Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-08-02
A NEWSPAPER OF l719.
ALlTTLE WEEKLY WHICH, PRINTED
NEWS FOUR MONTHS OLD.

An Account of Highwayman's Dastardly
Deed-A Humming Editorial Opinion.
The Inhabitants of Queens County Run
a Horse Race-some Queer "Ads."
In these days when the modern newspaper
counts it's circulation by tens of thousands and
even prints millions of copies week, it is in
teresting to take a peepinto the files of an an
Gent newspaper such as The American Week
ly Mercury, the first paper published in Penn
sylvania. The venture was made by Andrew
Bradford about Jan. l. 1918, and was one of the
earliest newspapers in America. Newspapers
were something the colony had managed to
get along without from the time of its found
ing, thirty-seven years before The news from
''home" came in only three or four times
year, and then the whole town focked to the
water edge to hear the intelligence, already
three months or more old. As for local mat
ters the crier had monopoly of lost and
found, strays, etc. Nevertheless Bradford's
little sheet soon gained reputation through
out the surrounding country. That many of
its readers were in New York is evinced by
the fact that on March 1, 1719, the day of
publication was changed so as to permit
catching the weekly New York post leaving
Thursday morning.
For many years the paper was but single
leafet, Skill inches, though on occasions when
extraordinary news was received The Mer
curry came out in folio form, in many cases
with the fourth page blank, the superstition
being that there was not enough to fill up.
THE NEWS COLUMNS
In the way of news, our forefathers were
not ratified and worried with what had hap
pened the previous day in London, Paris or
Timbuctoo, Or even by the doings of the Go
thamites. Time mellows all tidings, and the
week between New York and Philadelphia,
as well as the four months age of all Euro
pean news took away much of its keenness.
The edition of April IA, 1870, is given up for
the most part to letter dated Hamburg,
Dec. Is, 17l9, while the following week cor
responding space is devoted to intelligence
from Bologna, under date of Dee. 4, 1719.
Outside of the foreign "news' there is very
little else except reports of clearances at New
York and Philadelphia, together with Bos-
ton market quotations. Then in each and
every issue is told the latest ravages of the
"pyrates," as the English were pleased to call
their adversaries, the Spanish. Few weeks
passed without half a dozen captures being
recorded, always in favor of the pirates, who,
whole Atlantic coast. Now and then a
Spaniard OF two were seized by our men, and
in one instance it is related with great gusto
how several were brought to Philadelphia
and Immediately taken out to execution.
Before suffering death, however, one of the
prisoners called for glass of wine, which be-
ing furnished he drank to the confusion and
damnation of the English and the mayor of
the city.
Here is an excerpt from the issue of Thurs
day, March II, 1720, reproduced exactly as it
appears except in the use of the long S:
"About ten days ago, one Bradshaw, Of
Duck Creek, in Kent County, Riding on the
Road between Philadelphia and Darby, was
met by four Highway men. Two on Horse
back and two on foot. One of them rid up to
the Said Bradshaw, Clapt Pistol to his Brest
and bid him deliver his Money or he was
dead Man, the other 5 having surrounded him
and he seeing no other way of escape told
them he had but two pistoles, and he hoped
they would spare him something to bear his
Expence on the Journey. They bid him Not
to pirate but deliver his Money or Damn him
they would shoot him Immediately The poor
Man was obliged to Comply. And as soon as
they left him he went to Justice Springer, of
Chester County, and made Oath to the said
Robbery"
AMONG THE ADVERTISEMENTS.
1t is very rarely any editorial comment
whatever is found in the paper, but there is
an exception on Feb. ID, 1921, when Mr..
Bradford gives humming opinion of the
unwise action on the part of the English
authorities in transporting to this country
1870 criminals who had recently landed at
Annapolis. American air seemed even then
to make our ancestors independent in their
speech.
On Feb. 81, 1871, William Burnett, gov
ernor of New York, visited Philadelphia and
received puff in The Mercury, while the
following weeks issue relates of a famous
horse race run for the sum of ECO between
the inhabitants of Queens county on the
island of Nassau, and Samuel Bayard, a
merchant of New York, where the latter
won but little.n
There was no electric sugar in the olden
time, but South Sea stock was booming sue
cess. A letter published in June, dated in
London, March "a, relates that on the pre-
ceding day South Sea opened at 275, rose to
400 in an hour, fell to $50, 37s $40 and closed
at 1923. The next day it fell to 800. A pub
Usher in London made $4,000 that day,
while like amounts were realized by specu-
lators in Mississippi stock
After all, however, the advertisements in
these old papers are more interesting than
any other of their contents, rejecting, as
they do, more views of the private life of the
day. Take, for example, the following, re
produced exactly as they appear:
'This Day Run away from John M'Comb,
Junier, an Indian Woman, about II Years
of Age. Pitted in the face of a middle Stat
ure and Indifferent fatt, having on Drugat
Wastcoat and Kersey Petticoat of Light
Colour. If any person or persons shall bring
the said Girle to her said Master shall be Re
warded for their Trouble to their Content.
Fright Golden and Plain Spirit of Scurvy
Grass sold at Fifteen Pence per bottle by
Francis Knowles over against the Court
House in Philadelphia"
"a very likely Negro Woman to be sold
Aged about % years, fit for Country or City
Business. She can Card, Spin, Knit or Milk
and any other Country work. Whoever has
a Mind for the Said Negro may repair to An
drew Bradford"
Eat the House of William Taylor Brasier
in Duke Street New York is to be Sold Mill
to grind Chocolat, it works in cast Iron
Round Pan 90 inches across inches deep
made like the bottom of Bell and weighs
upwards of two Hundred, the other part that
works in it any person may see and try; it
grinds three Pound an hour with greater
Ease than any other> Projection already In
vented and likewise to what fneness they
please 1t is Capable of being set up to a
much better advantage than it now is Note
the nut may be put whole into the Pan need
ing no Pounding as in other Mills The low
est Price of the mill and what belongs to it is
Twenty pounds New York World
uId ColloquiaI Thrases,
A writer in literary monthly lately an
nounced with an air Of surprise, his disoov-
cry of the word 'fam," used in its present
colloquial sense, in work dated 1892 The
surprise was natural, for probably few but
professed students of our older literature
know what large number of present day
words and phrases, modern and new tangled
as they appear, are but survivals, some-
times with SlightlY changed meaning from