The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-28

same 10 MtsrTs. NIGHTS - w. - A~o-0i
and they have given in the above very
faithful picture of the establishment.
1t has been our purpose, if spared till
the completion of the first half century
of The CLARfoN's existence-May, 1881
to publish history Of the paper, In
with other appropriate meas
ures for SIGNALLING such an event; but
it NAV interest our readers and the pub
lie, to peruse, in advance of that time,
such data as we have been able to
obtain
We are indebted to our friend Col. }.
J. Shannon, of Meridian, for several years
proprietor of The CLARION, for many
interesting facts, in communication
recently received from him. We quote;
"The paper was established at Panlding
in May, 1887, by Henry NJ. Round and
two printers whose names ! have forgotten.
In about year Ex-Gov. John j. McRea
bought the paper and he sold it to Simeon
r. Adams in 1883 or 1889, who conducted
it until his death, which was in February
or March. 1860, when it was sold to Carter
& Shannon Tor fifteen thousand dollars.
In June, 1868, purchased Carter's inter
est and became sole proprietor, and during
same month removed the paper to Merid-
ian. and published the first issue OF the
DAILY CLARION, which was published in
/ IL FL & T.,
7 sold one-third int rest to J. d. Williams,
and one-sixth to c. III. Wilson, the firm
being J. ]. Shannon & Co. Afterwards, in
1868, Col. Jones S. Hamilton bought Will
/ liams' interest. When the war came on,
nearly all THE CLARION establishment
went into the army. OF these, J. G. Mark
ham, the editor, and one of the most polish
ed writers in the State, was killed at
Sharpsburg. With him fell another of
THE CLARION printers, Stillman and c.
III. Wilson, who was foreman, lost his leg
in the same battle. Claude Willipgham,
another of our printers, died from sickness.
Five of the Office force were in my COM
pany.
"When first established, the paper was
called THE EASTERN CLARION AND
PAULDING PALLADIUM When Adams
bought it. he dropped The Paulding
Palladium and when l purchased it, /
changed the name to THE CLARION. Al
Adams death, in 1860, the paper had 5000
subscribers, and was printed on sheet 30
by 81 inches-eleven columns to page
and was one of the largest papers published
in the United States at that time. In
Adams time the receipts from advertising
and subscriptions were about 1900 pei
annum, and he paid out $1,000 to publish
it, leaving neat profit of $5000-00 pei
annum.
"Adams had no job Office, but used to
print great many blanks for county Off
GERS, and election tickets, on a hand press
and then press in standing press, and sell
the blanks for $3.50 per quire. He charged
for the tickets $500 to each candidate
That and few posters was all his income
from job work.
'The paper was printed on hand-press
until 1847 or 1913. At one time Joe
Chrisman was foreman, assistant editor and
pressman on hand press, and used to print
1900 copies. After Adams got his power
press, which cost 100000, and an engine
costing $4,000, he enlarged the size of the
paper, and its circulation was largely in
| IT, IL t.
was Postmaster, and had all the routes
arranged so that thirteen horse-mails-all
that left Paulding-left on the morning
after the paper was printed, and on the
day of its date. We had then daily mail
from Mobile to Paulding, by way OF
\ DeSoto, that left DeSoto at 2 p. m, and
got to Paulding about 8 p. M, when Adams
| would make up column of Telegraph
News, taken from the daily paper that left
Mobile that morning, have it set up, go to
press about II o'clock, and by morning the
whole edition of from $500 to 5000 would
be printed, folded, addressed, put in the
mails, and sent off in every direction.
| Adams employees consisted Of an assistant
| editor at salary of 100000 a year, a
foreman at $500 per week, two compost
tors at $1,000 per week, and generally about
three apprentices who were paid from
$1,000 to $4,000 per month and board
There were usually about FIVE compositors
on the paper.
| "Adams built up his circulation by con-
slant drumming. He attended all the Cir
cult Courts and public gatherings for sixty
miles. and made every body he saw take
THE CLARION. 1t was such an excellent
paper, that this was not difficult. He pub
lished in erteaso the decisions of the High
Court of Errors and Appeals, thus making
the paper necessity to every lawyer in
the State. The subscription price was
$500 per annum in advance, or $500 at
the end of the year. Good men were
allowed to run three or four years, but if
so, they paid the credit price"
The present proprietor Of The CLAIR
ION became identified with the paper
in May, 1866 On the first day of the
January preceding, he and his associates,
b. f. Jones and F. I. Cooper, published
the first number of The DAILY STAN
DARD, in the Kells building on Capitol
street. The CLARION was also pub
lished daily, as was also the old Missis-
sippian, by Col. E. NJ. Yerger. 1t was
flush times for newspapers, as there was
no difficulty in getting advertisements
in the great cities by houses who wanted
to re-establish business relations with
the South. In weeks canvass of New
Orleans, Capt. Jones secured about fif-
teen hundred dollars worth of adver- |
Using for The STANDARD. But it was
evident the newspaper business was be- |
ing overdone in Jackson, and in May, |
1866, consolidation Of The CLARION
and THE STANDARD was proposed, and |
at once consummated. The CLARION |
was then valued at SIS 900 90, and THE
STANDARD at 100000 Mr.. Cooper
disposed of his interest in TIE STAND
ARD to his partners, and they entered I
the new arrangement under the firm
name of Hamilton. Power & Co.-Jones
5. Hamilton, J. L. Power, j. ]. Shan
non and B. F. Jones. The interests Of
all were equalized By the execution Of
notes by Power and Jones to Hamilton
md Shannon. When The several part
ners met to agree upon their respective
1uties in the Office, the editorship waa