The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-10-23

80 ONE day when you are rummagng
ezz55$%zza through old trunk in the attic
! !: !. : !
III examining that bunch of old
papers left you by your father or
81 grandfather and you come across
III a newspaper which is yellowed
~ with age, don't become too excited
if you discover that it's copy of
- the Ulster County Gazette for JAN
uary 4, 1900 and that it contains
account of the funeral of George Washing
ton. And don't report the discovery of this
"rare old newspaper to the editor of the local
paper and expect him to write something about
1t for his paper, nor ask him to find out for you
how much it's worth If you do, you're pretty
likely to be disappointed For the chances of
its being a genuine original Ulster County
Gazette" approximately in million.
If it should be, however, you could name your
own price and probably get it. If, as it's APP
proximately 100000 to that it is, your copy
is of the innumerable reproductions of that
famous old newspaper, then it's worth from ten
to twenty-five cents as curiosity and no more.
This edition of the Ulster County Gazette has
been called 'the most famous of all American
historical ghosts" and it has taken nearly a
century to lay that ghost. 1t is true that there
once was such a paper, that it established
May 8, 179S at Kingston, N. Y, by Samuel
Freer and his son, Samuel S. Freer, both
staunch Federalists in the early days Of the
Republic and that in the edition Of January 4,
1900, it did devote large amount of space to
the account of Washingtons funeral. But the
Ulster County Gazette went out of existence
in 1890 and Of the total edition (probably not
more than 300 copies) for that date most of
them went the way of any newspaper after
1t has been read. A few probably were saved
by those who are accustomed to preserve news
papers containing account of an important
historical event but even these copies seem to
have disappeared eventually.
How then to account for the thousands of
reproductions" or reprints which have
flooded the country and which many possessors
believe to be Originals? AS matter Of fact,
the making of reproductions began as far back
as 1925 According to the Best evidence OBJ
tainable, reprints of the January a. 1900, edition
were issued from the shop Of the Peoples Ad-
vocate, published in Kingston by Samuel S.
Freer (who had started that paper in 1920 as
a quarter century memorial to Washington and
were first offered for sale July 4, 1926. In
1S4S another edition Of reprints issued in
honor Of the fftieth anniversary of the found
ing of the paper and again in 1S50-the fftieth
year after Washngton's DEATH
Other reprints probably appeared during the
fifties and sixties but the real flood began in
1876 In that year the Centennial exposition in
Philadelphia revived interest in the Revolution,
in Washington and in American history, in gen.
eral, and there were several reprints Of the
famous Ulster County Gazette by printers who
saw chance in this to make some extra money
and who turned out tens of thousands of
copies. One of them. a certain Walter Gilliss,
is said TO have had the contract for supplying
them for sale on the exposition grounds and
than 100000 copies were sold at five
cents each. In fact they were distributed as
souvenirs Of the exposition by the armful. So
IL your father or your grandfather or any other
member Of your family attended the Centennial
exposition that year, the chances are that the
copy of the Gazette which you have just found
in that old trunk enc Of the Gliss re-
prints
The issuing of reproductions did not end in
1876, however. 1t has been going on merrily
ever since and as recently as 1923 an edition
was printed for an American Legion post in
Missouri to be sold to other Legion posts at
1914 cents each or to the public at % cents
each. SO famous had the Ulster County Ga
zette and its many reprints become that years
ago efforts were made to learn If there was
of the paper. Naturally hundreds of copies
were produced originals but all Of them
were soon proved to be reproductions. Finally
authorities on the subject were ready to declare
that mot single genuine, original copy of the
Ulster County Gazette for January f. 1900, is
now in existence"
And then the impossible happened! In No
vember 1880, the Library of Congress received
an inquiry regarding three issues Of the Gazette
December 2S 1899, and January and January
IL, 1900 Several years previous to that time