The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-25
Death of Petroleum v. Nasty"

luCuldI6 Cduo0 vi HIS u0dOu was COu-
sumption. David Ross Locke was
born at Vestal, Broome county, N.
Y, September Goth, 1888, and hence
was in his 18th year. His father, N.
r. Locke, veteran of the war of
1912, is still living in this city at the
advanced age of 81 years. The father
was one of the original anti-slayery
men of the country, and young Locke
inherited the intense hatred of the
"peculiar Institution and love of
freedom which made him such a
power with his pen during the civil
war. In his eleventh year he was
apprenticed to the printing trade in
the Office of the Cortland IN. W
Courier. After serving his seven
years he travelled through the United
States, working at his trade and act
ing as reporter. In 1852 he founded
the Plymouth (Ohio) advertiser.
conducting it two years. 1856 he
founded the Bucryus Journal, and
afterwards was successfully connect
ed with the Mansfield Herald and
Findlay Je6ersonidn. He was edit
ing the latter paper when the war
broke out, and in its columns appear
ed the first numbers of the renowned
"Nasby" letters, the first bearing the
date of April 81, 1861. These politi-
cal satires sprang at at once into ire
mendous popularity. They were
copied into newspapers everywhere,
quoted in speeches. read around the
camp-fires of Union armies, and ex.
ercised enormous influence in mold
ing public opinion North in favor of
vigorous prosecution of the war. Sec
rotary Boutwell, declared in speech
at Cooper Union, New York. at the
close of the war, that the success of
the Union arms was due to three
cause.-the army, the navy and the
Nasty letters" Charles sumner de-
clared : "Unquestionablv they were
among the influences and agencies
by which disloyalty in all its forms
was exposed and public opinion as
sured upon the right side. 1t is i'm
possible to measure their value.
Against the devices of slavery and
its supporters, each letter was like a
speech, or one of those songs which
stir the people,"
These letters were a source of the
greatest delight to President Lincoln,
who always kept them in mis- table
drawer for Derusal at odd times. Mr..
Locke once raised a company of vol
unteers and applied to Gov. Brough,
of Ohio, for commission as captain,
which was refused on the ground that
he could do more good for the Union
cause with his pen than in the field,
The immense popularity of the Mas
by letters led to the demand for Mr..
Locke to enter the lecture field, and
he appeared in all the principal cities
of the North. Though, as he himself
acknowledged, not master of oratory
he always had crowded and delight
ed audiences. He was offered official
positions by President Lincoln and
also by President Grant, but steadi y
declined, as his only ambition was
In the editorial field. In 1865 he as
sumed charge of the Toledo Blade,
first on a salary, afterward purchas-
ing an interest and finally entire con-
troll. 1t had always been his design
to found a great national weekly,
which he now carried out. He was
one of the founders of the Republic
can party in Ohio, and the Nasty
letters were but part of the powerful
work he did in political fields. He
also did a vast deal of purely literary
work. having written two or three
successful plays, books of travels and
many novels and sketches for his
own paper. He was also poet of no
mean order, and several of his de-
votional poems can be found in var
ious church hymnals.
Some four or five years ago his
health began to fail after twenty-five
years of arduous labor, and he grad
ually withdrew himself from active
work. Since then he has written
very little. save the occasional
"Nasby" letters that have appeared
ana a few special articles, chiefly on
prohibition. He became convinced
that prohibition must be the final
solution of the liquor question. and
for six yeass has strongly advocated
it in his paper, but always through
non-partisan methods. He remained
faithful to his Republican ideas and
deprecated any attempt to build up
q seperate prohibition party. Con-
sumption was inherited, it being in
his mothers family, and several
brothers and sisters dying of it.. Its
was very slow, and it was
not till last November that he was
eonfinnd IN the hOuSe. His literary