People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-01-17
like it. Will some Of our editorial
brethren help US find the early history

like it. Will some of our editorial
brethren help US find the early history
of this press?-Coldwater Star.
We intended to ask John Speerabout
this press, before he went to Law
renee last week, but forgot it. We
have seen the press and have mention
ed it in papers we have published sew
eral times. We are confident that il
is the press Mr.. Speer printed the
Lawrence Tribune on in the early
days of Kansas, and the same one that
was thrown into the Kansas river
during the clark days" and afterward
fiShed out. John Speer ought to
know, and we will see.-Conway
Springs Star.
If you will look up the history of
Simmer county which appears in Ed
wards atlas If the county you may
find a partial history of this press.
The Coldwater Star evidently means
TO say Oxford Times, which was the
first newspaper in this county; the
Oxford Register has not yet become
ancient history, it's very much alive.
Capt. John H. Folks who used to edit
the Sumner County Press took great
pains to look up the history of this old
printing press and wrote up that his
tory very fully years ago, largely for
the state historical society.
In 1888, when all the published
facts in reference to this press were
fresh in our mind, in writing the his
tory above referred to, and speaking
of The Oxford Times, we said. "The
material was a cOnglOmeratiOn of sew
eral of the first newspaper offices
brought into the Territory of Kansas,
among which were the heads of The
WyandOtte Democrat and The Her.
aid Of Freedom. The Washington
hand press belonging to the Office had
been thrown into the Mississippi river
twice and as often recovered and again
used in disseminating free state doc
trlnes. 1t was afterward captured by
Gen. Price in 1864 and used for a time
in the interest Of the rebellion. Fl.
nally it settled down at PleasantOn, in
Linn county, where it rested until pur-
chased Dy MugfOrd & Hughes about
June |, 1871"
The Oxford Times hada precariouS
and titful eXistanCe until March,
1872, when it finally expired. In
those days, buildings Of any sort were
few in Oxford, there was a strong de-
mand for shelter of any kind. The
old Times Office was sheltered in cob
bler's shop when it expired. In a
short time, the press, type, cases and
whole outfit were dumped out on the
prairie in a pile. They lay there
about two months.
In the spring of 1872, the Oxford
Town and immigration Company who
owned the outfit offered to give it to
Capt. Folks if he would take it and
publish IA newspaper in Oxford for a
year. We have heard Capt. Folks tell
many time how he went out on the
prairie where the old press was almost
hidden from view by the tall prairie
grass and what time be had in scOur-
ing it up, and picking up type enough
to constitute a newspaper Office from
the surrounding prairie.
June q, 1872, the first issue of The
Oxford Weekly Press was published
on this press. Fifty-three numbers
of the Press were published at Oxford
and in July, 1873, the newspaper was
moved to Wellington, and its name
modified to The Sumner County Press.
This old hand press was supplanted
by Fairhayen, July 10, 1879. 1t then
passed into the hands Of the Graha ms
Mail.