The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14

lative chambers were turned into bar
rooms and the administration offices
into bawdy houses. If an official could
be bought with money, plain bribery
was used.
If he could not be reached by money
women and liquor were brought into
play. The executive department was
honey-combed with corruption. The
legislators paid all bills with votes, and
to use Judge Fowle's metaphor, '"rhe
stream of Justice was poisoned at the
fountain head"
1t was we'll for the State that
at such a time such man
as 10. Turner was to be found. Lack
ing in some of the qualities of real
greatness he was eminent in the quail
ties the occasion demanded. He was
ruthless as Napoleon. vindictive as q
Mohawk and never in his life saw
any man or anything Of which he
was afraid. Joined to these qualities
was a talent for invective which JuniuS
might have envied.
Thus equipped 10. Turner entered
the arena. He told the truth. Not
all the truth. because all the truth
of the venality and rOtteness of the
crew then battening on the ruin of
the State could never be told. But he
told enough to rouse the people. The
Democratic, then called the ConServa-
tive. party went into the campaign OF
1870 as man who fights not only
for life but for all which makes life
endurable. The victory was won. A
North Carolina Legislature met in the
capitol Then followed the impeach-
ment of Holden and the beginning of
the end of miSrule.
Now, if at this time the business
management of the Sentinel had been
good the glory of being the first man
-, 10 n no no "a i'm RnI orb
would not have been reserved for you.
The receipts of the Sentinel in one
year were upwards of $4,000. But
Mr. Turner took no heed of the bust
ness end of the proposition. The
money went out even faster than 1t
came in.
In September, 1872, Stone & Uzzell,
who had been running the Roanoke
News with great success. came to Raj
eigh and started the Daily News. 1t
was splendily differed. Jordan Stone,
practical newspaper man. was bust
ness manager; w. H. Uzzell had
charge of the printing department:
capt. ). L. Williams. as scholarly and
accomplished a writer as KingSbury or
Gales, was editor, and E C. Woodson
whose wit and humor were as fresh
and bubbling as a mountain spring.
was city editor. With such a staff
success ought to have been certain.
But there was no room where 10. Tur-
ner was for anybody but 10. Turner.
So soon as he News appeared '"Tur-
ner's old editorial also appeared. The
contest was long drawn out. but in
1876 Mr.. Turner had exhausted not
only the receipts of the Sentinel, but
also large private fortune. The SEN
tinel went into receivership and on
10th June, 1876. was bought by Geo.
A. Smith and w. p. Bachelor. The
first issue of the paper under the new
ownership appeared on 5th July, 1876.
It's failure was certain from the start.
the editors were William A. Hearne, the
first North Carolina free lance jour
nalist, and the brilliant but erratio
Peter Donan, of Missouri, the Dakotas
and most everywhere else. John G..
Syme, Thos. C. Evans and w. f.. Pell,
Jr., were on the staff as reporters.
This craft was too heavily officered-I
its founder was merely a question of
when. The paper hobbled along until