and
shipped them over the mountains with his
spring goods. They arrived in HillsbOrc
late in the spring, The press was what
was called the "Ramage," and was very
much like the one used By Ben Franklin
in printing his first paper. It was made
almost entirely Of wood, the platen being
mahogany. It could not impress more
than half a small sheet, and the practicc
was to impress half the sheet, then relax
the handle, run the second half under the
pIaten and print it. The press and outfI
would be considered Insignificant at TIM
day, but was at that time considered a very
good one.
The Office was soon fitted up by CarOth
ers, in a building on Short street, owned By
Gov. TrimbIe. The publication of th'
Gazette and Highland Advertiser, as i
was called, was announced, and on the af
ternoon Of June 18th, 1918, the first paper
was printed.
This was an important and interesting
event in the history of HillsbOrO. L
marked the first step of progress made By
the citizens Of the little village among the
hills. It was an era in the history of th'
place, not less noted than that marked b.
the arrival Of the first train Of cars, many
years later. At this time there was n,
newspaper in Southern Ohio except il
Cincinnati and Chillicothe. The publ
cation of this first newspaper gave th,
town a reputation for intelligence and pro
gress, it has never lost
The first issue of the Gazette" was
small sheet, Is by q inches, printed Or
coarse paper, in Long Primer type. It
literary contents were neither EXTENSIVE
nor varied. The first page and part 0
the second were filled with an article ol
"Paper Money" reprinted from "Niles
Register" Then there was some foreigl
news of no Importance, several weeks old
from a Baltimore paper. The editor
salutatory, a piece Of poetry, entitle,
christian Comfort, local item about
stray horse, and column ofadvertisementa
made up the original matter. The char
acter Of the contents, however, soon i'm
proved, as. the editor gained experience ant
the mail facilities became better. At tn
start Mr.. CarOthers did nearly all the WorI
on his paper; he was editor, composite
and pressman. His first "deVl" was
boy from the neighborhOOd, named JOh
B. Seamans, who afterwards published
paper in Washington c. H. Another aF
prentice, Shepherd Bereman, was taken in
to the Office soon afterWard. He in afte
years became the publisher Of q paper i
Wilmington, Ohio. These two young me
deserve remembrance, as the pioneers q
the innumerable crowd Of type-setters sen
out from the Hillsboro printing Offices.
As the town grew in size the Gazette
prospered, aiding in and aided by tn
growth and prosperity Of the village an,
county.
During these early years there was il
Hillsboro a circle of literary Young mel
Of education and culture. These yOun
men were young friends Of Mr.. Carothers
patronized his paper, and enlivened it
columns with essays and criticisms on sub
iects of social, moral and political interest
Amongst this number we're Gen. Richart
Collins, Capt. Cary A. Trimble, DR.. G. "
Trimble, DR.. Allen Farquhar, DR.. Jaco
Kirby, DR.. Joseph Hand, Col. Moses H
Kirby and Wm. Keys. The last tw
named were afterwards editors of tn
Gazette"
Mr.. Carothers published the paper 70
nearly ten Year,, and considering the times
was successful In his enterprise. In hi
later years as editor, he took great inter
est in politics, and in the political cam
paigns of 1924 and 1923 advocated the cleo
ton of Gen. Jackson to the Presidency
The paper e1erted great influence in build
ing up the Democratic party in Highlanl
county.
On the Slst of May, 1927, Mr.. CarOther
sold his Office to VIM. H. Allen, q yOun
lawyer, who had come to Ohio from Ken
ucky. He then purchased 3 farm i
Madison township, to which he retired
While in Hillsboro he married Mis-
Carson, a niece of the late DR.. DOddridgC