Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-05-20
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Mr.. BONNER AND HIS LEDGER.

Mr.. BONNER AND HIS LEDGER.
Interesting Story Of Remarkable
Business Success.
The Ledger Monthly was sold re-
Gently to the Every Month Publishing
company for $4,000 cash, exclusive of
outstanding accounts. Creditors will
receive about twenty-five cents on the
dollar and the scholarships will be
continued by the purchasers. So
passes to the journalistic boneyard the
paper that has made millions for its
founder and which became a wreck
with his death. A poor Irish boy, with
only IS in his pocket, Robert Bonner
landed in New York and commenced
his newspaper career on the Hart
ford Courant, at Hartford, Conn.,,
whence he drifted to New York.
In an interview with Frank q. Car
penter some six years ago he told the
story Of how he came to start the Led
ger. This story Is now reproduced In
the current number Of the Journalist
Of this city.
1.-The New York Ledger" said Mr..
Bonner, was in 1850 little financial
sheet known as the Merchants Led
ger. At this time I was working In
the printing Office. We had an adver-
tising solicitor who liked the way In
which I displayed his advertisements.
He left the paper little later on and
became connected with the Merchants
Ledger He told the proprietor he
could get great many more adver-
1t was in this way that got an offer
of a better salary from the Merchants
Ledger. took it. It was q small
sheet, devoted to mercantile affairs,
and 1t had less than three thousand
circulation. Soon after became en-
ployed upon it the proprietor wanted
to sell and I bought him out. I ran
the paper for short time as a mer-
camille paper, and gradually turned 1t
into a family one.
Got Fanny Fern.
Zone day decided that If It had
the best reading matter paper Of
that class could have it would get a
very large circulation, and concluded
to get 1t. began at once to get the
best Of contributors, and among others
secured Miss Fanny Fern. Miss Fan
ny Fern was the most popular woman
writer Of that time, but she had never
written for the newspapers. A book
Of hers had just had a circulation Of
something like 5000 copies, and think
she rather looked down upon the
newspaper work. first offered her
$25 a column for story. She re-
fused it. 1 wrote her again. and made
the offer $50 a column. -, .....,,.5.'
"This she also declined, when the
return mail brought her another offer
from me of SIS column. Upon this
she said to a friend, I like the spirit
Of that man Bonner, and wish you
would go down and see him. Her
friend came and we eventually got to-
gether.
II then proposed to give her 500 a
column, but said did not want the
story to run over ten columns. She
replied that she would write the story
for $1,000 provided would take it
whether it ran nine columns or eleven
columns, as she could not tell just how
much it would run out.
az agreed to this, and the story was
published. The circumstances Of the
engagement were told, and nearly
every newspaper in the country pub
lished my extravaganza in paying 500
column for a story. I got $4,000
worth of advertising out Of the ar
rangement, and the people began to
ask for the Ledger. Before this had
had trouble in getting the news stands
to take the Ledger. After this they
were glad to get It."
Speaking of the Rev. Henry Ward
Beechers connection with the paper,
Mr.. Bonner said that he became ac-
quainted with him through poem Of
one of his lady friends.
Recalls Mr.. Beeeher.
HE sent me the manuscript stating
that If I used it check would be very
acceptable to the lady. I wrote back
at once that had plenty Of poetry,
but that I wanted himself. I told him
that If he would give me from a half
to three quarters Of column a week,
I would pay him $4,000 a year. sent
q check for $4,000 with the letter as
the advance salary for the first year.
He accepted 1t, and from that time
until his death he wrote for the Led
ger. He wrote editorials chiefly
Many Of them were published under
the heading Of Thoughts as They
Occur by One Who Keeps His Eyes
Open The first article, I remember,
was entitled "A Cannon Ball In Hat
1t gave the experience Of a man who
attempted to carry a cannon ball In
his hat. 1t described how the can
non ball grew heavier and heavier, and
how the fear Of detection ate into the
soul of the thief. A personal moral
was brought out from this which
struck home to every reader.
"A great deal Of the matter written
by Mr.. Beecher was not published over
his own signature and this was also
the case with the articles Of Harriet
Beecher Stowe. 1t was during the
years just preceding the war. We
had then a large circulation in the
south. and the name Of Mr.. Beecher as
one of the contributors would have
lost thousands of subscribers"
WAS not $4,000 a great deal to pay
for novel?"
YES" replied Mr.. Bonner, "it was.
But 1 think the venture was a good
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