The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-26

its weekly visit to it's subscribers In
this section OF the State. While Mr..
Osteen is no longer the sole proprietor,
be is the largest stockholder in the
company, and is, and will continue to
be, we trust, for many years to come
the most active and influential factor
in the management and conduct of
this newspaper and business.
Mr.. Osteen's connection with the
newspaper history of Sumter goes
even further back than 1866, at which
time be entered the field as one of the
publishers of The Sumter News. When
a boy of thirteen years he entered the
Office of the old Sumter Watchman as
an APPRENTICE in 1854 or 1855. The
Watchman was then published by A.
A. Gilbert and 81. L. Darr. and he
continued in their employ in this city
until $780, when he was sent by them
to Conway TO manage newspaper
which they had established in that
town. There he remained for about
year, until the paper was discontinued,
owing to the unsettled conditions of
affairs incident to the breaking out of
the war. For few months following
the close of the war he was connect
ed with the Carolinian, published in
Charleston by F. G. DeFontaine and
edited by Henry Timrod, and it was
upon the failure Of the Carolinian
that he returned to Sumter. So it is
seen that be has been actively engaged
in the making Of newspapers for fully
fifty years and of that period he has
spent forty-three in this city, which
was but village, and known as Sum-
terville, where ne entered the Watch
man Office as an apprentice.
The True Southron and The Watch
man and Southron under his manage
ment have always advocated what seem
ed to him to be for the best Interests of
South Carolina and Sumter, and not
infrequently to take and maintain the
position that appeared to him to be
the right and honest one involved
financial loss. The older citizens of
this county well remember the curage-
GUS fight the True Southron mace
against radical misrule and corruption
in reconstruction days when it was
practically alone among the newspapers
of the State in advocating an uncom-
promising fight to the finish for white
supremacy and honesty of government
in South Carolina. They also remem-
Der that Wade Hampton was first NOM
mated for Governor in the True
Southron, and that no other paper
made so outs poken and vigorous a
fight aginst Scott, Moses, Chamber
lain and the others who were plunder-
ing the State. They do not know,
however, that at the very time when
the total cash receipts of the Office for
an entire week amounted to lone
Eve cent piece Gov. Scott sent
an emissary to Sumter with an offer
to pay Mr.. Darr and himself S.. 600,
cash, to discontinue the publication OF
the paper for one year-they to do
what they pleased with the material.
This offer was Immediately and posi-
lively refused by both Mr.. Darr and
Mr.. Osteen and they continued the
light for white supremacy. The policy
of the True Scuthron, although sub
sequent events proved that it was the
right one, was not popular with some
of those who posed as leaders of the
white people, and the writer found
while looking over the files OF the
True Southron short time ago
bitter attack on that paper aud its
policy by one of those leaders who
was then check by jowl with Carpen-
ter and the balance Of that gang and
was going up and down the State ad-
vocating fusion with the carpet-bag-
gers and scalawags IN sn effort to Sc
cure place at the pie counter. 1t is
worthy of note that this same leader
was one OF the first to climb into the
Hampton band wagon when he realized
that Hampton would win on the plat
form which he had previously de-
nourced. He got a place at the Dem,
ocratic pie counter and was one of the
chief benefciaries of the Hampton
movement. But this is merely a side
light, showing that it is neither prof.
table nor popular at times to advocate
the right.
The Watchman an Southron has
worked unremittingly and cheerful!y
for the advancement of Sumter, town
an county, and there has never been a
movement for the betterment of the