The Dickinson press., 1889-07-27
A NEWSPAPER OF l7l9,
A LITTLE WEEKLY WHICH PRINTED
NEWS FOUR MONTHS OLD.

An Account of u liigiiwayman's Dastnr.lly
Decd-A lIumminE Editorial Opinion.
Tho Inhabitants of Queens County Run
Horse Race-Somc Queer "Ads."
In these days when the modern newspaper
counts its circulation by tens of thousands and
even prints millions of copies IL week it is in.
teresting to take a pccpinto the files of an an
clent newspaper, such as The American Week.
ly Mercury, tho first paper published in Penn.
sylvania. The venture was ma,le by Andrew
Bradford about Jan. l, 1910, and was one of the
earliest newspapers i'll America Ncwspapers
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 Il
year, and then the whole town HockeCl to tho
water edge to hear the intelligence already
three months or more old AS for local mat
tcrS, the cricr had II monopoly of lost and
found, strays, etc. Nevertheless Bradford's
little sheet soon gained II reputation through.
out tho surrounding country That MANY of
lis readers We're in New York is evinced by
the fact that on March l., l7l9, the day of
publication was changed so as to permit
catching tho weekly New York post leaving
thursday morning.
For many years tho paper was but IL single
leaiict, skill inches, though on occasions when
extraordinary news WAS received Tho Mcr.
curry came out in folio form, in many cases
with the fourth page blank, the supposition
being that there was not enough to till up.
THE NEWS COLUMNS.
III tho way of news, our forcfuthers were
not ratified and worried with what had hap
pened tho previous day in London, Paris or
ilmbuctoo, orcven by the doings of tho Go
thmites. Time mellows all tidings, and TIN.
week between Now York and Phila,lclphia
as we'll us tho four months ago of all Euro
pean news took away much of its kecnncss
Tho edition of April IA, l1:90, is given up for
the most part To Il letter dat&l Hamburg.
Dec. 10, lIl?, whllo the following week a cor.
responding space is devoted to Intelligence
from Bologna, under date of Dec. t. l1l1
Outside OF tho foreign news" there isycry
little else except reports of clcaranccs at New
York and Philadelphia together with Bos,
ton market quotations Then in each and
every issue is told ahc latest ravascs of the
'pyratcs," as tho English were pleased to call
their advcrsarics, tho Spanish. Few weeks
passed without half II dozen captures being
recorded, always i'll favor of the pirates who
1t would seem, must have swarmcd along tho
whole Atlantic coast Now and then a
Spanlard 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, ono of the
prisoners called for II glass of wine, which be
ing furnished he drank to tho confusion and
III, {,f,, ,,,ft tl,,,T IL,
the city.
Here is an excerpt from the issue of Thurs
day. March Ia, 1920, reproduced exactly as it
appears except in the Use of the long S:
About ten days ago, one Bradshaw, of
DUCK Greek, 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. Ono of them rid up To
the Said Bradshaw, Clapt II Pistol to his ISrest
and bid him deliver his Money or ho was n
dead Man, the other 3 having surrounded him
and he seeing no other way of escape told
them he had but two pstoes, and he ho,,e,l
they would spare him something to bear his
Expcnco on the Journey. They bid him Not
to prnto 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 tile sal
Robbery"
AMONG THE ADVERTISEMENTS
1t is very rarely any editorial comment
whatever Is found in tho paper, but thcrc is
nh exception on Feb. II, 1921, when Mr.
Bradford gives II humlnins opinion of tho
unwiso action on tho part of the English
authorities i'll transporting to this country
$50 criminals who had recently landed at
Annapolis. American air seemed even then
to mako our ancestors independent in their
speech.
On Feb. 81, 1921, William Burnett, gov
crnor of New York, visited Philadelphia and
received puff in Tho Mercury, whiIo the
following weeks issue relates of n "famous
horse race run for the sum of eco between
tho inhabitants of Queens county on the
island of Nassau, and Samuel Bayard, n
merchant Of New York, where tho latter
won but little"
There was no electric sugar in tho oltlcn
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 i'll an hour, fell to $50, 37s, $40 and closed
at 32s. The next day it fell to 300. A pub
Usher in London made G5,O0O that day,
while like amounts wcro realized by spccll-
ators in Mississippi stock.
After all, however, tho advertisements in
these old papers arc more interesting than
any other of their contents rejecting, as
they do, moro views of the private life Of tho
day. Take, for example, the following, re.
produced exactly as they appear:
This Day Run away from John M'Comb,
Junicr, an Indian Woman, about II Years
of Age. Pittcd in the face of middle Stat
ure and Indifferent fatt, having on n Drugat
Wastcoat and Kersey Pctticoat of n Light
Colour If any personor persons shall bring
the said Gire to her said Master shall be IL,
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 to be sold.
Aged about 2S years, fit for Country OF City
Business. She can Card, Spin, Knit or Milk
and any other Country work Whoever has
n Mind for the Said Negro may repair to An
drew Bradford"
"At the House Of William Taylor Brasier
in Duke Street New York is to be Sold a Mill
to grind Chocolat, it works in cast Iron
Round Pan 90 inches across inches deep
made like the bottom of n Bell and weigh,
upwards of two Hundred, the other part that
works III 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 fincness they
please. 1t is Capable Of being set up to n
much better advantage than it now is Noto
tho nut may be put whole into the Pan need
ing no Pounding as in other Mills Tho low
est Price OF the mill and what belongs to it is
Twenty pounds. New York World
What She Wanted 1t For.
Have you any prayer booksl" said lady