The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-03-10
Gaping
the CAPITAL
With BEN HAYES

NOluIIlDIo--IN 1f1dI LIIlJ DOI IL III
Caldwell, will be at the Deshler |
early tomorrow morning to well
come the men and women who
run Ohio's newspapers. 1t will
be the beginning of the annual
convention of the Ohio News
paper Association of which Ed
is executive director.
AS in the past, Ohio's outstand-
ing weekly newspapers will COM
pete for awards for excellence,
with their editors assembling at
a Buckeye Press Association
breakfast early Friday.
New methods of setting type
and printing will be featured. For
the first time there will be an
exhibit of mechanical equipment.
1t will be comprehensive feat
ured by a demonstration of Ba-
telle Memorial Institutes new
"xerography" method of print
ing.
I learned by talking with Ed at
his office at 1873 E. High street,
that his father Frank NJ Martin,
founded The Caldwell Journal.
The Martins came to Caldwell
during the Civil War. DR.. John
W. Martin, Eds grandfather came
there to practice medicine. Soon
Eds father was working as a
printers devil for Mr.. Cooley
who ran Republican paper.
Frank Martin later left Mr..
Cooley's paper to found The
Journal. Later he bought and alb
sorbed Mr.. Cooley's paper.
Among Mr.. Martins employees
was Jesse Harris, later to become
editor of the Leader.
By the time he was eight years
old, Ed was getting ink on his
hands. He was setting type at The
Journal, also bustling about the
court house square picking up
personals and doing many writ
ing chores.
Since those days, Ed has work
ed on many other newspapers
and held public positions in
Washington Che first went there
as secretary to Congressman W.
c, Mooney, who was Eds unCle)
but he certainly remembers
Caldwell.
we had great baseball teams
md good hands" he recalled.
And Doc Reishng, the dentist,
was a great pitcher for Brooklyn
and other big league teams. was
pitching with the local team. Doc
tried to show me how to throw
a spitball. But l was wild with
out it. l never did master the
spitball.'
Ed mentioned the two big fires
(about 190O) that struck within
80 days. First the south side of
the square was wiped out. Then
flames swept through the north
side.
when the second fire struck,
a field meet was being held at
the fairgrounds" Ed continued.
when we saw the smoke, we
ran all the way in. During the
excitement, someone tried to
break into the county treasurer
office"
Ed was one of the Snake
Eaters" He really warmed to
that recollection. He was one of
Is young men who built cabin
in the woods east of Olive. They
spent weekend there, cooking in
a big fireplace-but mostly they
practiced craftsmanship with
rifles.
Henry Friedman named us
Snake Eaters because we were
in the woods. How some Of us
could shoot. We drove nails with
20 bullets and shot holes in each
others hats. One time a fellow
had a package of Mail Pouch shot
from his hip pocket. Then one OF
us would tWirl a set of ear muffS.
1t was not enough to hit one of
the muffs. You had to clip it off
the elastic"
Ed said taller stories were told
but that all these stories are
100 per cent true. Later the
Snake Eaters took the old Metho-
dist church as a clubhouse and
staged boxing and wrestling
shows.
Then came a young group
The Savages" who built cabin
on Mckee land above town. A
great rivalry sprang up between
the clubs.
"Those were the days" Ed said.
why, back then, there was
nothing west of the railroad. All
woods there then