The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-25
EARLY EDITORS
 OF CALIFORNIA A Chaplain, a Dentist and a
 Mormon Elder THE FIRST AT MONTEREY Established a Month After the Amerl- can occupatIon-caIlfornIa Left Without Paper By Rush
 for Gold Mines.
THE FIRST AT MON NTEREY
From the New York Sun.

From the New 1OrK Ou0.
 There was sold in this city the other day a copy of California's first news paper, the Monterey Californian. It was dated December 1e, 1s46, was crudely printed, had four pages, s14x12 inches. and was half in Spanish and half in English.
 The paper owed it's start to Commodore Stockton, who succeeded Commodore Sloat in command of the Pacific squadron after Sloat had hoisted the United States flag at Monterey on July ', 1S46. Upon looking over the property of the defunct Mexican government there was dis covered an old font of long primer type and a Ramage press, which had been used since 1894. to do the official printing of the Mexican government in California.
 Commodore Stockton had appointed as ono of the alcaldes of Monterey the Rev. Walter Cotton, chaplain of one of the yes- sels of the squadron, and he suggested that MT. Colton should issue an American newspaper. This suggestion MT. Coltor promptly adopted, and with Dr. Robert Semple he began the publication of the Monterey Californian on August 15, 1s46, little more than a month after the oc- cupation of the country by the American forces.
 Dr. semple, afterward one of the most prominent of California's citizens, was a man of unusual personality. He was a dentist by occupation, 6 feet inches in height, and possessed of tremendous strength. He came originally from Ken lucky and was a member of Fremont \ party when the Pathfinder first went to Monterey to join forces with Sloat. A r-- IL vessels of Admiral Seymour's squadron recorded his impressions of the Americans accompanying Fremont, and referred par ticulariy to Semple, saying: "One man, doctor, 6 feet high, was an odd look ing fellow. May I never come under his hands"
 When Cotton and semple began the is- sue of the Californian they found one in- portant def1ciency-the font of type did not contain W. This difciency was sup piled to a degree by the use of two v's whenever occurred. The editor apoligIzed for the lack of WIS in an edi- torial which read!
 Our Alphabet-Our type is a spanish font picked up here in a cloister, and has no vv's in 1t, as there is none in the spanish alphabet. have sent to the sand vvich Islands for this letter. in the mean time we must use two vs Our paper at present is that used for wrapping segars; our object Is to establish a press in California and this we shall in all probability be able to accomplish. The absence of my partner for the last three months and by butfes as Alcaldd here have dedrived our little paper of some of those attentions which I hope will hereafter receive.
 WALTER COUPON.
 MT. Cotton described the press as being old enough to warrant it's preservation as a curiosity. The type was dirty and pied, and 1t was only by securing that the letters could be made to show their faces. There being neither rules nor leads,l some sheets of tin were cut up into pieces that would answer the requirements The only paper available was in sheets little longer than ordinary foolscap. This was the paper on which most of the archives of California and other Spanish American provinces were written, the thicker quality being prepared for writing purposes, while the thinner grades were used for cigarette paper The office of the Californian was in an upper room of , the Monterey barracks. and the first number created a sensation, a crowd waiting for the first sheets to come from the press.
 It appears from reading the apologetio editorial that the front also lacked capital
 
 Islands should be referred to as the source of the necessary supply of WIS. but as a matter of fact Honolulu was the nearest supply center in those days for the whole Pacific coast.
 The needed supply of type had appar- ently not reached the Californian up to December 19, 1S46, for in that issue the same expedient of using two WIS for a V was used.
 In May, 1847 the Californian was re- moved from Monterey to San Francisco the last number to be issued at Monterey bearing the date May 6, 1847. On June l. 1S47, appeared the first number of the second volume which ran to April, 1s4S
 The second newspaper published in California, the Yerba Buena California Star. appeared first on January g, 1s47 under the ownership of Samuel Grammar, native or Maine and a Mormon elder Grammar chartered a ship in this city in 1S46, and on February 4, sailed with a party of Mormon converts numbering about 240 for the purpose of establishing a colony In California at the time that the main body of the Mormons were leay- ing Nauvoo, H., for their long trip to the heart of the western wilderness So many of Brannan's party settled in Yerba Buena that for a time 1t was known as a Mormon town.
 Of course when Grammar sailed from New York California was still under The Mexican domination. Like other Mor- mons, Grammar was anxious to escape United States control, and was very dis agreeably surprised to see the stars and stripes floating over Yerba Buena when his vessel sailed up San Francisco bay on July 31, 1S46. He is said to have ex- claimed in tones of the deepest disgust: There is that damned flag again"
 Another story told of the elder Is to the effect that for long time he regularly called upon the Mormon colonists for payment of church tithes The tithes were unhesitatingly paid for a certain time, and then discontent arose, which resulted in flat refusal to make further payments to Brannan. The latter stormed. insisting that he was an elder of the Mormon church and the proper person to receive tithes, but the Mormon set tiers had fully made up their minds not to pay. Upon being convinced of this Elder Grammar immediately changed front, saying that he did not blame them-that