Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-25

Star one day last week, and tossing a BIT
Of folded paper on the desk of the city
editor. said:
There is something which will interest
you newspaper folk"
The editor unfolded the paper tenderly.
for it was worn and discolored, and gave
out that peculiar odor which belongs to
papers and manuscripts Of q century or
more ago.
IMPARTIAL OBSERVER
and
WASHINGTON ADVERTISER
Friday. July 8, 1895.
This Is the interesting title. and far more
interesting date. which appeared when the
sheet was unfolded The sheet contains
eight small pages and constitutes what Is
believed to be copy of the first news
paper published In the city Of Washing
ton The date, 1875. is five years subse-
quent to the founding of Washington. and
five years prior to the time the national
capital was transferred here from Phila-
delphia. This particular issue is No. Z. of
volume i, which would bring the date
OF the first issue about May IS, 1885, as 1t
was published weekly.
The owner is Mr.. Milford Fishman. for
merry merchant on 7th street. and now
at the Colonial Hotel
was cruising down in s.. Clemens bay.
Nd. recently" he explained. land got ac-
quainted with an old Maryland farmer
named James McWilliams He was show
ing me some time-worn letters and papers
one evening when my eye fell on this COPY
OF The Observer. Before 1 left he presented
1t to me. have had a search made at
the Congressional Library and the earliest
washington paper they have any trace Of Is
dated 1900. have heard of a paper now in
existence, printed in Washington in 1796.
out from all have been able to learn, my
copy is the oldest extant, by at least a
year"
Interesting Items.
The pages are about ten inches wide and
foot long. each carrying three small col
umns George Washington was President
OF the United States when this tiny news
paper came from the press. one hundred
and ten years ago, and in it's columns are
found pertinent comment national and
international affairs, bits of philosophy,
which seem to have been inserted in order
to fill up space, correspondence from the
capitals OF the world, and contemporaneous
poetry, not to mention a dozen ludicrous
advertisements 1t is printed with the cid
English IS" which was similar to the let
ter a. with the cross-line omitted. This
makes the reading somewhat difficult at
first, but the copy Is remarkably well pre-
served and nearly every word can be easily
distinguished.
At the very bottom of the last column
last page. In the most inconspicuous part Of
the entire paper is this announcement:
day. by T. Wilson, at Corner AZ & P.
streets, Greenleaf-Point." This description
would locate the printing office somewhere
in the vicinity of the present gates to the
arsenal. or Washington barracks. The an
noEncement continues:
'The price Of the 1. Observer, &c, TWO
Dollars per AnnuEl-One to be paid at time
of Subscribing and the other at expiration
of six months
AS proof of the excellent news facilities
which prevailed at this period of Uncle
Sans infancy the Observer, under date of
July 3. prints some Foreign Intelligence"
from France, dated March Z, four months
! earlier. The domestic service was much
better evidently. because the Observer
Va, as late as June co. a matter of two
weeks The best record is made in the
news from Baltimore, which bears date of
June 20. 1875.
Unique Advertisements.
The copy contains fourteen advertise
ments ten by merchants and citizens and
four by the editor, who Wanted A Jour-
neyman Printer. Immediately to whom gen.
erous wages will be given" Editor Wilson
also had "Ossians POEMS" and a varied
assortment of books and stationery for
sale: He further advertised an excellent
quality Of Ink Powder" and History of
the PELEWITES, a new Nation, lately dis
covered in the Great South Sea by Captain
Wilson" 1t does not explain whether
Pelewites, nor does it add whether the
work is intended for fiction or fact.
The most significant advertisement, from
a historical point of view, appears at the
bottom of the first page, and is as follows:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an
application will be made to the General AS
sembly, of the State of Maryland, at their
Iext session, for an act empowering and
authorizing the building, A TOLL BRIDGE
over the Eastern Branch, from the City of
Washington" ETC., etc.
AS tribute to the extensive circulation of
the Impartial Observer John Cunningham
Taylor and Habit Maker" announces in
his advertisement that he informs the citi-
zens of the United States, that having as
sisted to establish this great city, has
chosen it for his residence where he will
supply such as choose to employ him. with
every article in the line of his profession.
He resides in the front celIer room of the
house occupied by Mr.. Wilson a Printing
Office, where every order from the town or
country will be punctuaIly attended to-
1Curneymen Taylors will meet with good
encouragement by applying above" Mr.
Cunningham undoubtedly was the first tai
lor to cater to the entire population of the
United States.
'tLost: An Apprentice
A further perusal of the advertise
ments apl.'ses one Of the facts that
VIM. Thompson has lost an apprentice,
for the return of whom he offers the lib
Simmons has lost gray gelding that
PAGES a little and has been worked in a
cart" that j. Bull Is operating a packet
from Georgetown to Alexandria, pass
age to be engaged at Mr.. Semms's Tavern
in George Town" One would think 1t
took considerable courage for Mr.. J. Bull
to advertise his name so publicly, in view
of the then recent overthrow of British
sovereignty, but Mr.. j. Bull appears on
the front page of the Observer, neverthe-
less. with no explanation or apology.
Jeremiah Connor tells the dear readers
that he keeps a school, where the youth
Is brought up to be "a virtuous and use
full CITIZEN" the Rev. Geo. Ralph an
nounces the opening of the Washington
School; Benz. More says he has several
old andirons. some shovels and a small
assortment of dry goods to sell, while
James Simmons. the same who lost the
gray gelding, offers a fine line of furni-
| ture, which, in a postscript, he assures
the public has never been used"
Editor 7. Wilson evidently did not
think much of the English royalty, as
the following extracts from the Observer
will attest: Fs's
'.The queens yacht, which is never used
has lately been gflded at the enormous ex-
pense of IS thousand pounds. Is not such
extravagance an insult to the nation? The