WARREN COUNTY
MISSISSIPPI
MSGENWEB PROJECT
THE
VICKSBURG PRESS
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Notwithstanding the first printing press in the State was
erected within the borders of the county of Warren, it was a full quarter of
a century after before a newspaper was started. The first paper ever
published in Vicksburg made its appearance on Wednesday, the 9th
day of March, 1825. It was called “The Republican,” and published by Win. H.
Benton. It was printed on a quarter medium sheet, and was a very creditable
specimen of typography for the time. The latest dates in that issue were
fifteen days old from New-Orleans; a striking contrast with the present
advantages of the Vicksburg dailies, when the magnetic telegraph transmits
the news with lightning rapidity, and the mails, about the tardiness of which
we so much complain, come through now in fewer hour’s than it then took
days. ”The Vicksburg Register,” now “The Vicksburg Whig,” was
started in May, 1830. It was owned by John M. Henderson & Co. On the 5th
of July, 1830, Mr. M. Shannon purchased an interest in the concern, and has
ever since that time been connected with its fortunes, since 1842 as sole
proprietor. Hon. Win. Mills, at present residing in Marshall county, was its
first editor. In 1831, Mr. Mills purchased the interest of Mr. Henderson in
the concern. Mr. H. was at that time clerk of the circuit court of Warren
County. He is still living in Marshall, Texas. In 1834, Mr. Mills sold his
interest to Cyrus Griffin, Esq. Mr. G. edited the paper until the 1st
of January, 1837, when he sold out to F. A. Tyler. Mr. Griffin retired to his
plantation on the Sunflower, and died in the summer of 1837. Mr. Tyler edited
the paper for two years, when he sold out to Win. H. McCardle. Mr. Tyler
removed to Yalobusha County, and practiced law for a few years, where he
entered the ministry of the Presbyterian church. He is now editing a paper
devoted to the interests of his denomination, at Memphis, Tenn. On the
accession of Mr. McCardle to the paper, its name was changed to “The
Vicksburg Whig.” In July, 1842, McCardle sold ,out to Mr. Shannon, who
thenceforward became the sole proprietor. R. E. Hammett, Esq., at that time,
became the editor; he continued in that capacity till January, 1845, when he
was succeeded by the Hon. Alex. H. Arthur, late senator from Warren County.
Mr. Hammett was a brother to Dr. Win. Hammett, of Washington County, formerly
a member of Congress from this district. He was predisposed to a pulmonary
disease, from which he suffered for a long time, and died a few years ago at
his brother’s residence. (page 503) Mr.
Arthur edited “The Whig” until the close of the year 1848, when he was
succeeded by J. E. Carnes. Mr. Carnes is now a minister of the M. E. Church
South, and is the editor of “The Texas Christian Advocate,” at Galveston. Mr.
Carnes was succeeded by the late Rufus K. Arthur, who filled the editorial
chair till his death, in the summer of 1855. Mr. R. K. Arthur was
succeeded by a former editor, Major W. H. McCardle, who occupied the post
till August, 1857. After a brief intermission, during which time the place
was filled temporarily by the Hon. Walter Brooke, formerly U. S. Senator, he
was succeeded by the present editor. A paper
called “The Mississippi Advocate,” published by James R. Marsh, was started
in Vicksburg, in the fall of 1831, but was purchased shortly afterward by the
proprietors of “The Whig.” “The
Vicksburg Sentinel” was at one time one of the most influential papers in the
State. It was merged into “The Sun” a few years ago. It has numbered among
its editors some of the finest minds in the State; but a most remarkable
fatality has followed most of them, which has rendered its history melancholy
but interesting. The paper was founded in 1837, by Dr. James Hagan and
Dr. Willis E. Green, a brother of the celebrated editor and politician, Gen.
Duff Green. It was started as a State Rights paper, of the Calhoun school- in
other words, it espoused the cause of the Nullifiers. It soon became a
regular Democratic paper, and was famous for the violence with which it
supported the Democratic organization, and the bitterness with which it
assailed its adversaries. Dr. Green was not long connected with it, and on
his retirement Dr. Hagan became the sole editor. Dr. Hagan was engaged in
several street fights, but he fought but one duel, with an editor of “The
Vicksburg Whig,” Gen. Win. H. McCardle, now a citizen of Vicksburg, in which
the latter was wounded at the second fire. He was killed in 1842, in a street
rencontre , by Daniel W. Adams, of Jackson, then a member of the same
political party. The difficulty was occasioned by an article in Hagan’s
paper, reflecting on the father of Mr. Adams. During
the editorship of Dr. Hagan he was assisted at one time by Isaac C. Patridge,
the father of the present editor of “ The Vicksburg Whig,” who died in
Natchez, of yellow fever, in 1839. He was afterward assisted by Dr. J. S.
Fall, who had several fights, in one of which with T. E. Robbins, Esq., of
his own party, he was wounded. Dr. Fall is now living in this section of the
State. Dr. Hagan was succeeded, as editor, by D. J. Brennan, his executor.
Mr. Brennan edited the paper but a short time, when he was succeeded by James
Ryan, an Irishman of talent. He was killed in a duel by R. E. Hammet, then editor
of “The Whig.” Ryan was succeeded by Walter Hickey, of Natchez. He had
several difficulties, and was wounded repeatedly. In a rencontre with Dr.
