The Portland daily press., 1896-01-25
IN BOSTON TOWN.
What Was Happening There Nearly
200 Years Ago.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS EXTRACTS
FROM ITS FIRST PAPER.
Satan In Those Days Held Responsible
for Suicide.

Satan In Those Days Held Responsible
for Suicide.
Every one interested in newspapers
and who isn't when it is SO necessary to
keep we'll posted in the events OF the
world-surely must have feeling OF
kindly yeneration for the first newspaper
ever published in this country. says the
New York Times. TO get an idea OF
this interesting curiosity, step into the
large reading hall of the New York His
torical Society, and there, safely locked
in glass case, will be seen the first vol
ume of the first paper ever put forth for
the enIightment Of our worthy ancestors
This is the Boston News Letter, first
published April H.. l704. And what a
little paper it is, veritable midget as
compared with our enormous eight to six
teen page dailes. These early News
Letters are about the size of an ordinary
sheet Of foolscap, sometimes double
sheet being publish. and at times only
one, according to the condition of the
news market. The New York Historical
Society contains not only the very rare
first number Of this rarest of all Ameri-
can papers, but contains every copy
through the year 1907. They are bound
in one volume, and if put up at auction
would undoubtedly bring several thou
SAND dollars. This collection of early
News Letters is not excelled by any in
the world. Despite their yellow and
stained appearance, the papers are in an
excellent state of preservation, and one
will not find them at all difficult reading
as soon as be becomes able to distinguish
readily the old style from the f.
The Boston News Letter was for fifteen
years the only paper published in the
Colonies. The authorities kpet watch
full eye over the infantile efforts of the
press, and John Campbell. the editor ana
proprietor of the Newsletter, was care
full to obtain consent and added, under
the title of his paper, Published by Au-
thority." Cam mpbell was the Postmaster
of Boston, and, as such. one of the big
men of the place. An attemnt had been
made just fourteen years previously to
start a paper in the Colonies, but the
solid feet of the Puritanical rulers
stamped SO vigorously upon the first
number as to bury it forever from sight.
This was little sheet called "Publiok
Occurrences" started in 1890, by Benja-
min Harris, printer, who had recently |
arrived in Boston from London. Evil |
IDENTIFY he did not understand the system |
of getting pulls with influential Magis-
for tbouo enid ha
to publish it, and refused to permit its
continuance. So journalism, thus nipped |
in the bud, lay dormant until Postmas-
ter Campbell, with better precaution,
brought out his Newsletter April II,
1904.
These early numbers are full of quaint,
curions, and wonderfully interesting |
Items of Colonial life and manners, and |
throw flood of light upon the every day |
life of the settlers in and around Boston |
nearly two centuries ago. For genuine
quaintness of expression, look to the
Colonial newspapers every time, both
in their news items and in the peculiarly |
worded sd vertisements. Postmaster |
Campbell launches his miniature, single
sheet newspaper upon fickle public favor,
with the following announcements:
"This Newsletter is to be continued |
Weekly, and all Persons who have any |
Houses. Lands, Tenements, harms, |
Ships, Vessels, Goods. Wares. or Merchan- !
dies &c. to be sold, Lett; or Servants, |
Run away OF Goods Stoll or Lost, may
have the same Inserted at Reasonable |
Rate from Twelve Pence to Five Shil- |
lings, and not to exceed: who may agree |
with Nicholas Boone for the same at the |
shop next door TO Major Dayis's Apothe
cary, Boston, near the old Meeting |
House. All Persons in Town or Country
may have said Newsletter Weekly, upon
reasonable Terms agreeing with John
Campbell, Post Master for the same"
The paper had two columns on each
page, and in the first number three
columns are filed with foreign
NEWS FOUR MONTHS OLD
but fresh to the Colonists. The other
column contains the announcement and
some shipping news.
The EDITORS plea for advertisements
brought out one for the second number,
and this is doubly interesting from the
fact that it is the first advertisement
ever printed in an American newspaper
1t reads: "Lost, on the 10th of April
last off of Mr.. Shippen's Wharf in Bos-
top. Two Iron Anvils, weighing be-
tween 100 and 40 pounds each: Whoever
has taken them up and will bring or give
Due Intelligence of them to John Camp
bell, Postmaster, shall have a sufficient
reward -
What voracious night providers the little
town of Boston must have had in those
days, when hundred pound anvils could
mysterlously disappear In the third
number the advertisements had doubled,
there being two, and it is worthy of men
tion that one of these was inserted by
William Bradford. the first printer OF
New York. This plainly shows that even
thus early the little News Letter had ex-
tended it's influence to New York Citv.
and that William Bradford recognized