Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-27

! ~ q SS StSA for himself as
his friends have
been making for
So 49, him since his
~ -&tgssSs death.
w y The founder of
%r, ssSs & the PhIllstine and
- 81 " Il 81 "a of the Roycroft
| l community was
harry Persons TuUcf, native OF East
Aurora, N. Y, and at present engaged in
business in Wilmington, Del, into which
quiet cove he has come after as varied
a life as any newspaperman ever had
| and survived.
The beginnings of the PhilIstine were
| In the old City Hall - in the Police
| Departmental Denver in the winter of
| 1928. The police reporters of the city
newspapers who, perforce, were there the
| greater part of the time, had a typewrit.
ten-and handwritten-sheet, which was
pasted on the wall for the edi1cation of
the patrolmen, and even the dignifod
| Chief Farley and good old Sam Howe,
then chief of detectives. Johnnie Ley
den, now chief of detectives, was on the
force at the time, and he helped to fur
nish news notes for "The Daily Copper"
The men who furnished the material
for the paper sassed everybody who
needed sassin', and the sheet became
somewhat Of an institution in the days
when "Soapy" Smith ran his gambling
house and the regular evening tragedy Of
murder and suicide was part Of the days
work.
Finally, 1t was proposed that maga.
zine be published in which those of the
boys who thought they could write could
say just what they pleased. That their
efforts found no response from the edi-
tors of the regular periodicals is neither
here nor there, but when It came to a
showdown there didn't seem to be enough
money in the bunch to finance the propo.
sition, so 1t went away from there.
In March, 1898, IL became necessary
for Taber to go to his native town OF
East Aurora, n. Y. There he achieved
an interest in the East Aurora Citizen, a
local newspaper, with Newell W. White
and Harry S. Waggoner. The print
shop was run under the name OF
the White & Wagsoner Company. The
old idea of the magazine which had been
proposed in Denver was still current, and
with a printing establishment at his dis.
posaI the carrying out OF the plan seemed
an easy matter toN Taber.
The proposition was made to the late
William Macintosh. then the managing
editor OF the Buffalo Evening News,I
David Gray, Of the Buffalo Times; Mark |
Hubbell. City Clerk of Buffalo; Eugene |
Richard White. John and Frank OBrien |
and a few other Buffalo newspapermen.
The idea met with approval and the |
first number of the Philistine appeared |
on June l, 1895. Taber set 1t all in type |
with his own hands and printed every |
sheet Of 1t with the help OF his brother. |
To this number Ebert Hubbard con.
tributed a short essay.
Five thousand copies OF the first num-
ber were printed-and then came a fatal
mistake Instead OF sending the little
magazine out through the channels OF
the American News Company. Il was sent
out to individual newsdealers through
out the country. The magazine was ap-
parently an instant success, for repeat
orders poured in, and the July edition
was something more than 10000 copies
still distributed through Individual deal.
ers. This was kept up for three or four
months, until there came time when
the promoters had more than thousand
accounts due them, ranging from so cents
to IS each. These are pretty difficult ac-
counts to collect, and late August brought
the publishers TO the end OF their financial
rope. 1t became necessary to raise money
to meet current bills,
Mr. Hubbard had often expressed a
wish to get into the game. and when this
crisis came Taber went to him with a
to take an interest in the
business. He consented 10 take the AFFAIR
over II he could become the sole owner
of the periodical. agreeing that Taber was
10 remain as editorin-chief and keep a
half interest in the business. AS the crisis
was real. and there seemed to be no
1ther way out. Taber agreed to this and
.hings went on as before, Mr. Hubbard
-aklnS care OF tne Hhdhcldl END OF the
business. This continued until February.
1898. when the split came. This was
'rought about by Taber's refusal TO print
In essay Of Hubbard's which he did not
consider a proper article for a magazine
II the type OF the Phllistine.
Meanwhile. Taber had established the
7oyeroft Printing shop for the purpose
4 making books after the manner then
much In vogue and OF which attitude
William Norris and his Kelmscott
Press were the chief apostles. The only
land-pristed book ever turned out Of the
zoycr0ft shops was set IN type By Taber
nd printed On an ola Washington hand
reas by him ana bis brother. This WAS
a. HubhaFas sons u soi1uou-H
(CeuLuued lcnorfou.l