The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-09-16
THE EVENING JOURNAL SINGS ITS
SWAN SONG AFTER SEVEN WEEKS
Aydlett Gang Fails In It's Third Attempt to Run
an Anti-Saunders Newspaper In Eliza
beth City-What Next?

The third attempt of the Hon.
E. F. Aydlett and his close per-
sonal and political friends to
control newspaper in this city
for the purpose of making war
on w. 0. Saunders and THE IN
DEPENDENT has ended in a
failure. The Evening Journal,
K. G. Shackell, editor and pub
Usher, closed it's seventh weeks
existence in this city last Satur-
day with an announcement
which tells the whole story with
out calling names.
r. G. Shackell, former editor of the
Tarboro Southerner was induced to come
to Elizabeth City upon representations
made to him by E. F. Aydlett, P. H.
Williams and others. Mr.. Shackell was
persuaded that an excellent field exist
ed here for another daily newspaper
and it was understood that $4,000 to
$4,000 would be raised for him if
he would locate here. Nothing was said
to- him about washing the dirty linen
of certain gentlemen interested in
bringing him here: There are some
men who have had their way so long
| that when they put up a little money
for man they think they have bought
him body and soul
But the hackers of Shackell didn't
know their man. They thought they
| could use him. But they couldn't. Even
before rtin Simpson, law partner of
E. F. Aydlett had begun to make prog
ress in selling stock in the Evening
Journal, there began to appear certain
anonymous communications in The
Journal boosting things Aydlett was
interested in and knocking things Ayd-
lett doesn't like. One of these COM
municationsl disclosed the Aydlett infu
ence by asking the question "How long
will the good people of this communi-
ty stand for W. o. Saunders and his
newspaper" Aydlett has been asking
the "good people, of this community
that question for thirteen years and
the good people have answered him by
patronizing this newspaper more iber-
ally every year.
OFC0u SHOW OOWH
THE INDEPENDENT watched the
progress of The Evening Journal with
increasing interest. The Advance was
started in the same way, beginning
with anonymous communications at
tacking W. o. Saunders. Then three
years ago The Herald, posing as a Re
publican paper, was used for, the same
purpose and it leaked out that e. r.
Aydlett, M. N. Sawyer, Miles w. Fere-
bee, G. E. Thompson and other good
Democrats" were on G. r. Pugh's note
in the First National Bank
After watching these familiar tactics
applied thru the Evening journal, this
newspaper decided to force the hackers
of the Journal to a show down. In The
Independent issue of Friday. August 10.
1921, appeared an editorial dealing with
the resignation of DR.. Geo. w. Clarke,
pastor of Blackwell Memorial Baptist
Church. That editorial was written de-
liberately and skillfully to draw blood
and force the hackers of The Evening
Journal to bring their paper into an
open attack on THE INDEPENDENT.
But no attack came from The Journal.
Instead, there appeared in The Jour
nal on Monday, August % an editorial
in which that paper declared it would
not print any more anonymous cOmmu-
nications. Mr.. Shackell said: "Theso
columns were not and are not meant
for individuals to write letters and ar
ticIes for their own qualification and
petty spite, protecting themselves under
some non-de-pIume and casting the bur-
den of responsibility for such pubIica-
tions upon the editor. The
Evening Journal is not published for
factionaI fight . If disruption
and disturbance is the demand Of the
public for newspaper In Elizabeth City,
the editor, disagreeing, would at ORcO
gracefully retire from the field"
That was the beginning of the end Of
The Evening Journal Right then and
there e. F. Aydlett, M. NJ. Sawyer, P.
Fl. Williams and the rest dropped
Shackel like hot brick. Advertise
ments from Aydlett and Sawyer con-
trolled stores ceased to appear in the
columns of The Evening Journal. The
clan cut him loose, leaving him to lose
a hopeless fight and vacate the field so
they can make another try at estab-
fishing a paper here that they can use
FOR the purpose of carrying on a fac
tional fight.
Mr.. Shackell, in announcing the "fn-
De-