The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-05-28
OUR ANNIVERSARY !
The Publication of the "Herald"
Reaches It's Twenty-fifth
Year Today.
SILVER SOUVENIR ISSUE.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PAPER, WITH
ITS MANY CHANGES AND THE
ADVERSITIES.
How a Newspaper is Prepared for
Presentation to the Public-Sketches
of Editorial Staff and Other
Workers,
SOUVENIR ISSUE.


Today marks the 25th anniversary Of
the establishment of the HERALD. In
this age and in this country of rapid
development and changes twenty five
years is very long period. This will
more plainly appear upon a cursory re
view of the work accomplished by the
HERALD since the issue of it's first copy,
on a bright Friday afternoon in May,
1870, when, as the first impressions ever
made upon a printing press i'll Shenan-
doah were being run off, young Yohe was
foully murdered and robbed on the top of
Locust Mountain, about a mile from
town, thus supplying us with our first
important item of local news and first
sensation. Shenandoah had less than
$500 inhabitants and several of the
largest collieries were as yet unfinished
1t was the first duty of the HERALD to
ulIGCU puDllG tilIChblOh W bhC uldE uluCOhb
deposits of coal underlying Shenandoah
and vicinity and thereby secure it's
development. This accomplished and the
new town launched upon the food tide of
prosperity, the next thing was to inspire
confidence in its permanency, that those
who had money would overcome the
general prejudice against coal towns and
permanently locate here. The paper was
engaged in this work until the spring of
1875, and as the town improved, the
HERALD prospered and grew in influence
and reputation. During this period the
Indian Ridge, Kohinoor and other col
ieries were opened and fully three
fourths of the buildings were erected.
Then followed the long strike of 1875 and
it's disastrous results, combined with the
ruinous and blighting influence of the
policy of contraction, then for the first
time severely felt in this part of the coal
region. The effect was to involve the
whole community in debt, ruin most of
our leading business men and call halt
in the march of improvement.
In the summer of 1875 were perpetrated
the serious of outrageous murders which
so incensed the order-loving portion of
the community as to cause every man to
make up his mind that the gang that
committed them must be broken up at
any sacrifice. The HERALD, which several
years sDefore had braved prejudice in
denouncing the murder of Cosgrove, was
quick to recognize the course duty marked
out for it in this emergency. 1t assumed
the leadership in the struggle that ensued,
and did more to organize and cement
public opinion against the murderers
tn IN any other agency. 1t assumed the
position that "Mollieism" must be wiped
out, and it was This portion of the coal
region was thus made safe to live in.
In later years the HERALD never failed
to assume an aggressive stand on any
position in which it felt conscientiously
right. II has always been in the field for
the advancement of the borough's in
terests and, although it has sometimes
engendered the ill-will of some by advo-
eating certain measures in that direction,
it has always had the satisfaction in the
end of seeing its predictions fulfilled, and
in score of instances has been more than
yindicated. AS instances the electric
railways and public water works may be
cited Fully eight years ago the HERALD
urged our townsmen to take up the con-
struction of electric railways to connect
all the towns of the valley and predicted
that if they did not take up the project
outside capitalists would do so and reap
the benefits of the investment. For several
years the paper devoted columns upon
columns OF space in urging the project.
Many people scoffed the idea. Some said
the investment would never pay; others
declared that electric railways could not
be made practicable in the hilly territory
others classified the suggestion as one of
the castles in the air of the editor. Today
the Schuylkill Traction Company operates
two electric railway lines, covering about
twenty-five miles, and the Lakeside