The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-01
BRICK POMEROY Is DEAD
The Noted Journalist Passes Away at
the Age of 63.

the Age Of %.
New York. June MARK NJ. (fBrick')
POmerOy. formerly publisher of the La
Cross, Wis, Democrat and POmerOy's
Democrat of this city. died Saturday
at his home in Brooklyn
Mr.. Pomeroy was born sixty-three
years ago in LawrencevlHes Iloga
county, Pa His parents were not
wealthy and Marks early education
was limited. He said ne never read
a grammar through In all his life At IL
Mark, who even at that early age had
a strong leaning toward Journalism
went to Corning N z. where he found
employment as q printers devil on the
Corning Journal at IS a month and
board On the same paper and work
ing in almost as humble a capacity as
Mark, were two other boys who be-
came widely knOWn-D- r. Locke (mOre
quickly recognized as petroleum v.
Nasby'D and w. L. Halsey, afterward
one of the founders of the overland
stage route to California At Corning
Mr.. POmerOy remained several years,
working his way up gradually but
steadily until from a printers devil he
had become one of the Journals best
and most reliable cOmpOsltors- He also
occasionally while at Corning contrib
uted to the news columns OF his paper
From Corning he went successfully
to Waverly, N T., Brantford, Canada,
where he worked on the Brantford
Courier, and to Guelph, Canada, where
ne remained for some time on the
Guelph Advertiser. Leaving this paper
in the fail Of 1883 PomerOy arrived in
New York with exactly $50 in his
pocket.
Upon a hand press and with type OBJ
tanned on credit, he later established
a small Office al Corning, where in the
spring of 1854 he began the publication
of a small sheet about the size Of sheet
of commercial note paper called the Sun.
His first venture in journalism became a
successful newspaper and subsequently
he changed its title to the Corning
Democrat PomerOy left it for Athens,
Pa, to establish a paper there, which
he did, but not liking Athens, he jour
neyed to Horizon, Wis. Here he estab-
lished the Horizon Argus
1t was in a notable and carcastic re-
ply to the Beaver Dam Citizen
that he Won his title Of Brick"
His popularity as editor of
this paper resulted in his being made
city editor of the Milwaukee Daily
News. He afterward founded the La
Crosse Democrat and soon became its
sole owner.
During the war, on account of his bit
ter criticisms of the administration, his
paper was at one time threatened with
suppression He adhered to the same
course, but nothing was done In 1852
the Democrat newspaper building was
erected by him at a cost of $40, 600. He
became prosperous and built a large
skating rink and opera house for that
city. In 1868. as his paper had a circu-
lation Of 30. 900 in New York. he started
a branch there and published the New
York Daily Democrat. This did not
prosper and he sold it to William NJ
Tweed. In 1876 he transferred his La
Crosse. paper to Chicago and became a
firm advocate Of the expansion OF
greenback currency
In 1869 ne was elected president of a
company which proposed to tunnel the
Rocky mountains through five miles OF
solid rock. Seven millions Of dollars
worth Of shares were sold and a mile
Of the tunnel was built, when financial
depression set in and the enterprise was
abandoned. He published an inter-
esting autobiography a few years prev
ious to his death.