The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-23
DEATH OF WILLARD NICHOLS.
He Was One of the Oldest Newspaper
Men in the City.

Willard Nichols died yesterday morning
at his residence, 2.7 North Delaware street,
at the age of eighty-two years. An apo
plectic stroke was the immediate cause Of
death. though the nfirmities of age had
much to do with it. For a year past he
had been almost constantly confined to his
home, and during the last three months
his condition had been considered serious.
Wednesday all the members of the family
except Mr.. Nichols attended the funeral Of
Benjamin f. Foster, who was a brother
in-law of Mrs. Nichols. During their alb
sence Mr.. Nichols suffered an apoplectic
stroke. He was greatly improved before
evening, however. but again during the
night he lapsed into Inconsistencies, and
died at 4:30 o'clock.
Mr.. Nichols was one of the oldest news
paper and literary men in this city, having
been connected with nearly all the dailies
and with a number of periodicals published
in the city since 1859, when he came here.
He was born in Homer. Cortland county,
New York, Feb. Is, 1914. He learned the
printers trade, and drifted West, finding
himself at Louisville in 1886. He worked OF
the Louisville Journal, and after a short
time went to St. Louis, where he was en-
pioyed upon a literary paper owned by
Major Wetrnore, and afterward started 81
PAPER VI Ills oND. j III IOl I6IIldlu III
st. Louis long. He went to Madison, Ind,
and from there TO Cincinnati, where he did
newspaper work during the campaign OF
1910. He remained in Cincinnati for about
twelve years, and then went East again,
working on the Phi adelphia Register for
a While, and then buying the Hunterdon
On. j. Gazette, which he ran for four
years.
Mr.. Nichols was back in Cincinnati again
and at work upon the Commercial, in 1856.
and from there he went to Aen1a, where
he assisted Whiteiaw Reid on a newspaper
during the campaign of that year. He
came to indianapolis in 1858, and with the
exception of one year which he spent in
Dayton, resided here ever since. His first
newspaper work in this city was on the
Atlas. a paper owned by John d. Defrees.
He served in the editorial department of
the Commercial, the Evening journal, the
Daily Journal, the Mirror and Saturday
Herald. He was actively engaged in some
capacity of the newspaper business unit
as a proof-reader in the estab ishment of
w. B. Burford. He was we'll known for
a number of years under the nom de plume
of "-Octogenarian," which he assumed al
most twenty years before his age justified
the title. In his work he was intimately
associated with William b. Vickers, George
G. Harding, Ben d. House, Berry SulgroVe
and Dan l.. Paine.
Mr.. Nichols married during his residence
in Louisville. His wife was Rebecca S.
Reed, who was regarded. at the time Of her
marriage, as one of the most promising
poets in the West. She was known through ,
out the country for her contributions
TO the Louisville and Cincinnati papers.
During MI. Nichols's career as a news
paper man she was a great aid to him. AT
times when political matters enSrossed his
whole attention, when he was managing
a paper, she would iook after the literary
department, act as editor and take gem
eral charge of affairs. She survives her
husband. Two children also survive Wiz
lard c.. Nichols, equity clerk of the United
States Courts, and Mrs. Isabelle Adams.
The funeral will be held at : O'clock mis-
afternoon from the residence, and Will be
private. The service VIA Ne conducted py
the Rev. c.. A. Christensen. Burial will be
at Crown Hill.