The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1947-07-10

our county, anu ttlpst VI ttC oNt-
standing works before the Civil War
times. If we could drop in on Old
Hagerstown for a view of the situa-
ton Just prior to the Civil War, and
during the excitement of the Mexi-
can War, we would have found five
papers in Hagerstown alone. These
were: The Herald of Freedom, by
Mittag and Sneary; The Torch Light,
by Edwin Bell; The Hagerstown
News, by John w. Boyd; The Mary
land Herald, by Grieves: the Senti-
mel of Liberty, by Gruber; and the
Williamsport Times. Most of these
publishers found the public so hung
ny for news that it was profitable to
print a mid-week issue in addition
TO the regular weekly.
During the Civil War there were
some interesting incidents that di-
rectly affected the newspaper pub
fishers The newspapers, as always, !
favored one side or the other, and
it may be that on several occasions
one publisher was unwisely bold in !
expressing his views in what we
might almost call defiance of the
general public opinion of the county
In the early days of secession
the papers were generally puzzled |
to know which cause to sponsor,
but with the growth of sentiment |
against rebellion, the Herald and
Torchlight became violent in its at
tacks on the secessionists and their
sympathizers. But the HagerstoWn
Mail (whose beginning we shall
shortly examine) was just as "vio-
lent in its support of secession. This
attitude was just slightly dampened
when the Mails editor, Daniel Dec
bert of Pennsylvania, was arrested
and jailed for six weeks.
At later time, in the same war,
the Mail could not, or would not,
conceal its 'eXultation over the de-
moralizing defeat of the Federal
Army at Front Royal, and their
flight to and across the Potomac
River. An "infuriated mob" was
quickly formed and centered it first
attention on the office of the Mail,
which then stood on the northwest
corner of the square. The destruc
ton of the Mails office and equip
ment was not immediate, however,
for Mr.. Dechart had time to go to
the mayor and ask for protection.
Mayor Radcliff's reply to this re-
quest was short and sweet, but
costly: he told Mr.. Dechart that he
was entitled to no protection what
ever" His office was, of course,
destroyed, as well as the hardware
store of Nathaniel Sener. After the
war, both Dechart and Sener col
lected for these damages from the
town, winning their suits because the
mayor had openly refused protec
ton Mr. Decharts loss at the hands
of the mob cost the town $7,50000,
and the bonds which were sold to
pay Mr.. Deehart'S and other similar
claims, were not entirely paid off
until twenty years had gone by.
Not quite one month after the
first mobs actions, there was an
other mob in Hagerstown This time
there was no attacks on a news
paper, but The Herald and Torch
light printed the following, after
Rhoades' restaurant and George
Grubers silversmith shop were de-
stroyed: "Those who sympathize
with this hellish rebellion, inaugu-
rated for the overthrow of the gov
eminent, law and order, are begin
ming to see and feel its consequent
ces."
Washington County saw its first
daily paper in 1873, the HagerStown
Daily News. The history of this pa
per, which was a direct descendant
of the first paper of our county, was
given in last weeks Horse and Bug
Sy Lays, bGlll1lS IlOW Vic 0uAAJ AtSWo
absorbed the old Herald and Torch
light, which in turn had come from
the Spy, and later becoming our
present Morning Herald.
The second daily in our county
was the Hagerstown Evening Globe,
established in 1879 by Ira w. Hays
one of the members of r. NJ. Hays
& Brothers. This paper was bust
ness success from the first, perhaps
because of its distinction of being
strictly a news paper, and non
partisan. 1t gained for itself high
reputation for honesty and accuracy.
: 1t has been referred to as IAN object
lesson in County papers" since it
proves that politics is not essential
to newspaper. Credit for the out
standing success of the Globe is COM
monty divided between Mr.. Hays
and the associate editor, Leslie c.