Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-28
SOUTH DAKOTA'S EDITORS
Quill Drivers from the Banana Belt Are
Attending the Exposition.
MANY OF THEM PIONEERS OF THE STATE
Men Who Went to the Wilderness
and Braved Hnrdships to Adver-
tisc the Glories OF u Great
Agricultural Empire,

Der of 125, accompanied by their wives, own
the exposition now and what is more, they
will own it during the next day or two,
as most of them intend to remain in the
city until Saturday, taking in everything
on the grounds, not even missing the Mid
way attractions.
The South Dakota brain workers are on
their regular outing. They held their state
press convention at Sioux Falls and on it's
adjournment voted to come to Omaha. They
were met here by Colonel Richardson of the
Publicity department and after being sup
piled with passes, were escorted to the
grounds, presented with the keys and told
to take everything that they wanted.
Among the South Dakota men there are
a number who settled in the state when
it was a bowling wilderness. For instance,
there is N. c. Nash of the Canton News,
who was in the newspaper harness long
before old Drifting Goose was evicted from
the valley Of the placid Jim river. Nash,
like all of the old timers who have stuck
to the business, is rich and prosperous. He
owns a fine Office building and has a plant
that is equipped with the latest style of
presses and machinery. He runs a news
paper for business and profit and while he
is a partisan of the republican stripe, does
not let politics interfere with money maxi
ilib. iS IuS udlu uuIlHb IL last
twenty-five years, but proposes to take life
easier from now on. Recently he has taken
his boys into partnership and they have
much to do with looking after the active
work Of the newspaper plant.
One of Ii Original
Another old timer is George Slosser, now
of Sioux Falls. George has resided in the
state some fifteen years, but not always
at Sioux Falls. When he first went into
South Dakota he took along an army press
and a shot sack full of BREWER type. This
he unloaded at Blunt, a boom town on the
Northwestern road in Hughes county a few
miles east from Pierre. There were no
houses in the town, but there was a dry
goods store and some small trees. Slosser
bought a bolt of cotton cloth and with an
axe he cut a number of saplings and the
next day with them and his bolt of cotton
cloth constructed a tent in which he To-
Gated his printing office. The same week
the Blunt Advocate, a four-page sheet, with
four columns to the page, appeared, with
the name George Slosser flying at the mast
head. He made money publishing final
proof notices and advertising for land COM
panies. In fact, he doomed the town, but
eventually seeing that the place had no
very promising future, he moved to Aber-
deem and branched out into an agricultural
editor. In this he continued for a number
Of years, later removing to Sioux Falls,
where he organized the South Dakota News
paper Union, of which he is now the SUI
perintendent. Slosser is one of the rich
newspaper men of South Dakota.
irenry T. Volkmar is another who helped
make the state change from a wilderness
to a land of homes. He came from Phil
adelphia something less than twenty years
ago a beardless boy, and not being loaded
down with dollars, walked a greater portion
Of the distance from the Minnesota line
to Milbank, over in the Clark county hills.
The Milwaukee road had just located a
TOWNSHIP at Milbank and Volkmar thought
that that would be a good place to drive
his stakes. He did so and managed to get
hold of a little printing office that was not
worth more than $50. He located settlers,
did job work and practiced as n land attor-
ney. Business commenced to run his way
and year after year his wealth increased
Later on he built a fine office, equipped it
with all of the modern printing machinery
married and today he is very well situated
Original Boy Editor.
Although young in years, S. Grant Dewell
editor of the Pierre Free Press, is old in
experience. Along about 1880 his father set
tied in Sully county forty miles from towr
or railroad. Young Dewell had worked in {
printing office kicking a job press ant
washing rollers, but he had never edited
a paper. He saw an opportunity and witt
the few dollars that he had saved h,
bought a $40 press and a case of type, pay
ing part cash and running his face for thu
balance. The next thing was to have al
office, and having exhausted his supply o
paSb ba uaS hard pit &c IN how and whar,
to house his printing outfit. He was equa
to the emergency and going out into
slough near by he plowed up the ground
cut the sod into convenient lengths ant
hauled it to a point near his fathers house
This sod he laid up as they lay brick an
in the course of a few days had a struc
ture, minus a roof. Driving to the Mis-
souri, river thirty miles away he cut
5 load of poles and brush and pulled for home
> Reaching there he used the poles for rafter
, ON his house, covering them with brush an,
I these in turn with dirt, thus making
Y roof that was rain proof. Into this struc
: ture he moved his printing Office and tn
I next week the paper, the Norfolk Times, ap
e peared, filled with plate matter. This con
o dition did not continue long, for the lna
proof notices, which were the boon to tn
K early day editors of South Dakota, com
= menceu 10 Toll III anu success was assured
: Dewell made money and after a few year
& at Norfolk was enabled to go to Pierre an
y purchase an interest in the leading reput
+. lican paper in the central portion of tn
I state.
y II. o. Besancon went to Harold, q towI
h site on the line of the Northwestern raj
road, forty-five miles east OF Pierre, an
: built the first house. 1t was not a very pre-
. tentious structure. 1t was 12x14 feet, bui
Of rough boards, placed up and down, wit
a tar paper roof. This was In 1881 or there
e abouts. The building served as residenc
d printing Office and land Office, for while II,
; locating settlers on the public land Besar
9 con was publishing a paper. 1t was a lit
4 four column sheet, two pages printed
home and two in Chicago. He made none
y and later on purchased the Advocate
Blunt, which George Slosser established. i
: besides there now and is wealthy.
What Made Them Rich.
While the South Dakota newspaper me
g made money in early days it was not /
publishing news, but instead by publishir
notices of final proof. At the time of the
location all Of the land extending from Il