The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-20
RoBERT BONNER, PRINTER.
HIS INDUSTRY AND SAGACITY,
no became tho Greatest Advertiser
IN the World-The Ledger Was a
revelation to tho Country.

III inc World-The Ledger Was a
Revelation to tho Country.
The career Of Robert Bonner, who
as publisher OF The Ledger became
the greatest advertiser in the world,
IL one Illustrating sagacity and indus.
try. he was born in Ramelton, Ire.
land, In 1924, and came to this country
at the age OF fifteen years and began
business life as an apprentice In tho
composing room Of The Hartford Cou.
rant-a printers devil. His hours
were from o'clock in the morn ng
until o'clock at night, and his wages
Tor the first year were $25 for the
second $35, and for the third $45, with
board and clothes In addition. He re.
tired from business several years ago
worth several millions, and only two
years ago, In the preface to his cats
loguo OF trOtting horse stock, he wrote ::
Since l began purchasing trotting
horses have expended about $500, 900
In this way. TO those friends who
nave criticised me for having paid so
much money for horses | may be par
doned for saying that l have given
away much larger sum than that for
religious and benevolent purposes"
The Now York Ledger In 1850 was q
small financial sheet known as The
Merchants Ledger, and Robert Bon
ner was d printer employed upon it..
de had saved little money, the pro.
prietor wanted TO sell the paper, and
| Mr.. Bonner bought it. He ran it for
a while as a mercantile paper, then
turned 1t into a family story paper.
He had genius for advertising, and
the way he advertised The Ledger was
revelation to the country.
H..
woman writer OF that time, but she
had never written for newspapers. She
had just sold 6.000 copies of book,
and Bonner paid her 800 column for
story of ten columns. In telling Of
this story In later years, Mr. Bonner
said: Nearly every newspaper In
the country published my extrava
gance In paying $l0O column for q
story. got $50, ,0CO worth OF advertis.
| Ing out Of the arrangement, and the
people began to ask for The Ledger.
Before this l had trouble In getting
the news-stands to take The Ledger.
Alter this they were glad 50 got It,"
He paid Henry Ward Beecher s30,-
oOO Tor his novel, "Norwood," and
$2.O0O year to write from half to
three.quarters OF a column week for
The Ladger. He had Edward Everett,
at that time thu leading statesman OF
the country along certain lines, writ.
ing series OF articles for the l. od ger.
He secured Mr.. Beecher by sending q
check for T., 900 in the first letter ho
wrote to the great divine proposing q
weekly letter. MIR. B4echer's reply to
this was: am almost dumb after
reading your proposition, and must
clear my head before | say word"
Beecher accepted, however, lust as
Everett did. At that time Everett
was giving lectures around the coun.
try to secure fund for the purchase
an1 reservation Of Mount Vernon
MIR. Bonner offered to give $4,000 to
the fund If Everett would write for
The Lsdger.
He spont S, ,250, 600 in advertising his
paper. He thought nothing Of buying
O page at time in the leading daiies.
me Circulation OF Tho Ledger reached
| 400, 900 copies. When 1T got to $50 600
copies he fired salute OF $50 guns In
| City Hall park, and started in to double
the circulation. The Ledger adver.
tisements were unlike those OF any
other publication. Mr.. Bonner be-.
lieved that II all advertisements in u
paper were displayed it was equivalent
to no display. His advertlsements
| we're always original. In those da 10
u would secure as much advertising
space as 81 can buy now. He made
The Herald publish a sixteen-pape
paper one day. 1t was printing eight
pages, and Mr.. Bonner asked what
space he could have for q "ble ad !"
Ali the space you want" the publish
er said. All right, I'll take the
whole paper" said Mr.. Bonnor, and an
extra eight pages had to be added to
hold the news and the other advertise.
ments.
Mr.. Bonner bought Dexter after he
bad made q record of 2.I74 on the
Buffalo track In 1867. That night he
wrote to friend: 81 saw Niagara
Falls this morning for the first time,
and came down here to Buffalo this
afternoon to SOC that othor great won
der, Dexter, when he trotted In the
unprecedented time OF 2174. You
know | always like to have the b, ct
things, and inasmuch as | could not
buy the Falls, | concluded to do the
next best thing and buy Dexter. He
will go into my stable on the 10th OF
next month"
The horse cost him $35 900, and b add
Do6le said he would have the horse
back In three weeks, because Mr.. Bon.
ner couldn't drive him on the road
|
Dexter and later he drove Maud S and
Sunol and the other crack trotterS ha
bought, and every horse he purchased
moant so much moro advertising for
him and his great property, The
Ledger.
Until he turned tho publication OF
the paper over to his sons, no have
Aimee turned 1t into q monthly, owing
10 tho keen competition OF tho Sunday
newspapers, Mr.. Bonner's sole interest
In life WAS The Ledger. He had the
story paper Instinct largely developed
Ho read with his own eyes every word
printed In The Ledger ss long as ho
actively managed It. He read all
manuscrlpts submitted and selected all
those which he doomed available.
The contributor, no matter how
humble and modest, no matter wheth.
or beg 8inner or an established author
with hyphenatad usme, was always
courteously received At an outside desk
by tho proprietor, who advanced IRON
o private Of1ice 10 return q Story or de-
liver a check. Pm sorry we cam
use this" he would say in the first case
L