Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11

fire is remarkable as a perfect example
of what American ingenuity can do under
to be used in newspaper. and If the
man who started that job printing shop
had ever imagined that the Chicago
Ledger would come forth from there for
three days he would probably have asked
where his imagination would not climb so
high. What the paper lacked in display
and variegated color effects it made up in
banks of type. The head for the Chicago
story on the first day consisted of eleven
ever published in an American news
paper. The Ledger contained practically
no news on its four pages except the
progress of the fire and the hopeless
In some marvellous manner Mr.. Boyer
succeeded In keeping advertisements in
his paper during the three days that he
ran 1t under such unusual pressure. He
frankly admits that he does not know
to this day whether he was paid for those
advertisements or not.
He declares that the fire was not start
ed as originally supposed by the kicking
over of an Oil lamp by Mrs. O'Leary's
loft. and. like many other evils, was the
result of the cigarette habit. Several
young boys, tyros in the art Of smoking,
sought the quiet shade Of this stable one
day that they might learn the gentle
discouraged after short time and feel
ing disinterested in anything finite or in
finite they threw their cigarette butts
promiscuously about the loft, several Of
that time a veritable gale was sweeping
across the lakes directly on to the city.
The boys wandered to their various
homes, leaving Mrs. O'Leary's COW and
the cigarette butts in possession of the
stable. When the fire was discovered
it had consumed over half of the stable.
and the charred pieces of wood were being
scattered broadcast on the shingled roofs
of the surrounding houses. So does Mr.
Boyer destroy fond illusion. for most
have been prone to heap curses on the
head of Mrs. OLearys suffering COW
because of her lack of bovine intelligence.
Mr.. Boyer's7 Interesting Life.
Mr.. Boyer Is a native of Franklin coun-
ty. Pennsylvania. having been born in
Chambersburg in 1885, He left his home
for New York in $780, where he served
his apprenticeship under the famous Col.
A. X. Mcclure, then publisher of the
Repository and Transcript, and subse-
quently editor of the Philadelphia Times.
Mr.. Boyer has ever been a champion
of woman and has sought to free her
from the bondage to which she has been
subjected by clumsy. unintelligent man.
His first effort in this particular line of
reform was the Womans Advocate,
launched in 1853 at Dayton, Ohio. 1t
was radical reform paper, devoted to
the emancipation of women from re-
ligious. social, political and moral slav-
cry. During this period of his career
Mr.. Boyer had the privilege of working
among some of the most illustrious wom-
en- suffrag1sts Of the day, among whom
were Susan B. Anthony Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Lucy Stone. Phoebe Cozzins (now
residing in this city,. Lydia Maria Child.
Julia " ard Howe, the Cary sisters. Anna
E. Dickinson, Abby Kelly Foster, Rev
Phoebe Hanaford Zone of the most noted
of woman preachers). T. w. Higginson,
Isabella Beecher Hooker. Mary A. Liver
more, Lucretia Mott, Dr. Robert Purvis
and Amelia BloOmer.
Il am strongly in favor" says Mr.
Boyer. 'of the enfranchisement of women
and of the allowing of fair women to take
her part In the worlds affairs. 1 firmly
believe that women are as strong mental
ly and possibly possessed of greater initi-
alive than men,
So energetic was Mr.. Boyer's work
along these lines that the convention of
the Women's Suffrage Associations in
Cleveland in 1860, of which Henry Ward
Beecher was president. passed series of
resolutions thanking him for his work in
the cause.
Mr.. Boyer arrived in Chicago in 1870,