Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-11-13
PERTH AMBOY
YOUNGSTER
Man Born Here Celebrated His
EiShtieth Birthday in Pater.
SOn-WeIl Known Writer.

boy remember Orrin Vanderhoven,
who was born in this city eighty
years ago. He is now living in Pat
arson and the Paterson Morning Call
publishes a sketch of his eventful
career of which the following is a
part:
Orrin Vanderhoven, the veteran
journalist, newspaper man and 1t
present the county librarian, is so
years young today. Enjoying Wig
orous health and smiled OF by pros
perity in his old age, Van is today
satisfied with the world and the pros
poets of many years of useful labor
yet before him. Apparently unchang-
ed, and not changed by the years that
have recently crowded upon him,
Van still continues TO be the pro-
life writer he has always been, and
doubtless laughs up his sleeve at the
fallacy of the Osler theory, which de-
clares that men past so have turned
! their backs on usefulness and are in
the moribund state.
Van has got 20 years Roadway
on the Osler theory, and hasn't yet
scented chloroform. Evan" was born
in Perth Amboy, November 10, 1928,
and since he was II has been in
some way identified with something
pertaining to p~rinting-at the case,
reporting, an editor, n journalist and
finally a writer of "reminiscences that
.ante-date the memory of the few old
err boys, who regard Wan" as some
what of a youngster. After a thor
ough acquaintance with nature, al
tornately filling the soil in the sum
mer and cultivating n small acquaint-
ance with learning at the winter ses-
sions of the country schools, Van
at II, learned his trade as printer, in
the office of the Newark Eagle, a
Jackson democratic paper, afterward
jumping to the New York Sun, where
he worked as a Sub" Two years
with General Thomas Jefferson Suth-
erland on the Nineteenth Century in
Rochester, n. Y, shortly after an
irregular on the New York Tri-
bune, and thrown eventually into the
company of Horace Greeley. Van
Jumped into the Telegraph and then
got Disguised. He joined the Free
Soil party and, securing the editor
ship of the Arena, eXpounded free
soil doctrine, until he heard of Pater-
son and the excellent chance there
was here to purchase the Guardian.
| With the late Senator Joseph T..
Crowell, he purchased the Guardian
for $2,800. For his money he got
the papers name. a card press, one
brass galley and type that was made
up backwards.
wan came to Passaic. Speer's
Item and Seiger's Sentinel were run
ming, but "Van," confident of success,
started the Weekly Herald on August
Is, 1872. Joseph f. Morris, who
came from Providence about that
time to edit the Item, was secured by
Van" and under a promise that he
should receive a half interest they
began publishing the Passaic Daily,
which appeared every day. Morris,
after a time, got faint~hearted n
confded to General Bird w. Spencer,
who held a large share of the news
paper stock, his desire to retire. Gen
eral Spencer drew up check for Nor
ris and Va~nderhoven's share and paid
it to him, the transaction not being
known to Van" When Van APP
peared at the Passaic Daily Office the
following morning, there was an old
chair and ONE debris there-noth-
ing else. he plant had been removed.
Unrufled by the turn Circumstance
es had taken against him. Ivan"
borrowed $40 from a cobbler, got a
room in the Schulting building and
began again the publishing of the
Weekly Herald. He borrowed chases
from Joseph p. Mcdonnell of the La
Dor Standard and made up the frst
forms on the floor. Success came TO
VAN again and he was soon able to
get up a more pretentious office in a
large shed in Bloomfield avenue.
Money began to roll in and Vans"
pen worked overtime. here was a
great rivalry between Van" and AL
fred Speer, the veteran wine mer'
chant, who was then publishing the
Item. For about three years Speer
mutely withstood abuse. Then he
sued Van" for libel. AT the trial it
developed for all that time Speer had
saved the clippings from the Herald
in which Van" invariably referred
to him as "Old Elderberry Juice"
Speer's judgmen was about $500.
Van" gave him his newspaper ant
practically everything he possessed
to satisfy it. He was ruined again,
but yet undaunted in spirits.
Vans career has been an event
full one-full of storms and unrest,
failure succeeding success and defeat
victory.