Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-05-31
ketchum,s Meteoric Career.

The Herald gives this account of
j. w. Ketchum's variegated and some
what spectacular career:
John W. Ketchum of Vergennes,
representative in the legislature from
Vergennes, the owner of four weekly
newspapers and one monthly publish
ed in Addison county and a candidate
for the state senate, was born at Buff
falo in 1868. He was educated in the
public schools. After leaving school
he went west. He lived with the cow
boys and finally started a Wild West
show, which he ran for a time. In
1894 Ketchum appeared in Vergennes,
riding on a broncho and wearing a
broau hat that strongly suggested life
on the prairie He did chores and
odd jobs and then entered the hard
ware store of c. A. Booth & Son as
clerk. Two years later he was inter
ested in a bucket shop. An indict-
ment was found against him for some
transactions connected with this busi-
ness, but the matter was never push
ed. In September, 1898, Ketchum
was engaged as clerk by Cashier
Lewis of the Farmers bank, who was
ketchum performed some of the du-
ties of teller, although he never was
made a teller. In fact, he was never,
strictly speaking, an employe of the
bank.
1t was in 1898 that Ketchum began
to branch out into various business
enterprises. He bought and ran a
poultry farm and developed and put
on the market chicken feed which
he called the Empire Egg Maker.
This was in the winter of 1899. In
the fall of that year he started a job
printing Office in Vergennes and in
January, 1900, he issued the first num-
Der of monthly called the Farm En-
terprise.
Ketchum next established a $4,000
plant at Vergennes and published the
Weekly Vergennes Enterprise. In
AprlI, 1900, he invested in a $4,000
plant at Bristol and blossomed out
with the Bristol News. That year he
started out to manufacture a harness
dressing which he put on the market
by means of a wagon which was pret-
ty well lettered up and displayed in
the rural districts. Not content with
these ventures, Ketchum printed at
Vergennes in September, 1900, an Or
well edition of his paper, and called it
the Orwell Tribune. A Middlebury
edition, the Middlebury Record, was
started last March.
The office of the Vergennes Enter
prise is one of the most complete
newspaper establishments of the
state Until within month
Ketchum employed from II to 22
hands. He lived in an unpretentious
/ house but in style that is not usual
with Vermont editors. He built a
$500 barn and kept four or five fine
| horses in his stables.
He was elected alderman of Yer
gennes in March, 1900, and was re-
| elected this year. He is a member of
the present legislature, and has been
/ frequently spoken of for state sena-
tor. When he went to Montpelier
last October he resigned his position
with Lewis. His two newspaper
! plants and his fine barn are mort
| gagged, and the banks that have re-
Gently levied upon his property to
satisfy claims have found it rather
complicated financial proposition.
In connection with Ketchum's s
knowledge of the banks affairs, ii
was stated that at the time Lewis
was examined before the board OF
directors of the bank he acknowl
edged, among other things, loans tC
Ketchum of $500 of the banks
money at one time and $1100 later
When asked if Ketchum knew OF
Lewis frauds on the bank and If the
loan was given Ketchum simply thai
he might not make these frauds pub