Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-04
REFLECTOR FINALLY
GIVES UP The GHOST
Owners Tire OF Struggle For
Existence and Final Issue OF
Paper Has Appeared
DEMOCRATIC ORGAN 20 YEARS
Was Once Paying Property, But in Re-
cent Years Has Detsriorated Rapidly
Half Interest Sold for $4,000 Eight
Years Ago; Recently on Market at
Any Price-continue Job Department.


There was no editorial notice to herald
the fact. and from all appearances the
paper died a natural death. The pres
ent owners of the property have tired
Of the continued struggle for existence,
and hereafter will operate only the job
department OF their plant. The prop
erty has been turned over to the man
agement Of Frank Corbin, who has
been employed as foreman for the past
few years.
For twenty-six years, or until the
spring Of the year 1907, the Reflector
was the democratic organ OF Marshall
county. When Greene & Hatcher took
the plan % secure themselves on notes
given to m a stock company. party
politics was nominally dropped from
forming any part of the papers make
up, and the paper was declared to be
Independent. The leaning, however.
was strongly republican, altf1o one Of
the owners is democrat.
Started Oct. 8, 1880.
The Reflector, both as a newspaper
and in it's capacity as a job printing
establishment, was once a paying
piece Of property. Especially was this
true Of the Job printing department OF
ate years, however, the plant has de-
Perforated rapidly. and the investment
was far from paying, as recent devel-
opments have proved.
The Reflector was started Oct. 3,
1880. by W. D. Crowl and Charles
Henry, under the firm name Of Crowl
& Henry. Both proprietors were
young men and practical printers,
Henry having been employed for a
number of years by George Sewer on
the Times, and Crowl by the old
Statesman George Sewer backed
the young men. and loaned them $500
with which was purchased small
plant that was Installed in two rooms
over George Trautmann's shoe store on
West Main street.
From this modest start the Sunday
Morning Reflector had its birth. Things
went along swimmingly. The paper
grew and the job department did a
big business. New material was added,
and more commodious quarters soon
began to make demands upon the pro-
prietors.
Indicted for Libel.
As editor Of the Sunday Reflector
Billy" Crowl was ofttimes inclined to
use vitrol instead Of ink in putting
color into local events, and following
sensational charges made against the
late n. E. j. Boardman, the publishers
Of the paper were indicted for criminal
libel The case, however, was never
tried, as George Sewer bought out
Crowls interests, and 81 complete re-
traction of the article in question was
made, whereupon the indictment was
quashed.
Mr.. Sewers entrance into the bus
mess that he had been instrumental In
starting, was in 1888, and from the or
iginal $500 investment the property had
been built up so that Sewer bought
the Crowl half interest for $500.
Put Up Building.
When Mr.. Sewer became identified
with the concern the business was even
more rapidly developed than 1t had
been, and 1t was decided to put up a
new building as a. home for the news
paper. The name of the paper was also
changed to the Iowa State Reflector,
the publishing firm being styled Henry
& Sewer. The building was built at
1923 East Main street, and is still Mr..
Sewers property. 1t was occupied UNI
til 1900, when the Reflector moved to
it's present quarters, at f226 East Main.
In 1898 Mr. Sewer sold to ]. P. Dotson,
who dropped the iowa State and
made the name plain Reflector.
Gets $4,000 for Half interest.
For the half interest that he had
paid $4,000 for five years before George
Sewer received $4,000 when he sold to
Dotson. The job department business
had been built up wonderfully, and the
month before Sewer sold 10 Dotson the
firm had done $1,100 worth OF work
for the Iowa Central alone, to say
nothing Of a large volume Of CONNER
cial business. Mr.. Dotson paid more
attention to the newspaper itself than
had ever been done before, and the pa
per, during his editorial management,
more than paid for itself. In 1900, when
Dotson bought into the Times-Republi-
can, he sold his half interest to 4. F.
Bradford for the same money he paid,
$4,000. In 1906 Bradford disposed Of
his interest to Henry for $4,000, and
Henry organized the Reflector Print
ing company, Incorporating it. It was
in this way that Greene & Hatcher
became interested in the paper, and
in the summer Of 1905 they took charge
Of the plant to protect their own in
terests, Mr.. Henry retiring. The late
Byron Webster was placed in charge
Of the paper as editor, and was nomin-
ally in control until his death on Jan.
81, 1907 On April 1, 1908, Henry ].
of Chicago, took the plant
On contract, in which he was to pay /
$4,000 in $50 and 500 monthly INSTALL
nents. The recent termination of this |
contract, upon default Of payments,
was made when Mr. Greene entered |
suit to collect the money due the own. |
ers.
viii Continue Job Department..
The Reflector company's job depart /
,,ent will be continued in charge OF |
Foreman Ccrbin until some other dis
position IS made Of the property.
. Election Night at Y. N. c. A.
The ladies auxiliary who are making
4 feature of Election night" at the Y !
NJ. G. A extend the invitation to ladies'
10 be present The secretary's office |
mud the reading room will have accom- !