The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-07-17
A SPUNKY EDlTRESS.
now A Lady Ban a Paper and Raised
aFamily.

The New Orleans Picayune has
the following interesting particu-
lars of the career of Mrs. Harriet
N. Prewett, who was born in Still
water. New York, and educated in
the Willard Seminary at Troy. In
q tiny, cozy little cottage in Ysz 10
City, Miss, lives the first real news
paper woman in this country.
Wisteria vines climb over the win
dows and low doorways, and mag
nolia trees cast graceful shadows
over the wide, worn porches. Here
in this quiet house lives Mrs Harriet
N. PreWett, the oldest news
paper woman In this country.
In 164S Mrs. Prewett was left
widow, the most important of her
possessions being three little childs
rem and a weekly newspaper, The
Yazoo City Wing, after wards the
Banner. For more than fourteen
years Mrs. Prewett was editress,
proprietor, news editor, agent, book
keeper, and mailing clerk for her
spunky little paper. Sae also kept
house, saw that things were tidy at
home, and did the sewing and patch
ing and mending and Knitting for
her three children, Her editorials
were strong and fearless, and exer-
cised strong influence In Missis.
sippi politics. Mrs. Prewett held out
az long as she could against the
extreme measure of secession; but
when she did haul down her Union
flag she became one of the boldest,
bravest defenders Of the southern
cause. at one time, Mrs. Prewett
had an editorial tilt with Mrs.
SWisshelm, who was then running
a paper in Massachusetts,, regarding
the respective merits of their babes.
At another time a Jackson (Miss.)
editor, intending to be sarcastic, Inv
vitted the the editress OF the Ban
7ler to put on her brooches and come
over to Jackson and run the legisla-
ture, she having criticised some of
the acts of the member. The edi
trese retorted that if the Jackson
editor would put on his orr eches and
come over to Yazoo City, he would
be received by two little bo. s.
one 8 and the other 10 years oil l.
who would hang leather medal
about his neck as an l. o. L, for
sound whaling, to be- admlnistfred
as soon SIS they were grown old
enough to do il. Mrs. Plewett's
was the first paper in the country 20
announce the nane CT Willard Fill
more for the presidency. This
brave, hard-worked woman used TO
take her sewing to the office with
her, and when interrupted by the
proverbial fends that haunted
newspaper offices, even before the
war, she would lay aside her pen
and sew or knit while talking, so as
not to lose any time. Finally, this
grand woman's strength gave way, |
and che became a helpless invalid. |
For twenty years she has
been tied hand and foot to an in> |
vasid's chair, whence, with an eye as !
keen and mind as bright as when |
it was editress of dashing, inAuen-
tial paper, she looks out on the world |
in which che has already accom-
plished her life's work. In her own |
room, walls and ceilings are deity
covered with the pictures cut from
illustrated papers; ten years in the
hi tory OF the pictorial publications
of this country are traced upon the
walls. Mrs. Prewett is a bright,
woman. In her day she
was one of the most beautiful }
women in the south, land was sought
for her womanly graces as we'll as
for her brilliant intellt ct. To-day
she is o graceful writer, and occa-
sionslly dainty poems, like white
winged birds, futter out into the
newspaper world from her little
home in the peaceful YazOo valley.