The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-23
A FLATrERING RECEPTION.
Visit of Senator r b. Plumb to XenIa
Ohio

Visit of Senator z. b. Plumb to XenI0,
Ohio.
The Xenia (Ohio) Daily Gazette OF the
18th gives the following account of re-
cent visit of Senator Plumb to that city,
and in connection Herewith some Incl
dents in the life of that distinguished
gentleman:
ave made brief mention yesterday of
the visit to Xenia of United States Sen
ator Preston B. Plumb, of Kansas. He
arrived in the city Tuesday morning, and
left this "wednesday morning. While
here he was the guest of DR.. and Mrs.
McClung. Last evening Atrs. McClung
gave q pleasant tea party in honor of
their distinguished guest. During his
brief sojOurn here, he visited many old
time friends, and was visited by many.
He had not been in Xenia for sixteen
years, and then only made very short
stay. Inasmuch as the iflustrious sena-
tor once resided in Xenia many here
take quite lively interest IN his career.
Senator Plumb was born in Delaware
county, Ohio, but when quite young
went TO Marysville. ONO, and there
learned the printing business. Along
about the year 1853, he, in company with
a man named Dumble, bought, at Ma
rysviile, Ohio, for 5000. the material of
q defunct newspaper and removed the
same to Xenia and established the Xenia
News. They started the paper without
a subscriber, and carried It around town
themselves. At this time Plumb was
only between sixteen and seventeen years
of age. The Office was located in
room back of where Hanes' and Scrog-
gy's Office now is, on Main street.
The News was sold in 1859 Dumble
sold his interest to j. ID. Leggett, and
Plumb (who had gone. prospecting to
kansssl came back and sold his share to
John T. Hogue. They only ran the pa
per short time, when they sold it to r.
r. Gray. who, in connection with White
law Reds brother, was then carrying on
e dry goods store in XeHia- Gray form-
ed q partnership with Whitelaw Reid
and Reid & Gray published the paper
for considerable time. Then White
law Reidis health failing, he went 20 the
northwest On trip, and wrote letters to
the Cincinnati Gazette. Then followed
the war and his remarkable CORES
pondence over the signature of agate"
Coates Kinney Was living st Waynes-
vile and was sent for by Gray to take
Reid's place. which he did. Soon there
after Gray sold out to j. d. MIlburn
and Kinney continued with him. In
1861 MIlburn sold out 10 Seth w. Swig-
ert, and few months afterwards SWIgert
sold the News 20 Nichols q Fsirchild,
publishers Of the TorchIight, who merg-
ed it with that paper. We have given
this little historical sketch of this early
Xenia News, with which was connected
several persons who afterwards became
famous the country over, because We
have heard frequent inquiry regarding
the paper and what became of il.
Now, to turn back to our original
subject, Senator Plumb. Il was the
year 1850. The whole country was agi-
tated over the great struggle between
freedom and slavery. going on in Kan
sas. People f1ocked there from all parts
of the country. Plumb was then nine
teen years old. He and DR.. McCIung,
(the latter then twenty-one years old
concluded they would go and do their |
hest towards helping make Kansas a /