Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-03
DISTRICT NEWSPAPERS
The Washington Gazette, the First,
Commenced in June, 1895.
A LONG LIST FOLLOWS.
Many Publications That Created Sensations
in Their Times, but Even the Names Of
Which Have Long Since Been Forgotten
Many Interesting incidents Told Of Them.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The EVENING Star
AM INDEBTED TO MR. HENRY HARDY
u Tor the pleasure OF perusing series Of arti-
| cles which appeared in the Printing Gazette
published at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1870. These
Historical Sketches of Journalism in Washing
| ton" extend through that year and are exhaust
i've and interesting.
The Washington Gazette was the first paper
published here, commencing on the 10Th Of
| June, i796, by Benjamin More, bookseller.
II was issued twice a week at 81 per annum
| The paper was published for little more than q
year, but in his issue Of July 26, 1897, we find
this notice: ''The Washington Gazette will not
be published again until the publication is at
tended by some profit to the publisher" and
then he goes on to state that nothing but the
want OF money stops the paper" Mr.. More re-
issued the Gazette on September l6, 1877, as q
weekly until March "A, 1885, The population
Of the city was then 1000.
ION the 3lst of October, 1900, Samuel Harri-
| son Smith issued the first number Of the
National inteaigencer as tri-weekiy paper. Its
| publication was continued by Mr. Smith until
1909, when Mr.. Gales entered the Office as
stenographer, and in September, 1910, Mr..
father Of Mr.. Gales published the leading
journal in Sheffield, England, and James
Montgomery, the poet. was his partner. In
| 1885 he emigrated, and after q stay in Hamburg
for year he came to this country with the
celebrated DR.. Priestley, whose opinions
theologically and politically he shared. The sem
timent of the Sheffield Reporter was adverse to
the prevailing feeling in England, consequent
upon the breaking out Of the French revolu-
ton. and he left the paper in the hands Of Mr..
cution which obliged Mr.. Gales to leave
England.
Mr.. GALES As An EDITOR.
When Mr.. Joseph Gales, IT,, assumed the
conduct Of the Ndtiona. Intelligence7 the gen.
eral sentiment Of the country was conservative,
but when party politics subsequently ragged
with great violence 1t became decidedly ire
publican" and sided with Madison and Monroe
and others Of the Jeffersonian school in con-
tradistinction to the ''federalists," who were
charged by their opponents as being at heart
unfriendly to the Union and popular form Of
government, and as looking to England as the
best sample Of what q nation should be in re-
spect to law and liberty. 1t opposed the Brit
ish orders in councils and Napoleon's DEGREES
England for her confscation of American mer-
chant vessels and the exercise Of 1.-The right of
search she claimed and exercised, led to the
war Of 1872, which the Inteligencer most heartily
supported, and even at that early age Mr..
Gales zeal and judgment was SO highly es-
teemed by the President that he did not hest
tate to avail himself Of the views and opinions
Of his journalistic friend.
Mr.. Gales, jr., for two years continued sole
proprietor, editor and reporter of the paper.
and in October, 1872 be was joined by his
brother-in-law William Winston Seaton, a ma
tive Of King William county, Va. Previous to
coming to Washington Mr.. Seaton was con-
nected with the Raleigh Register, published
and edited by Joseph Gales ST., for Q number
Of years. Here Mr.. Seaton met and married in
1909 Miss Sarah Gales, who in her early youth
had attracted the affection of the celebrated
Madame De Genlis 80 strongly that she desired
to adopt her. Mrs. Seaton lived heightened
period of fifty-fye years with her husband.
dying in 1864, one Of the most beloved and re-
spected ornaments Of society in the federal
metropolis
The accession Of Mr.. Seaton was q propiti-
tious one. 1t divided the labor and doubled
the strength Of the paper, for, though Mr..
Gales continued almost to the day OF his death
(July, 1861 the principal writer of the Intel
Agencer. not a few of the most finished and
able OF its always noticeable and frequently
powerful articles were from the polished pen
OF Mr.. Seaton." l can recall on more than
one occasion that admirers Of the InteLigencer
would come into the Office and exclaim, What
| a powerful article that was this morning of Mr..
Gales" when in fact it was Mr.. Seaton's ar
ticie. Mr.. Gales was not infrequently annoyed
at this credit given him for MIR. Seaton's ar
ticles and demonstrated against it.
ABALTIMoRE PAPER DESTROYED.
In 1872 Mr.. Hardy relates most graphically
the destruction OF the Federal Republican at
Baltimore, which was edited by Alexander Con-
tee Hanson Of Rockville. Nd, and an assistant
| named Wagner. On Saturday. the Goth OF
June, 1872, two days after the declaration of
war by Congress against Great Britain, the
Federal Republican contained more than usu-
ally abusive and caustic article on the policy of
the government, and of course as il was
n Ia IN tha liz
excited the patrioticaly impulsive populace
OF Baltimore that mass Of them turned out on
the following Monday morning, pulled down
the newspaper office, destroyed the presses and
scattered the type. The most in
dignant comments were uttered BY the Fed
erallsts press and people =. nor were innu-
endoes, however unjust, wanting that fixed the
affair upon the federal government at WASH
ington."
THE abettors Of the paper we're resolved on
trying vindication of their rights. as they
called them. by second issue of their journal
In the midst of its enemies They accordingly
rented a building on Charles street, and on VI on
day, 9th July, issued the first number of their
resuscltated paper, which had really been set
up and worked off. not in Baltimore bnt AT
Georgetown. This issue contained matter
inveighing in the bitterest terms against the
mayor, courts and people OF Baltimore" Ex-
rccting an attack they had taken the precau-
ton to distribute through the building a good
supply OF armed adhcrents. The attack CAME,
but the attacking party is reported to have
consisted In far the greater part of boys who
did little more than break windows. In AN I'M
lucky hour the garrison answered their as
sailants by volley Of musketry, killing a Dr.
Gale and wounding some twenty or thirty per-
| sons. The next morning the garrison sur
rendered to the mayor and military authorities
ana were marched, twenty-three in number to
the city Jail by military guard under Gen
Stricken. Matters throughout the day were
quiet and no farther violence being antici-
pated. Mayor johnson and Gen. Stricken al
lowed the military to retire to their homes.
A third and more terrible mob gathered on
Tuesday evening, broke open the Jail, and
with clubs and other weapons pounced upon
the imprisoned inmates. showing them no
mercy. OF the twenty three, Gen. Lingan was
killed in the Jail; Gen. Harry Lee of Virginia,
Light Horse Harry''-father Of Gen Robert E.
Lce-was So maltreated that his sight was per-
manently impaired; eleven were fearfully
beaten; eight were thrown out into the Jail
front yard for dead and two escaped. One Of
the eight in the front yard was DR.. Peregrine
Wariieii, afterward distinguished member of
the medical profession in Georgetown. Despite
all this the Federal Republican continued its
publication, if with somewhat moderated tone,
but not again in Baltimore. 1t went to George
town and was largely patronized by the federal
lists throughout the United States.'
COURSE OF THE INTELLIaENcER.
The Inteitigencer which. for twenty-five years
was the leading supporter Of democratic
reput licanism, became the foremost and most