Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-03-01
STARTED FIRST NEWSPAPER
IN BERKELEY COUNTY AFTER THE
CLOSE or THE CIVIL WAR.
some Interesting Facts Told by Judge j.
II. Hoke, u B. consul AZ Windsor.
MS. who Is now I'm This city

MS, Who Is NOW I'm This city.
Judge joseph r. Hoke, UDind States
Consul at Windsor, Nova Scotia, who
is on visit TO his old friends in
Berkeley county. delights in relating
unwritten history of Berkeley county
and of his experience here ia DAVIS
gone by.
Uncle Sam representative at the
Canadian fort OF Windsor devoted his
early life to the practice OF law and
TO newspaper work. He has the dis
motion of having sta ted, in the year
1865, the arst newspaper in Berkeley
county after the Civil War. Ii was
known as the Berkeley Union and
through it's columns the citizens read
the fist news Of the battles VIII ich
marked the close Of that conflict III
which this section of the county fig
uied SC conspicuously.
While Mr.. Hoke was at tue editorl-
al helm he bad controversy with W.
T.. Logan, editor of the New Era, and
the controversy resulted IN MIR. Lo-
gan challenging him to duel. The
fight did no take place. however, as
the controversy WIS amirably settled
Later, however while Mr.. Hoke was
on the bench, Mr.. Logan engaged in
another controversy through his pa
per, This time it was with ID. S.
Eichelberger, editor of the Statesman.
and it resulted in the famous duel in
the Public Square between those two
editors.
Mr. Hoke relates that after the am
icable settlement of his controversy
with Editor Logan. without facing
him on the field OF honor, they be-
came this closest friends.
Mr.. Hoke continued at the head of
the Berkeley Union until 1870, when
it was consolidated with the New Era,
Democratic paper published by
Messrs Logan and Shaffer, and out of
the consolidation Of the two papers
grew the Martinsburg Independent,
owned and edited by Messrs Logan
and Wlsner. The end or the Indepen-
dent is of TO recent date to need re-
calling
After going out of the newspaper
business Mr.. Hoke went to the west
err part of the west on the bench.
For the past four years he has been
serving the United States as consul
at Windsor. He speaks very highly
of Canadians and their friendship for
the Amrican people. He says that
the day he was officially advised by
the Department of State of the death
Of President Mckinley and lowered
the flag on the Consulate, fully TWEEN
ty British flags were lowered out of
respect for the American people.
America. he says. has secured the
bulk of trade at Vim sor and fully two
thirds of the ships that sail from that
port are bound for American harbors.
Judge Hoke is here on sixty day S
leave of absence. He must be back at
tine Consulate by the 3lst of March.
He will remain here until the last of
the week, when he will visit the west
ern part of the state. He will pass
through here on his return to Wind
sor.
.Judpe Hoke saws he is still intereted
in the county of his interesting journ-
alistic experience and The Evening
World is welcome daily visitor to
the Consulate He says the paper is
eagerly sought after by Americans at
Windsor and ship captains who touch
the port, as it is the only American
newspaper that many of them get to
see.