The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-06-05

In August, 1884, President Cleveland
appointed him collector Of internal
revenue in the district of Florida. and
which position he now holds, for the
four years term will not expire until
September next.
The history of his journalistic ca
reer is interesting. In 1881, before a
railroad was built to Orange Lake.
before mail or telegraph reached to a
nearer point than eight miles. he con
ceived and started the Orange Lake
Floridian,, a four-page weekly. The
enterprise was started purely for
amusement. 1t was here that he mas
tered the rudiments OF the printers
art He set type. he distributed it, be
worked the press. he washed the
forms, he wrote editorials and locals
and classified the news page. AMI
last, but not least, carried the papers
to the mail
The Washington hanI-DTess AMI
the apTOnfull Of type grew into quite
a formidable printing outfit. and the
toy became too expensive 20 be Local
ed in the country. so L was decided
TO move the outfit % Ocala. a town J
that time OF 5000 souls ani eighteel
miles distant from Orange Lake The
name OF this paper was taen changed
TO the Florida Lacon. Il was az Ocala
that h published the frst daily pa
! per issued in the interior Ct PENN
Sular Florida. L vas issued for enc
week to chronicle the session of tn
circuit court. Within a year from The
time of his going to Ocala. NJ. VIII
son purchased Al old established
weekiy-tha Barner-and consolidat-
/ ed them as Jhe 3aAler-LacCn, which
vas owned ana edited by him up .
| the great IRE al Oca.a IN 1889
This primary school in journalism
developed opportunities for MIN be-
ter than ne knew. for ke was called
into the larger and wider field % met
rOpolitan newspa ger-making and when
he took charge OF the Florida Daily
Citizen Of Jacksonville, in February.
! 1897, the mechanical knowledge a
we'll as editorial experience enabled
. him fro,u the first issue TO pace BE-
fore the public a newspaper thai took
the front rank il Florida Journalism
/ In the fall Of 1897 the Florida
/ Times-Union was consolidated vi5l
the Citizen and placed under the con
troll of Mr. Wilson and he was both
editor and president of the company
publishing the consolidated papers
known as the Times-UEiou and CiJi-
zen.
! The paper has but few equals in tho
south. 1t is edited with a master
hand.
In Memoirs of Florida" By form
er Governor Francis P. Fleming ap-
peared a biographical sketch of Mr..
Wilson, containing all of the data Civ
en- above, and also the following:
He has had the experience Of travel
in many parts of the world, and an
unusual intimacy with men of learn
ing and of great lives. IN 1885 h
spent some time in Mexico, where ne
made some valuable archaeological dis
lcoveries. having been a scientific stu
dent for many years along the lines
of prehistoric man. He had as his
friends some of the most famous men
of the century. Richard A. Proctor
the wOrld-famOus astronomer, stated
many times that Mr.. Wilson was the
only intimate friend Of his life, as
they were close companions for many
years. at the tine Mr.. Proctor was
finishing his great book on old and
! New Astronomy" Dr. T. SteTry Hunt,
the geOlogist and chemist, the great
est of his school, was also his COIN
panion for two winters al Oaklawn,
THE orange grove home Of Mr.. Wilson
before the freeze. It was at the home
of Mr.. Wilson that DR.. Hunt wrote
his last and greatest essay on the -ev-
Iolution of geology and chemistry, an
essay that has been translated into
every civilized tongue. and at the
tsaIne time Mr.. Proctor was cOmplel-
ling his chapter on his belief in the
laws Of stellar evolution, that has
been read by every scientific man OF
the present age.
( In 1891 Mr.. Wilson was married %
Mamie Fair Marshall of Columbia, ).
C. who died two years later, and In
1899 he was married to Miss Belle
Robinson, daughter of Dr.. Henry Rob
Iinson. a banker OF Jacksonville. Two
sons were born to them. He is sur
vived by his wife and two sons and his
mother. Mrs. s. A. Stewart.
Among the various positions OF
honor and trust that have been held