Maclin, of this city, the latter was killed. After retiring from the paper,
Mr. Hickey was himself killed in Texas. A man by the name of John (page 505)
Lavins, who had been the publisher during Hickey’s editorship, succeeded
Hickey as editor. During his connection with “The Sentinel” he was imprisoned
by Judge Coulter, of the circuit court, inconsequence of the course of his
paper. After leaving Vicksburg he went to Hernando, in De Soto county, and
established a paper there. “The Sentinel” then passed into the hands of
Messrs. Jenkins & Jones, being edited by the former gentleman. He was
killed in a street fight by Henry A. Crabbe, at that time a young lawyer of
Vicksburg. Crabbe, a few years ago, was murdered in Sonora, together with a
party of other Americans. Mr. F C. Jones succeeded Jenkins, but he did not
long remain connected with the paper. Jones drowned himself not long since,
between Vicksburg and New-Orleans. Jones was succeeded by Dr.
McConnell, who conducted the paper during the celebrated Union campaign of
1851. On his retirement it passed into the hands of Demosthenes Walker, Esq.,
then a member of the Vicksburg bar, now deceased. McConnell is now a
practicing physician in Hinds county. Mr. Walker sold to Lester &
Bonsall. Mr. Lester soon sold out to John M. Jewell, and the firm became
Bonsall & Jewell. In a short time Jewell purchased Bonsall’s interest.
After conducting the paper for more than a year, Jewell disposed of it to
Edward Pickett. Mr. Pickett, in turn, sold out to Win. W. W. Wood, now of
“The Natchez Free Trader,” and removed to Memphis, where he now resides. Gen.
Wood sold out to Messrs. Royal & Dickey, who soon disposed of the concern
to Messrs. Roy & McCullum, of” The Vicksburg Sun.” Mr. Royal is now
connected with a paper in Galveston, Texas. Several
campaign papers were started at different times, which, after the
accomplishment of the objects of their foundation, soon disappeared from the
field of journalism. The first of these was “ The Constitutionalist,”
published as a Native American paper by J. R. Creecy. It was published in
1843 or’44. (The inability of the writer to find a file of the paper, renders
it possible that there may be a mistake in the date.)’ The Constitutionalist”
was followed by “The Southern Intelligencer,” which was started by W. H.
Hurst. It did not last long, and was finally merged into “The Sentinel.” “The
True Issue” was started during the Union campaign of 1851, by Messrs. Horace
H. Miller and Charles L Buck, both now members of the bar of Vicksburg. While
editing “The True Issue,” Mr. Miller, who had previously served in the
Mexican war as captain of one of the companies of the first regiment, was
appointed by President Fillmore as charge d’afaires to Bolivia. After the
discontinuance of the paper, Mr. Buck was elected to the legislature, and has
since served several sessions in both branches. “The American Times” was
started in 1855, as the organ of the American party, then just organized in
this State. Its editor was John S. Byrne. “The True Southron,” an
“independent Southern Rights” journal, started by Gen. Win. H. McCardle,
purchased the material of (page 506) “The Times.” “The
True Southron,” after having been carried on about two years, was finally
merged into “The Sun.” “The Southern Sun” was removed to Vicksburg from Yazoo
City. Its editors were W. D. Roy and James L. McCullum.. These gentlemen purchased
“The Sentinel” office, and merged the latter into “The Sun,” It is now the
Democratic organ of Vicksburg. Col. Roy was killed in a rencontre with Daniel
J. Sheppard, formerly a clerk in his office, the particulars of which are
still fresh in the minds of the public. J. L. McCullum is now the sole
editor. “The
Evening Citizen” is the first afternoon daily ever published in Vicksburg.
Its founder is James M. Swords. Its first editor was John S. Byrne, formerly
of” The Times.” Mr. Byrne filled for several years the office of mayor of the
city of Vicksburg. He was also a popular orator of some celebrity. He died in
April last. He was succeeded by Edmund J. McGarr, Esq., the present editor. “The
Mississippian,” the present central organ of the Democratic party, was first
started in Vicksburg. It was founded in 1831, by Messrs. Foote & Catlett.
Its editor was the Hon. Henry S. Foote, then a rising young member of the
Vicksburg bar. It was first printed in the office of “The Vicksburg Whig”
(then “The Register”). After being published for some months in the city of
Vicksburg, it was removed to Clinton, then the capital of the State. Soon
after it was purchased from Gov. Foote by Col. Ge6rge R. Fall, who removed it
to Jackson. Col. Fall published it for a number of years. It then
passed into the hands of Messrs. Volney E. & B. D. Howard. The
former of these gentlemen has since been a member of Congress from Texas, and
is now a leading lawyer and politician in California. Mr. Lester, C. M.
Price, and Col. M. D. Haynes (now State treasurer), have at different times
been connected with its editorial department. It is now, and has been for ten
years, edited by Major E. Barksdale, who stands, deservedly, in the front
rank of Southern politicians. (page 507)
The oldest living publisher in the State is Marmaduke Shannon,
of “The Vicksburg Whig” His connection with the press runs back thirty years,
and all that time with the same paper. He is a man of indomitable energy and
will, and to those causes more than to any other is due the success of his
journal. The relations existing between him and the writer precludes more
being said. He is a native of Ohio, and fifty-four years of age. (page 509) “The Press of Mississippi” by I. M Patridge, Debow’s Review,
Volume 29, Issue 4, Oct. 1860, pp.500-509. Making of America Journal
Articles, U of Michigan. Found
and contributed by Sue
B. Moore |