The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-31
FILES OF NEWSPAPERS
ALL ARE IN POSSESSION OF THE
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
They Are Complete with All the Is
sues of the Indianapolis Daily
Publications.

For the first time in its history the In
danapolis public library possesses com
pete files OF every indianapolis neWspaPei
from the time of the initial issue OF each
one up to the present day. When Judge A.
l.. Roache left this city recently to take up
his permanent residence with his famlIy
near Los Angeles, Cal, he turned over 10
the library his carefully preserved collec-
ton of local newspapers, including every
issue of the Journal and the Sentinel from
1857 until 1870, and since the judges depar-
ture the work OF replacing missing and mu-
tilated numbers of the papers has been 60
ing on steadily day after day under the
supervision of the city librarian, Miss Eliza
G. Browning. The task. which has been
tedious one. was finished a few days ago.
and Miss Browning, who is delighted over
the result, says that the completion of the
files will fill a lOng-felt want. She is of
opinion that there is no other complete file
of the Journal in existence. the Journal
itself does not possess a copy Of every issue
since it's first publication. in 1923. The
earlier files of the two indianapolis morn
ing papers. from the first issues up TO the
year of 1874, were presented TO the Indian
apolis library in the first year of it's ex-
neer willing the papers to the institution
just before his death.
NOT MANY INTACT
Strange as it may seem, there are very
| few newspapers in the country that can
boast of complete files without a missing
! or mutlated number among them. Some
of the large New York publications have
from time to time offered big prices for
much-desired copies which would round out
| perfect files if they were only to be OBJ
tained. Most people seem to think that be-
cause the selling price of a single copy of
| a newspaper is but nominal there can be
no harm in clipping from the old files any
! article, poem, or advertisement that they
may desire to possess, wholly unconscious
| of the fact that the mutilation of old and
valuable newspapers is a penitentiary Of
| fense. The local library, as well as the
State library, has had its troubles with
| ignorant vandals of this kind, and nova
days it is quite impossible 10 take a file Of
valuable newspapers away from either in
stitution for any purpose whatever unless
the borrower is accompanied by at
tendant whose duty it is TO watch over the
precious publications and assure their safe
return, intact and unharmed.
"You would be surprised If l could only
| enumerate all of the important law cases
that have depended for a decision upon the
back numbers of some local newspaper, 8"
said Miss Browning while in a reminiscent
mood. "Since 1 have been at the head of
the Indianapolis library there have been
many occasions when 1 have been called
upon to appear myself, send one of my
assistants, before a judge or a jury with
a file of old papers. Only a short time ago
there was a case in st. Louis which could
not possibly be decided until severa! old
issues of the Indianapolis Journal had been
brought into court as evidence. And il
wasn't a news article, either, upon which
the decision depended. 1t was al adver-
tisement So, you see, the preservation of
the advertisements in the papers is just as
important to US as the protection Of the
reading matter. In this instance the de-
fendant in the case was able 10 prove
through the Journals back numbers that
he had inserted in several issues an adver-
tisement of some mechanical invention fol
which he had received a patent. / forget
just the exact nature of the legal entan-
clement, but / recall that those old news
papers IN question were instrumental in
winning the case for the defendant.
| SALE OF PROPERTY.
Then there was another incident Of in
terest in connection with the sale of a piece
of property here in the city which illus
trates how invaluable old newspaper back
numbers may be sometimes. A young mar
was just about to sell some real estate
which he had inherited, when the partie:
that were expecting to purchase il discov.
| cred that there was a flaw standing in the
way OF legal transfer. 1t seems that the
piece of property had been decided to the
young mans father fifty years before by
an old woman that had been a friend of tn,
family and in signing the deed she haC
neglected to prefix the necessary Miss ol
Mrs before her name. OF. course, thi.
cast cloud upon the title, although tn,
deed had passed from the father to the sol
without either noticing the defect. TIL,
lawyers engaged to straighten out the mat
ter soon found that they had a difficult jol
on their hands, for the old woman ha,
left the city about the time she had giver
up the property. She had no living rela
tives in indianapolis. and. try as the,
would, the lawyers could not discoye
whether she was maid. wife or widow a
the time of the signing of that deed. Fo
a long time the matter hung fire. Tn
young man was more than desirous Of sell