The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-01-09
4 SKETCH OF SAUNDERS
CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS
Born in Hertford and Educated in the University
of Hard Knocks-How He Fetched Up
In Elizabeth CITY

CONGRESS
the First Congressional District of
North Carolina. was born on farm
near Hertford, the capital of Per
orimans County. May "A, 1854. There
was nothing miraculous about his
birth. His parents were very poor
and births were a very natural b1-
onnial occurrence in their home.
The parents of w. o. Saunders
we're John r. Saunders, a descendent
of one of the earliest English sett-
1ers of Perquimans county, and Mary
Rvrd Saunders, also of English de-
scent.
When the subject of this sketch
was six years old, his parents moved
+o Hartford and there John r. Saun-
ders established a small grocery and
meat market Will Saunders, the
bov. entered the public schools OF
Hertford and worked in his fatners
Store out of school hours. Store
keeping in a country town 30 years
ago was an arduous occupation. IL
called for getting up at O'Clock IN
the morning and closing shop at Io
or II O'Clock at night.
VIII Saunders worked in that little
store early and late, often missing
..cbooI for weeks at a time on account
of the i'll health and financial STRAITS
of his father. He learned a lot about
life in that little store.
Store keeping made no appeal TO
1he boy and he occupied. his mlno at
odd times by reading such literature
AZ his limited experience could COM
mand. To get money with which TO
huv books he sold newspapers, es-
+ahlisbing a profitable daily newspa-
nor route in the town. Soon he was
wiring the locals for the daily, pub
liShed in Norfolk.
Starts Out in Life Early
At the age of II the boy, tired OF
+ba bum-drum life of the village, am
bitious TO get ahead and do something,
left home with the reluctant consent
of his narents and sought employment
on navspaper in Norfolk. He got
it.
Shortly after that the Wilcox muir
dor case went on trial in EllzaDeth
CITY. The Norfolk newspaper d1dn
have, a man at Elizabeth CITY 10 re re-
mort the case and didn't have a re-
norfpr they could spare out OF NOR
folk. They sent Saunders. Without
nrevious Journalistic experience, but
with an overplus of daring ana re-
so,,rcefu1ness he covered the Wilcox
murder case. writing nearly two col
umns a day for the Norfolk l'anu-
mark while the trial was III progress
Walter l.. Cohoon was then pup
fishing a weekly paper called Ihe 1ai
Heel at Elizabeth City. Cohoon sa"
IN Saunders a successful newspaper
man in the making. Cohoon induced
Saunders to take hold of The La
11oo1 os EDITOR. reporter and all rount
outside man.
Saunders ran the Tan Heel according
+o his own ideas. His idea was to tel
the news literally and not to give
ra,7 whether folks liked it or not ID
made about as many enemies
friends for the paper by this unlqu
policy.
And Then Failure
After about a year of this ventur
Saunders went down to Edenlon' III
capital of Chowan county and lease
email printing outfit there, wit
which he attempted to estabhsh
weekly newspaper of his own.
made a failure of it.
From Edenton he went BACK
Norfolk and became reporter on u
Norfolk Dispatch, since consolloate
with the Ledger and now known
the Iedger-Dispatch. He pecan
known as one of the best neWspap'
raporters in Norfolk and when Il
o+cI
Bile fight on the rotten Fusion rom
cal regime in Norfolk county, w.
Saunders was the reporter who Wro
up the corruption Of those MOTTO
county politicians day after day un
the people were aroused. Sauhde
made enemies by his fearless new
work in Norfolk
He tried to quit newspaper "o
and went with a real estate conce
for - season. Then he went to NJ
YoT-. anI worked with an advertise
agcnc~. Got the newspaper 1tch aga
md v-cn+ on uearst's New 70
American. Got little satisfaction
Of it and too little pay to supp'
himself and q wifc in New York Cl
For he had married in mean tH
marrvfng Miss Columbia balance,
Elizabeth City. on March .. l9o4-
Back to Elizabeth City
n Nay 1904 W. Q. Saunders ca
back to Elizabeth City. worked a WI
on . local paper. made more eneml
He moved to Norfolk and again G.
nectcd himself with the D1spat
The T,iSpatch was purchased by
consolidated with the Ledger IN i
and Saunders found himself out
olnp,ov.ncnt. lie obtained employm
az chief Clerk of the North Car
la Pine Association in Norfolk,
cupying that position for about tive
months.
While connected with the Pine
sociation. the Lumber Trade Joul
Of New Orleans found him out
gave him then handsome salary
travel the southeastern states
write about lumber1hen and saw
interests generally. He was with
Lumber Trade Journal for about
months when he was laid Off III
panic of 1907-OS.
e 1O0O bn c1mf