Wichita eagle., 1889-07-13
A NEWSPAPER OF l7l9.
A LITTLE WEEKLY WHICH PRINTED
NEWS FOUR MONTHS OLD.

|
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. 1, i713,a 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, tlrirty-seven years before. The news from
''homen came in only three or four times a
year, and then the whole town flocked 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 host and
found, strays, etc. Nevertheless Bradford's
little sheet soon gained a 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, ski 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 supposition
being that there was not enough to fill up.
THE NEWS CoLUMNA
In tho way Of news, our forefathers were
not ratified and worried with what had hap
pened the previous day in London, Paris or
Timbuctoo, oreven by the doings of the Go
thamites. Time mellows all hdings, 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, 1719, while the following week a cor
responding space is devoted to intelligence
| from Bologna under date of Dec. 4, 1719
Outside of the foreign 'newsh 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 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 Il, I72O, reproduced exactly as it
appears except In the use of the long S:
About ten days ago, one Bradshaw, of
| Duck Creeh, 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 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
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. II, 1T21, when Mr.
Bradford gives hunlming opinion of the
unwise action on the part of the English
authorities In transporting to this country
$50 criminals who had recently landed at
Annapolis. American air seemed even then
to make our ancestors independent in their
speech.
On Feb. 81, 1921, William Burnett, gov
| ernor of New York, visited Philadelphia and
received a puff in The Mercury, while the
following weeks issue relates Of 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"
There was no electric sugar in the olden
| time, but South Sea stock was booming sue
cess. \ letter published in June, dated in
London, March a. relates that on the pre-
ceding day South Sea opened at 215, rose to
400 in an hour, fen to $50, 37S, $40 aud closed
at 32S The next day it fell to 500 A pub
Usher in London made $4,000 that day,
while like amounts were realized by specu-
lators III 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 Il Years
Of Age. Pitted in the face Of middle Stat
ure and Indifferent fatt, having on a Drugat
Nastcoat and kersey Petticoat of Light
Colour. Ii any person or persons shall bring
the said Glrle to her said Master shall be Re
warded for their Trouble to their Content
Right 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 10 be sold.
Aged about % years, fit for Country OF City
Business. She can Card, Spin, Knit or Milk
and any other Country work Whoever has
Mir for the Said Negro may repair to An
drew Bradford"
AT the House of William Taylor Braxer
IN Duke Street New York is to be Sold Mil
TO grind ChoColat, it works in cast Iron
Round Pan - inches across 6 inches deep
made like the bottom of a Bell and weighs
upwards of two Hundred, the other part that
works IN 1t any person may see and try; il
grlndS three Pound an hour with greater
Ease than any other Projection already In
vented and likewise 10 what finenes they
please. Ii is Capable OF being set up t. a
much better advantage than it now is Note