22 



Ql\)t Jarmcr's iHontl)i|) faisilor. 



pies with no less ability lliaii the bold patriot who 

 first put his name to the Declaration of Inilepeii- 

 ilence, of wlioin he was the intimate friend and 

 companion ever after the revolution. " Old 

 South," which appeared in a series of essays in 

 the Chronicle, was marked for boldness and 

 ability — tlii-y liad^o great an effect as to give 

 ^lieif author cniineiue with the farmers in the in- 

 terior. With the return of the bottles of the milk- 

 man twice a week came the old Chronicle to our 

 home seven iniles out of Boston : our plain far- 

 mer-father, then a young man, had well known 

 Hancock and Austin. JJefore we could read our- 

 selves, we heard him read and comment upon 

 the imiid)crs of " Old South " (Benjamin Austin) 

 in the Chronicle in controversy with " Laco," 

 (John Lowell, afterwards known as the "Little 

 Rebel ") in the Centiuel. Our first wonder in 

 taking up the new sheet was, how so many let- 

 ters could be changed, as the work of every three 

 days — giving new stories and new events in each 

 succeeding paper with the same appearance. 

 The same hook — a primerorspelling book — was 

 ever the same : the newsjiaper was always new 

 matter. That year of 1794, under the banners of 

 " Honestus" and the Chronicle, in the early di- 

 vision of parties after the adoption of the British 

 treaty, led the larmers of Middlesex in the trium- 

 phant election to Congress of Gen. Joseph B. 

 Varniim, over his most eminent and talented 

 competitor, Samuel Dexter. Nor were the re- 

 . publicans of Suffolk always in the minority. — 

 With the aid of Charlestown sometimes, and only 

 Chelsea and Hull at others, Doct. William Eustis 

 repeatedly was chosen representative in Congress 

 for Boston. With the vast odds of newspapers 

 ngainst ihera, Uie republicans sometimes even in 

 Boston bad a majority. In the first election of 

 Calfeb Strong for Governor, Boston gave Elbridge 

 Gerry ttiorc votes than his successful competitor. 

 William Cooper, the old democratic town clgsrk, 

 never could bo beat by the federalists. Boston 

 in J704 was not as large or as populous as Lowell 

 at the present time. Charles Austin, a promising 

 youth of nineteen years of age, and then a stu- 

 -dent at Harvard college, the son of Benjamin 

 Austin, was shot in State street by Thomas O. 

 Sell'ridgc, a lawyer and political writer of some 

 eminence. The fatliir had written for the Chron- 

 icle, commenting with some severity on the [iro- 

 ceedings of the federalists upon a fourth of July, 

 where both parties joined or attempted to join in 

 a union celebration. Selfridge was one of the 

 ^managers of the celebration, and retorted in an 

 advertisemiiut ill another newspaper, of very few 

 lines, under the caption '-Austin posted," charg- 

 ing the eommenlator with falsehood, meanness, 

 cowardice and the like. Mr. Austin was then old, 

 and perhaps infirm — too old and infirm to meas- 

 ure bin iigtli with his adversary. Young Austin 

 came in from Cambrirlge and appcare<i on the 

 exchange with the avowed intention of avenging 

 liis father's injury by castigating Sell'ridgc. The 

 latter, prepared for the attack, came out of his of- 

 fice and crossed over Slate street, where he was 

 followed by Austin. 'I'lie former, retreating to a 

 corner, turned about, <lrew a loaded pistol fionj 

 his |)ockel and inslanlly shot his pursuer, who fell 

 deiid upon the pavement, lie gave himself over 

 to the civil oflictr .md went to prison, where he 

 remained without bail to the day of trial. The 

 grand imiuest of Suftolk county presented a bill 

 of indictment against Selfridge for intn<lor. Trial 

 was had before a petit jury composed of highly 

 rospectahle ciiizuns. Selfridge was defended by 

 Samuel De.\tcr and other able counsel, and was 



convicted only of ^manslaughter or justifiable 

 homicide. The death of yoimg Austin, who was 

 universally lamented, exasperated by the political 

 iliU'ereYice of the parties causing each to take 

 sides, produced not a little excitement. From 

 that day the temperatnent of "Honestus" seem- 

 ed to be soured : he dwelt upon the untoward 

 death of his son, and brooded over it oidy witli 

 leelings of revenge. Passlijg on the pavement 

 once where he met the object of his hatred, weak 

 and old as he was, he elbowed him into the gut- 

 ter. The late David Everett, who died at Mari- 

 etta, Ohio, in 1819, was at the time of the contro- 

 versy a law partner of Selfridge. Blr. Everett, 

 in 1808, was the editor of the JSoston Patriot at 

 the time of its establishment. Previously a fed- 

 eralist, on the issuing of Jiritish orders in coim- 

 cil which led to the capture and condemnation of 

 American merchant ships, Mr. Everett wrote a 

 scries of able essays, triumphantly defending the 

 ,\merican side of the question as assailed by 

 Scott, a judge of the BVitich Admiralty, who de- 

 fended the seizure and condemnation, alleging 

 that they conformed to the law of nations. The 

 essays of Mr. Everett, originally published in the 

 Chronicle, were re-printed in a ))amphlet, and es- 

 pecially applauded by the republicans, the feder- 

 alists generally being inclined to justify or palli- 

 ate the injustice of the seizure. ]Mr. Aiicitin was 

 asked his opinion of the merits of this book and 

 its author. "Ihave not read it," said he, " nor 

 would I ever read the work of that man whto 

 woidd shake hands with Thomas- Oliver Self- 

 ridge." 



