Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-14
Enrntng G1at


days Of John w. Allen and John
Wyeth, who started the Oracle of
Dauphtn away back in 1792-shows :.
no figure that compares with Hon.
Benjamin F. Meyers, who was laid
at rest to-day. Reference has been
made in the Harrisburg Telegraph
] from time to time of the part that
| the brilliant journalist played in the
| life of the state capital, but few peo-
pie realize now the force that he OK
| erted in this community and the
state by his writing. Mr.. Meyers
came to Harrisburg to live when his
term as Congressman ended at the
beginning of the seventies. For ten
years previously he had been a fire.
quent visitor here as legislator and
delegate to Democratic conventions
and after he had acquired control Of
the Harrisburg Patriot in 1868
When he bought the morning news
paper 1t was published in the Dock
building st Third and Strawberry
streets, where o. Barrett. another
famous knight of the press, had held
forth. This is the self-same build
ing. only changed by some compara-
lively minor alterations, that stands
there to-day being occupied by
stores and offices and the laboratory
OF Colonel Henry c. Demming. The
Patriot establishment, including its
job department, occupied all of the
building except the top floor, where
j. George Ripper printed that infiu-
entail German weekly, the Stats
Zeitung. This newspaper disap-
peared years ago, although the only
thing Teutonic about it was the
language. Ripper. who was the
head of notable family of printers,
was very stanch American and toll
Grated no nonsense. When, in 1874, .
Mr.. Meyers became state printer. he
acquired part of the State Capitol
Hotel lot where the Federal building
now stands. and erected five-story
printing office at Third and Locust
streets, the foundations of which
were uncovered last year in enlarg-
ing the Post Office. The whole Pa
triot fitted overnight and Charles
P. Meek. who was then foreman of
the composing room, came out with
the next mornings issue right up to
the mark and the paper looking. if
anything, better. This building was
the home of the State Printery, and
the newspaper, and was one of the
biggest establishments of the kind in
Central Pennsylvania. 1t was there
that the Patriot expanded its fame
and became a Democratic oracle.
comparable to the Philadelphia Rec
ord and the Pittsburgh Post of our
day. In 1878, when the state print
ing contract expired, the Patriot
moved to $40 Market street, the cor
ner of Market and Dewberry, where
Mr.. Meyers erected the building
which was its home until 1906,
through two changes of ownership.
That lot was part of the Mckee
estate holdings and at first only half
of the building was erected. In 1891
Mr.. Meyers sold the Patriot to the
Messrs. Orr, under whose manage
ment it was equally we'll known from
from end to end of the land as a
militant Democratic daily. Mr.
Meyers connection with the Patriot
ending in that year, he merged his
evening newspaper, the Star, with
Fourth street to the old State Print-D
, cry at Third and Blackberry which
he had acquired from Lane S. Hart.
In those days the city had two
morning and three evening newspa-
pers and couple of Sunday sheets
During his active days in joural-
ism Mr.. Meyers had about him many
nne newspapermen. Among those
who have gone were Major John II.
Filler, an editorial writer as keen
as the owner of the newspaper, and
Theodore Wright, both of whom
went to the Philadelphia Record
later; William P. Coulter, William
Rodearmel. one of the greatest local
a reporters the city ever knew; and
: George M. Wanbaugh. Among the
men living who are among the
aces" of newspaper work in those
days were Alderman George D. Her.
bert and Colonel Demming. In the
composing room there were some
remarkable printers. man of virilIty
and hard sense. There were Edgar
e. Ebbert, Garland E. Allen, a south
erner who was as good an editor as
printer; Oliver Whitman, who later
became his own editor up the state;
Alexander M. Sample, Calvin Mac
Dowell. son of Thomas MacDowell,
one of the editors of the Patriot in
Civil War days; George w. Osler,
long city sanitary officer; Marion
Verheke. George S. Sharp, George
Chandler and Sam" Murphy, to-
gether with Mr.. Neck and others
well recalled by many Harrisburg
people.
Mr.. Meyers was one of the organ
izers of the Citizens Passenger Rail-
way Company, and its president for
a time; the prime mover in tele-
phone competition in Harrisburg,
and interested in electric and other
utilities. He laid the foundation Of
| ehC NdiCyo IbdilWdyS SOUlpdny anu
gave the Wilkes Barre railway sys-
tenn its start. He was interested in
many lines, but he liked best of all
to get beside a reading lamp with
one of the big classics and read in
the original what most of us have TO
turn to translations to absorb. One
time in the heat of a strenuous po-
litical paign-and it would take
a page to tell the stories of the bat
ties he wased-a newspaperman was
sent to get some important informa-
ton from him. After a search of
hotels, headquarters and various Of
fees, Mr.. Meyers was found at home.
The campaign had reached a tight
place and as he felt that events had
to shape themselves, he stole to his
chair at home to read Horace
One day some friends asked Mr..
Meyers what was the most exciting
incident in his varied life.
When the rebels chased me-" re-
Piled the veteran journalist.
Never knew you were in the
war" remarked one of the party.
L came near being part of the
war;" said he. ct was up in my
home country helping look after
some deserters. They had called
upon some of us to assist in the re-
cruiting and I was detailed to look
up some men away down near the
state line. II was about the time
Lee invaded Pennsylvania, and