Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-08-02
tFrom Sunday s Daily.)

Watertown was visited yesterday by
one of the newspaper men Of its
pioneer days, in the person of N. E.
Stevens of Paxton, ILL.,, editor and
publisher of the daily and weekly
Record of that city. The Leader
office was favored with pleasant call
from the gentleman and the reminis-
censes he related were interesting
indeed
Mr. Steven, who is veteran news
paper man, was connected with the
first publication in Watertown, loca-
ting here IN Nov. 1854, when he
bought the interest of NJ Cullaton in
the Watertown Chronicle, the firm
becoming Rose e Stevens. Mr.. Rose
passed away in 1857 and the firm name
became Mcbride Il Stevens Mr..
Mcbride becoming prominent in Wis
consIn politics. Mr.. Stevens was as
sociated in the publication of the
Chronicle till August, 1857, when he
went to Reeds Landing, Mimi, to
revive paper there. Later he be-
came connected with the Wabasha
(Minn.) Herald. From there he went
TO Paxton, ILL.,, where for the past
forty three years he has been editor
and publisher Of the Record, which
was launched on Jan. 1st, 1865.
His visit here yesterday was his
fifty years. although as Mr.. Stevens
SAID, he had passed through the city
hundreds of times. While the city
has grown and changed, the visitor
declared that he would have known
the town if he had been dropped kere
from the clouds.
Mr.. Stevens was uni ed in mar
riage in this city to Huldah AIDA
McMillen, the ceremony taking place
in building opposite the cole block,
where the bride conducted a dress
making establishment. MIR. Stevens
and wife had planned for several years
OH coming to Watertown to celebrate
their golden wedding anniversary and
to journey from here to Reeds Land
ing, MIMI, the latter trip being in
the nature of a honeymoon trip for
them. However, Mrs. Stevens did
not live to carry out the plan. She
passed away on the 7th of last
March, just twelve days before they
would have celebrated their golden
wedding. The trip for Mr.. Stevens
was therefore delayed, but he decided
to visit Watertown, one of the places
of residence of his boyhood days.
Naturally, Mr.. Setvens did not see
many of the familiar faces of over
half century ago. He remembered
but few people Among them were
Mr. and Mrs. j. L. Moak, the late
James McHugh and sister, the late
John Malloy, F. P. Brook and +. A
Cooley. Mr.. Stevens took dinner
with Mr.. Cooley yesterday and the
gentlemen enjoyed themselves in
indulging in remIncenses of the past.
Contrary to what would be the be-
lief of many, Watertown was quite a
little city at the time Mr.. Stevens
was a resident here. When he came
here IN 1854, the city had population
of about 5000, census enumeration
having been taken showing that the
total population of the county at that
time was 1000. Mr.. Stevens origin
ally came from ONO and is now
seventy-five years of age, but appears
as active both mentally and physically
as most men OF half that age. In
those balmy days, Watertown was in
possession of the Milwaukee road
shops and was a thriving city.
At the time of Mr.. Stevens resi-
dence it was during the agitation of
the $3.50, 900 railroad bonds. Mr..
Stevens, then editor of the Chronicle,
a republican paper, opposed the issuing
of the bonds in strenuous terms. The
result was that he put himself in
disfavor with a majority of the resi-
dents. Experience, however, showed
that he was justified in the course he
took.
David Mcbride, who was associated
On the Chronicle here with Mr..
Stevens, went to Mansion fifty years
ago and in company with b. E.
Stevens, established the Mansion Star.
From there Mr.. Mcbride went to
Sparta, where he purchased the Free
man, changing the name to the Sparta
Herald, paper which at present is
owned and conducted by his son Will
fred.
Mr.. Stevens lett last evening for
Fort Atkinson to visit his uld friends,
Mr.. and Mrs. ]. 7. Moak, with whom
he was a very close friend during his
residence here.
BAD BURN QUICKLY HEALED.
Il am so delighted with what
Chamberlains' Salve has done for me
that I feel bound to write and tell YOU