San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-12
A NEWSPAPER OF l7l9.
LITTLE 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

a Horse Race-Some Queer Ads"
In these days when the modern newspaper
counts its circulation by tens of thousands and
even prints millions of copies week, it is in.
teresting to take peep into 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, l719, 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 years before The news from
'home" came in only three or four times
year, and then the whole town hocked to the
water edge to hear the intelligence, already
three months or more old AS for local mat
tiers, the crier had a 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 l, l7l9, 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
leaflet, 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 suppostion
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, l720, is given up for
the most part to a letter dated Hamburg,
Dec. ID, 49, while the following week cor.
responding space is devoted to intelligence
from Bologna, under date of Dec. 4, l7l9.
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
it would seem, must have swarmed along the
whole Atlantic coast Now and then a
Spaniard or 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 a 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, li20, reproduced exactly as it
appears except in the use of the long $:
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 tC
the Said Bradshaw, Clapt Pistol to his Brest
and bid him deliver his Money or he was a
dead Man. the other 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
EEpence on the Journey They bid him Not
to pirate but deliver his Money or Damn hin
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
whatever is found in the paper, but there is
an exception on Feb. IA, 1721, when Mr.
Bradford gives a humming opinion of the
unwise action on the part of the English
authorities in transporting to this country
$50 criminals who had recently landed a;
Annapolis. American air seemed even theE
to make our ancestors independent in theil
speech.
H.
ernor Of New York, visited PHILADELPHIA and
received puff in The Mercury, while the
following weeks issue rolates of a famous
horse race run for the sum of EGO between
the inhabitants of Queens county on III,
island of Nassau, and Samuel Bayard, 1
merchant of New York, where the latter
won but little"
There was no electric sugar in the oiden
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 tC
40 in an hour, fell to $50, 37S, $40 and closed
at 32S The next day it fell to 300 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, a.
they do more views of the private life of the
day Take, fop 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 a Light
Colour. If any person or persons shall bring