The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-11-22
Eness, and 10 him was assigned the duty

hlutisiOOh N'hi
Sand for which he had real qualifications,
Gbut he was sadly wanting in such stern es.
Esentials rs are needed in dealing exclusive
Sly in money matters. For that he was too
&trustful and confiding: for that he lacked
&the indispensable capacity OF saying "No";
8and though the house succeeded well, Mr..
&Cowardjp never claimed to have cOntri-
6buted much TO that end. lie was, i'm fact.
1not long in coming to the knowledge that
Ehe was out OF his element, and began 10
~ Ugh for newspaper life.
II The sailor may possibly forget the blue
4wayes. the Indian may forget the hunting
3grounds Of his youth, woman may for
Eget her first love, but he who has once been
2truly converted into journalistic life can
Enever throw of the infatuation which pos
sesses him. He may wander awhile in
stranger pursuits, but unless death sud-
denly overtake him he will finally como
drifting back, one way or another. to this
profession, so full OF care, so racking on
3mind and body, yet so full OF strange fasci-
nation.
From the pleasant personal associations
but uncongenial business Of the broker J
! soflice Mr.. Cowardin's heart went yealninI
towards journalism, and in 1850 he formed
Ia partnership with his old comrade OF thcl
| Compiler, w. II. Davis (alsO Il practical
Iprinter), and they resolved to try again the
enterprise OF a ne,rSpaper: that is, paper
' in which current news should have first
2place-not he subordinatcd to politics orI
{pcrsOnal affairs.
RICHMOND NEWSPAPERS.
When Cowardin & Davis resolved TO!
(start their paper the city was quite well,
Supplied, as the following list as OF that.
fyear will show:
THE RICHMOND WING: Heath, Elliott &:
/ Co., editors and proprietors; Office corner
lGovernor and Franklin streets.
THE RICHMOND REPUBLICAN: Robert I'LL
sGallahcr d +. a. Gallaher, publishers Il
sOliyer p. Baldwin & Robert II. Gallaher,t
editors; Office Tenth below Main street.
THE RICHNOND TINES William c. Car!
Fington. editor and proprietor; Office ont
3rwclith street between Main and Cary.
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER: BY Williaml
IF. Il Thomas Ritchic, Jr. Office corner II
Main and Eleventh street, next bclowf
american Hotel.
The RICHMOND EXAMINER: BY u. VI. Del
witt d John VI. Daniel; office on Mains
street five doors below Exchange Bank.
All dallics except the Examiner, whichs
lNdS SCinl-Ntthll.
TIE DISPATCH STARTED.
The name Of thc paper agreed upon waSy
|the Daiiy DiSpGtct; Hugh X. Plcasant,, |
Esq, was employed as editor, and an 0 lice
land mpo>ing-room was secured on GOv-J
|crn0r street in building Which occupied
|the site OF the present printing-oAce n
lJohns & Go0lsby. The first paper was
ISSUED on the morning OF October 10, 1850
~ was a sheet about hall the size Of the T.
|DiSpQici n ii now iS, and the edition yas1
1000 copies, which, as Cowardin & David
'had not then obtained press, was worked
|Oh-printcd-at the iOb-oflice OF Johnston,
baptist u Colin.
The paper was fayorably received fromE
the start, and being sold for one cent n
copy at once attained a good circulation.
|But the Wing aud Enquirer were great pO-
|litical papers, and the Wing merchants re-
|gardcd it as a duty to advertise in the +
|UHQ. The Democrats were no less loyal
10 the Enquirer, and other advertising waS5
controlled by the three other papers, so
that the business being much cut up, theE
|DiSDdfch did not Mt once command oreatk
advertising patronage. It's success i'm that
Important direction was Gradual-sO grad-k :
ual. indeed. that after a few months, Mr..
Davis became convinced that ii could never
bc established n a paying enterprise. IIck
thcrcupOn sold out his interest TO Mr..
Cowardin. who. with his sanguinc dispo-f
sition. saw a great future for the papcrt
where others could discern but q dOubtIulS
venture. Mr.. Davis lived TO see the Dist
patch a valuable property, and met hisn
death at the Capitol disaster, April -, lS70.f
T.. THE HOUSE or DELEGATES.
Mr.. Cowardin WI, ever genial ands
popuar gentleman. and in the POLITICAL
Campaign Of 1853 the Wing party, in -
Ccting it, candidates, chose him Is Onox
oi it. most worthy and available men, andE
lon ticket with Hiram i. DickersOn ands
IU. X. EllysOn lc was elected to the llOuSck
of Delegates. He had little Of political ami
biton. and it was not until the great Strug-t
Gle Of 1869 that he again consented to takes
a personal part in politics. In that yearf
he helped to organize the Committee OK
Nine. lie went with il 10 Washington, andk
from that city wrote a series OF letters Whichk
greatly helped TO prepare the Nir9iniiF
mind for the Walker movement, and Wthf
all the powers OF his mind and body, ins
and ont Of the Dispatch, he urged it on toE
its final success.
THIRTEENTH AND MAIN.
But TO go back : For years and years thef
Dispatch was published with the name OF
james 4. Cowardin as proprietor andk
Hugh Il. peasants rs editor and when lis \
success became assured the Office was rel !
moved to the southeastern corner Of Mains
land Thirteenth streets, in building whicht
preceded the present one Quilt by Williams
liz. ISaacs 4 Coz lately occupied by thes
'Richmond Banking and Insurance Com7s
'pany. There the Dispatch was comforta-s
iblv housed aud equipped. In the rear wass
f. the Dispatch Job-O1ice, J. ID. Iiam-s
Imerslcy n Co.. proprictors.'
Mr.. Oliver =. Baldwin succeeded Mrf
IPleasantS as editor, but ut one period
labout 1SGl-they were both writing for the
.paper. and Mr. Cowardin, as he foundS
time from other engagements, also contrl-t
,butcd.
Mr.. Hammersley managed the counting-s
room. and dunng the war acquired a halfs
Interest in the paper.
EFFECT OF WAR On NEWSPAPERS.
The Richmond papers were publshedj
'during the war under peculiar difficulties.
|Such were the demands Of the army it wass
la Great struggle TO get the men necessary toS
Set tbe type and work of the paper. There
3was more trouble still in getting the paperE
5whereon TO print. There were but lewj
3naner-mjlls in our lines, and these had III
1,iye preference to the orders OF the Conf
3fcderate Government, and the stuff theyl
3tnrned out for the newspaper offices was
4 Rwhitc only in name. Ink, too, was scarce i
such rs was run through the blockade wa>]
Very costly: such as was made here wasI
enot GOOD. These and many other troubles
confronted Mr.. Cowardin and MI Ham,
3mcrsley during the war. Worse than all,
Bhoweyer. their type was worn out, and a,
fnew dress could not be procured in the,
and in the last year Of the,
lwar Mr. Uammersley undertook to run the,
49, : - Irr,tand aud crct n ueUi