The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-02-16
AID FINEM.
David Ross Locke, Better Known as
Petroleum v. Nasty,
Departs this Life at His Home in To.
ledc. Ohio.
Hereditary Consumption Gradually
Wears His Life Away.
A Brief Review of His Life and Llt-
erary Labor.

TOLEDO, o., Feb. I'D. r. Locke,
(''Petroleum V. Nasby''l died at his
residence in this city of consumption Of
organic trouble at $50 this morning.
David Ross Locke was born at Vestal,
Broome county New York, Sept. %,
1888, and hence was in his fifty-fifth
year. His father, n. r. Locke, a
veteran of the war 1912, is still living
in this city at the advanced age Of
ninty-four. The father was one OF
original anti-slavery men and young
Locke inherited intense hatred of that
peculiar institution" and the 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, New York
Courier. After serving his seven
years he Travelled through the United
States, working at his trade and
working as a reporter. In 1852 ne
founded the Plymouth Ohio Adver-
tiser and managed it two years. In
1857 he founded the Bucyrus
Journal and afterwards was
successfully connected with the
Mansfield Herald and the Findley JEFF
fersonian. He was editing the latter
paper when the war broke out and in
its columns appeared the first numbers
of the renowned "Nasby letters" the
first bearing the date of April 81, 1851.
These political satires sprang at once
into tremendous popularity. They
were copied into newspapers every
where, quoted in speeches, read around
the camp-fires of the Union armies and
exercised an enormous influence in
molding public opinion in the north in
favor of the vigorous prosecution Of the
| war. Secretary Boutwell, declared In
a speech at Cooper Union, New York,
at the close of the war that the success
of the union army was due TO three
cause.-the army, the navy and the
Nasty letters" Charles Sumner de-
clared: ''UnQueStionably they were
among the influences and agencies by
which disloyalty in all its forms was ex-
posed and public opinion assured upon
the right side. 1t is impossible to
measure their value against the de-
vices of slavery and its supporters.
Each letter was like speech, or one
of those songs which stir the people. !"
. These letters were source or great Oe-
; light to President Lincoln, who always
kept them in his table drawer, for Pc
ruSal at odd times.
, Mr.. Locke once raised a company OF
! volunteers and applied to Governor
Brough of Ohio for a 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 Nasty letters led for the demand
for Mr.. Locke to enter the lecture field
, and he appeared in all the principal
cities of the north. Though as he him
self acknowledged not master of
oratory he always had crowded and
delighted audiences.
He was offered official positions by
; President Lincoln and also by Presi-
, dent Grant, but steadily declined as
, his only ambition was in the editorial
, held.
In 1865 he assumed charge of the To
, ledo Blade. first on salary, but after
, wards purchasing an interest and final
| " the entire control. 1t had always
been his dream to found great ma
| tional weekly, which he now carried
out. He was one of the founders of
the republican party of Ohio, and the
Nasty letters were but part OF the
| powerful work he did in the political
field. He also did a vast deal of purely
. literary work, having written two or
three successful plays, books OF travel,
and many novels and sketches for his
! ! own paper. He was also poet Of no
mean order, and several of his devo-
tionaI poems can be found IN various
} church hymnSls.
Some four or five years ago his health
began to fail, and after twenty-five
busy years of arduous labor he gradu-
; ally withdrew himself from active
, work. Since then he has written very
little, save the occasional Nasty letters
that have appeared and few special
! articles, chiefly on prohibition. He be-
, came convinced that prohibition must
: be the final solution of the liquor quea-
ton, and for six years has strongly adj
yocated it in his paper, but always
through non-partisan methods. BE re-
: manned faithful to his republican
ideas and deprecated any attempt to
. build up seperate prohibition party.
Consumption was inherited. 1t being
| in his mothers family and several
: brothers and sisters dying with it. Its
/ approach was very slow and it was not
/ till last November that he was con-
2 fined to the house. His literary labors
: and newspaper were very profitable
2 and in his latter years he was largely
1 interested in building and manufacture
: ing in Toledo. His fortune is estimat-
3 ed at million, exclusive Of the Blade.
5 He was married while at Plymouth
/ to Miss Martha BOdine, who, with
! their three SONS, all grown to manhood,
survive him. The eldest, Capt. Robin
son Locke, has been associated with
his father on the Blade for the last doz-
en- years, except while as consul 81
| New Castle-on-Tyne, England. &c
s which Office he was appointed by Pres-
Il 44wzE a ri