Morris tribune., 1908-10-03
FOUNDED THE TRIBUNE.
Capt. }. r. Todd, now of r1ena, Ark.
Visits rIOrris.

After an absence of thirty years,
Capt. J. F. Todd, the founder Of The
Morris Tribune, took the editorial
pencil once more, and wrote this bit
of interesting early Morris history
"About June, 1876, one j. @. Cooper,
of Baraboo, Wis, came to Morris and
founded a weekly newspaper called
the 'sFrontier Business" I" the manage
ment of which was assumed by one
w. A. Chandler, then popularity
known as g Shanghai.
"The paper was published in a
small unfinished building situated on
the west emo of Atlantic avenue, on
ground afterwards used as the site
for "Perkins Hotel"
"This paper having no seemingly
fixed principles, advocating neither
politics, ,Fmorals Or religion, proved
unsatisfactory to its patrons and the
citizens of the then enterprising but
sparsely populated little city of Morris,
and after a precarious existence of
only a few months, became more and
more irregular in its issue, until early
in the year of 1877 it ceased to exist
entirely. m Nearly, if not all it's sub
scribers had paid at least one years.
subscription in advance, but graci-
ously submitted to the loss rather than
endure the infiction of it's further
issue.
) Sat this juncture one Fielder B.
Chew attempted to resurrect the paper
from it's ruins but without success and
with this came its second death. This
left Morris without representation in
the newspaper world until lawyer
J. F. Todd in the early months of
g. 1877 purchased the corpse, (then with
a paid subscription list of the
enormous number of four,) placed it
on business foundation, changed it's
name to the Morris Tribune and under
his personal management and super
vision had, within few weeks list
of some seven or more hundred of
subscribers, the paper being official
in this and adjoining counties.
"Under Encouragement of Mr.. Todd
the paper increased in both size and
interest in direct ratio with the rapid
growth of Morris, until in the spring
of 1873 he disposed of his interest to
w. J. Munro"
[Thespaper was sold by Mr.. Munro
to E. W. Randall, by him to Col.
Stevens, and by the latter's HERS to
the present owner
Capt. Todd had not been in Morris
@for thirty years, but being in the
northern part of the state on busi-
ness, he decided to revisit the old
scenes here for the purpose of Sc
curing photo of the house where his
son was born and renewing the friend
ship with such of his friends as might
still be here.
Since leaving here, he has been en-
gagged in special legal work which has
taken him thru many parts of the
South, and he now makes his home at
Mena, Ark, where his wife died with
in year. One of his sons was born
here in the house where J. A. Gutter
now lives, and Mr.. Todd on Tuesday
secured photo of it. Thirty years
ago, there were no trees in Morris,
land Mr.. Todd was much surprised at
the change, and had some difficulty in
finding his old home, it being now
surrounded by some of the very trees
which he carried from Big Stone lake
as mere slips.
Mr.. Todd spent several hours in
The Tribune Office while here, re-
counting early newspaper expert
ences, and giving vivid word pictures
of the Morris of thirty years ago.
Of the men who lived here then,
many have moved away, many have
died, and only few were left who
knew Mr.. Todd, but with them he
enjoyed a delightful visit. Among
the number were W. L. Colyer, o. F.
Tewksbury, VIM. Tandy, D. 7.
Wheaton, T. J. Moore and L. E.
Pearce.
Mr.. Todd left for his home at Mena
on Wednesday noon.