The Ocala evening star., 1911-06-01

welcome release to Mr. Bittinger at
half past fye o'clock yesterday after /
noon. His wife and daughter and some |
OF his closest friends were at his bed !
side, where they had watched unre- /
mittingly all the day and the night be |
fore. Sometimes during the last few
hours he was disturbed by brief at
tacks Of pain, but most of the time he
lay in an unconscious condition which
gradually changed into his final sleep.
Mr.. Bittinger was born at York.
Pennsylvania, in 1913. At the outbreak
OF the civil war. he volunteered and
went TO the front as a private in a
Pennsylvania regiment, and must have
served his country well, for he rose TO
the rank of lieutenant colonel Dur
ing the fighting around the defenses
of Wilmington, y. C., in 1864. he was
taken prisoner and passed some
months in a stockade in South Caro-
lima. II is a proof Of mis- genial nature
that during his imprisonment ne won
the friendship Of many Of his guards.
thus mitigating the captivity Of his
comrades az well as his own.
After the war Mr.. NBittinger went
west. For time he was in business
in Chicago. Later he explored the
mining regions of the northwest, and
bore his full share OF thsf trials Of the
pioneers of the day.
In the early eighties he came TO
Florida, and first made his home in
what is now the Summerfeld section.
Here be pursued the avocatiOns Of a
farmer and a school teacher and be-
came 50 thoroughly imbued with SYM
pathy for the work and responsibility
OF those two callings that ever after
the affairs of those who followed them
held n c1n int
While engaged in teaching he be
came a correspondent of the Oca1a
Banner and his work a correspond
ent led to his accepting a position on
that paper which he held until 1864
period of twelve years
Mr.. Bittinger took most active
part in the campaign of '84. in which
Marion county was redeemed from
carpet-bag rule. As reporter for the
Banner. he accompanied the candidates
over the county, and his work for
democracy had not little to do with
the result.
His interest in public school work
won for him, first, the friendship, then
the love of Miss Helen Nichols, also
a teacher, to whom he was married in
1890. Two children were the fruit of
this union-one died in infancy: the
other Miss Adele. young girl just
blooming into wOmanhOod, is the chief
comfort and help of her widowed
mother.
In the latter part of the year 1896,
Mr.. Bittnger resigned his position on
the Banner and went to Asheville, N
c., where he assumed the business
management of a weekly paper, to
which he gave the same hustling ener-
gy that has characterized his work in
Florida.
Early in 1897, however, Rev. J. c.
Porter, then proprietor of the Ocala
Evening Star, conceived the idea of
starting weekly paper in connection
with the daily. BY the advice of a
friend, who knew Mr. Bittinger's en-
ergy and wide acquaintance with the
people of Marion county, he offered
that gentleman the management of the
new weekly. Mr.. Bittinger, who had
been in Marion county so long that it
was not easy to work in any other
part of the world. accepted with en-
thusiasm He returned to Ocala and
entered on his task. with an energy
that soon put the Weekly Star a
solid foundation. The times were hard
times indeed-Florida was just begin
ming to recover from the big freeze
and the county in general was slowly
emerging from the great Industrial
depression that began in 1898 Silver
dollars looked big cartwheels.
and were scarcer. Putting a paper on
a paying basis was uphill work, but
Mr.. Bittinger pushed the Weekly Star
up the incline with vim and a
success seldom seen in Florida, and
before two years had passed it was a
power in the state as well as in the
county.
1t was his special delight as we'll
his best work, to go out among the
county people. at their picnics and
other celebra tions. to mingle with
them, to find out what they were do
ing, and then write about their affairs.
He would do this in perhaps a dozen
different neighborhoods in season, or
during a campaign, and thereby es-
tablished a community of sentiment in
Marion county, and the northern part
of Sumter. The people of Flemington.
Mcintosh, Fort Mccoy and Graham
Vile realized as never before that
South Lake Weir. Summerfeld and
Pedro were in the same county and
had interests in common with them.
He always kept a bright lookout for
country people coming to town, always
had a welcome for them and wanted
to know the news of their neighbor-
hoods. He did this not only a busi-
ness Dut as pleasure tie entered
into the affairs of the people with in
terest-he joyed in their successes and
sorrowed in their troubles.
Another special work he did for
years was reporting the proceedings
of the board of county commissioner
The people had received before this
only brief and not always correct Of
fetal reports. Mr.. Bittinger changed
this He met with the board so reg
ularly that he was dubbed the unOf-
fetal member. He reported its pro-
ceedings in full, in his usual good
humored vein, but without fear or
favor.
About two years after the Weekly
Star was established. Mr. Bittinger
bought half interest in the Daily and
Weekly Star. and became editor in
chief of the combined papers. which
work he followed up TO the time OF
his last sickness.
Mr.. Bittinger a man of public
spirit. heartily supporting every move
that promised Improvement of the city
county, state or nation. He was broad
minded-his views were generally cor
rect, and always tolerant. While he
did not believe in denunciation. he
could not be induced to favor any
thing he considered of doubtful merit.
He was possessed of a great, good
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