Ol' the publishers of the Chronicle, Abijah Ad- 

 ams was generally in business hours seen stand- 

 ing over the daybook and ledger at the desk of 

 his counting-room. It is presumed he never pen- 

 ned a paragraph in liis life that could he tortured 

 into a libel upon anybody: yet the violence of 

 party spirit, a vindictive feeling towards the old 

 Chronicle about the close of the war with Great 

 Britain, |)urstied this old man with gray hairs im- 

 til ho was immured withhi the walls of a prison, 

 under the ehai'ge of libel. Soon after tliis, there 

 was a dissolution of iiartnership' by Adams and 

 Rhodes; ami in the subsequent era of daily news- 

 papers, the Imlepeiulent Chronicle, with other 

 semi-weeklies, has become merged in the larger 

 establishment of the Daily Advertiser, of oppo- 

 site politics, or otherwise may be said to be ex- 

 tinct. 



'Vho Mcrcunj andJ\"ew Unf^land Pulhtdium, pub- 

 lished on TtK'sdays and Fridays, for more than a 

 quarter of a century, was the property of two 

 jiraclieal printers doing business under the firm 

 of YouKG &. Minns. This paper on the first di- 

 vision of parties was of a severe federal charac- 

 ter. Among its reputed constant writers for.sev- 

 •lal years, were the late geographer, Jedediah 

 fllorse, D. D. tmd Warren Duttoii, a Boston law- 

 yer of some eminence. A liberal eontribulion of 

 political leaders, among them the laie Fislur 

 Ames, is said to have furnished the Palladium 

 gratuitously to every congregational or standing- 

 order clergyman in the commonwealth. 



But the Palladium was more valued for the 

 diligence of its piinter-edilors in collecting all 

 the news at the earliest point of time than for the 

 ability of its jiolitical writers : the latter were too 

 violeiit and exclusive to deserve or gidn popular- 

 ity. The " tub plot " anil the " Ocean massacre," 

 talcs invented and retailed for political efl'ect by 

 this paper, gave to their authors a no very un\ia- 

 ble notoriety. 

 Young and Minus, by industry nud applicniiou, 



made each of them good estates from jmblishing 

 the New EiigUuid Palladium alone : they renuiiu- 

 ed in the partnership until both of them were old 

 men. The day and evening before publication 

 Mr. Young might always be found at the head of 

 a troop of a|)prentices either at the case or in tho 

 reading and correction of proof". Mr. Minns, in 

 his deparlment, was engaged in the collection, 

 arrangement and preparation of items of news, 

 sometimes making piquant remarks, and writing 

 shorter or longer articles on " matters and things 

 in general." David Everett gave the Palladium 

 the cognomen of "Museum of Wonderfuls." So 

 confined were these worthy men to their busines.", 

 from habit, that Mr. Minns, who in the latter part 

 of his life journeyeil once to the city of New 

 York, informed us that for more than twenty 

 years he had never been half a dozen miles out 

 of Boston. Such industry coidd scarcely fail of 

 success. These gentlemen about forty yeais ago 

 built a valuable brick block in Congress street, 

 which «e believe is still .standing, in an upper 

 story of which was their printing ofiiec; and place 

 of business. The Palladium, siiue the death or 

 dissolution of the partners, l>as also been merged 

 in the Daily Advertiser. 



The Buslon Gazelle, published Mondays and 

 Thursdays by John Russell and Jamcs Cdtler, 

 was a pai'er sciucely inferior in ability and 

 usefidness with either of its colleague papers be- 

 fore noticed. In the early pa't of Mr. Jufilrsoii's 

 admiiiistralicn the Gazette was considered by its 

 opponents more moderate and candid in its tone 

 than either the Centinel or Palla<liimi. For sev- 

 eral years, while a federalist, David Everett was a 

 contributor to the Gazette. lis theatrical criti- 

 cisms ami notices, not less than its fugitive essays 

 in prose and poetry, were much admired. Mr. 

 Russell, a younger brother we believe serving his 

 time with the editor of the Centinel, was consid- 

 ered an able cdiior and writer: Mr. Cutler, was 

 a native of old Menotoiny (now West Cambrid^'e) 

 near the spot of our own nativity, the cotempo- 

 raiy mid friend of our own parents. The j;otiU- 

 ger partner, he died several years bel'ore Mr. Rus- 

 sell retired from the establishment, which after- 

 wards passed into the firm of RtssiCLLand Gard- 

 ner. The former returning to Bath, i\laine, it 

 was again transferred to Gardner and Bf.als — 

 aftcrwarils issued daily, anil liually merged with 

 some other publication. 



The Boston licposilory, published at first on 

 Wednesdays and Saturdays (the sajne days as the 

 Centinel) by John Park, M. D., was removed to 

 Boston from Newburyport, where it had been 

 published a sjiort tilll^•, about the year 1801. Dr. 

 Park, a native of Windham, X. H , and educated 

 at Dartmouth College, was considered tis among 

 the federal editors of highest tone and talent. — 

 The essays of the late John Lowell, which gave 

 him the title of "Little Rebel," lisst appeared in 

 the Repository : some of these numbcis boldly 

 struck for a secession of New EnglaiKl from the 

 Union. When first issued at Newburvporl, the 

 Repository was a paper beautifiil for its typogra- 

 phy, and for its elegant w hite texture. .\t Bos- 

 ton it did not succeed welf ill supplanting either 

 of the older papers, until, while in an evidenldc- 

 cline as a seini-wcekly paper, it became a daily 

 paper, whose first success soon made it an estab- 

 lishment of high value and profit to ils owner. 

 Soon after, ih: Park sold out the establishment 

 to Nathan IIale, Esq., who made it the first 

 foundation of tho Daily Advertiser, called by 

 •some tho "respectable" Paily, into which lias 



