The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-01-24
THE PENSACOLA NEWS
A NEWSPAPER ORPHAN

| The financial troubles of the Pen
| sacola News have developed a peculiar
| situation that is attracting g, great
deal Of attention,
| It transpires that the News now oc-
cupies the anomalous position of haY-
! ing no acknowledged owner. e 3. Han
| son, who announced tho purchase OF it
! some three months ago, says he does
not own It, but that on January 1 he
| turned it over to Ben H. Thomas. Mr.
| Thomas says that the paper was Of
| fered TO him by Mr.. Hanson, but that
! he declined to ccept it and It does
not therefore belong to him. IT. A.
/ Felfel and II. N. Miller, from whom
! Mr.. Hanson says he bought the paper
| last October, say they do not own It.
| Victor Hanson of the Bir1ningi7a III
| News says he has no interest in the
| Pensacola paper. No one, in fact, can
| be found who Will admit his owner
| ship.
The corporate title under which the
News was published is the News Pub
fishing Co Limited, but no officers Of
the corporation can be located nor
| can any stockholders be found who
will admit that they own the stock.
The News, in fact, seems to be
| ne Wspa per orphan and 'Uncie ST. Lii
lard, the receiver in Bankruptcy, is
| very properly assuming the duties Of a
probation officer until some one adopts
the orphan or the real parents are To-
Gated.
The newspaper reports and tho pub
lished statements of some Of the pers-
ons directly or indirectly interested in
the News form entertaining reading
On November 81, the Jacksonville Nc
trnNnliS Harrfo5 Tay9conpT-, t.a11
from which the following is taken:
Jacksonville Metropolis Report.
'SeVerals years ago the News vas
purchased by ". B. Crawford, backed
financially by T. a. Jennings. from I.
B. Hilson, who was then in possession.
Subsequently. Nj Crawford stepped
out, and it was announced that the
owners were c. r. Greenawalt and II.
NJ. Miller, a little later H. A. F'elkel
II. NJ. Miller, Q. NJ. Johnson and s. 4.
Sanborn held all the stock. but the
general understanding was that r. A.
Jennings was the hacker Of the News
During October last the purchase OF
the property by c. 3. Hanson was an
nounCed, and later on i was stated
that Albert Hanson was also interested
to a certain extent. Following the re-
moval of c. B. Hanson to Jacksonville,
where the Hansons established the
Jacksonville News, the Pensacola News
has been in charge of Ben H. Thomas
as manager for c. B. Hanson. It is
asserted here that c.. E. Hanson never
invested a cent in the News, although
it is said, secured a. loan of $500 from
the First National bank, which it is
said, went into the property. c. B.
Hanson has not been in Pensa cola |
since the middle of December, and the
general belief exists that he practically
abandoned the property.
However, this was denied by Han |
son in an editorial in the Jacksonville |
News January II, in which he assert
ed that he was still publisher of the
Pensacola News"
On the same date that the foregoing |
was published in the Metropolis, the
Jacksonville News, Mr.. IIanson's pa
per. published the following:
Mr.. Hanson's Statement.
Clarence B. Hanson, associate pub |
Usher of the Jacksonville News, is not !
in any way financially interested in |
the Pensacola News, which yesterday !
was thrown into involuntary bank |
ruptcy. Mr.. Hanson severed his con-
nection with the Pensacola News Pub !
fishing Company about the first Of the |
year. transferring his entire holdingS1
of stock in that corporation to Ben H. |
Thomas, who has been in charge Of
the publication.
1.-THE News is the oldest paper on the
west coast of Florida, and its failure to
weather the financial storm, which has
swept away eight Of the biggest bust /
ness concerns of Pensacola within less
than thirty days, will be generally re-
GREETED throughout the state.
Mr.. Hanson, when advised Of tho
failure through dispatches published
this morning, gave out the following
statement of his connection with that |
paper and it's severance. II. NJ. Miller,
one of the former owners of the Pen
sacola News, also issues a signed
statement substantiating the facts az
explained by Mr.. Hanson.
1.-THE statements of Mr.. Hanson and
Mr.. Miller follow:
''In reference to the news notice in
the Times Union of even date that the
Pensacola News had been thrown into
bankrup toy and connecting
my name with same, I think it only
fair to my friends and t1le Jacksonville
public to make q statement showing
hen and where my connection with
the paper began and ceased
"At the outset I want to say that
have not owned in any way, shape,
or form any STOCK whatsoever
in the Pensacola News since January
1. 1914 The truth OF the matter is
that early in October, 1913. interested
myself in that paper. After investigat-
Ing same, receiving statements from
the then owners Cor representing
then) Messrs. H. NJ. Miller and II. A
Felkel. I concluded TO take over the
Pensacola News. The basis Of our
trade was made on the previous years
income and the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
in writing on both sides being MADE.
After taking over the paper I found
that the paper owed e great deal more
than the records, statements, etc.
showed That was the first hitch and
delayed &he consumnla-
ton of the trade had entered into