COLUMBIA AXD MONTOUR COUNTIES Best, who had bought out T h e WcUhtnan, T h e sheet at flrst had but six columns* but in 1840 he increased t( to seven. The price was two dollars a year* and it came out on Tuesday o f each week. The paper on which it was printed was strictly local* being made by Sharpless, o f Catawissa. M r. Best put up a sign m front o f hU office, bearing a picture of Benjam in Franklin* with this motto: “ Where liberty dwells there is my country.” T h e IntfUigencer was alw ays a Democratic organ and w as very ably edited, the pro{)rietor seeming alw ays to be on the winning side. In 18 50 Nlr. Best w as elected to the State Senate, f o r the purpose o f form ing the county of M ontour from Columbia. Tn accomplishing this object he did not let party lines interfere, and often voted with the opposing party for the purpose o f accomplishing the sc|>aratton. H e succeeded in being elected speaker and forcctl the division through with great opposi tion. M r Best died Oct. 28. 1857* and for a time h is w-ife conducted the paper. O scar F . Kepler doing the editorial work. A number o f promi nent Democrats then liought the pa|)cr and installed J . S . Sanders as editor. H e con tinued editing the p : ^ r from 1S58 to 1862 and then moved to Berwick. H is successor w as Thom as Clialfant, who followed in the footsteps o f Best* being an able editor and a goo<l business man. M r. Chalfant died in
9ifi) and w*as succeeded by his son* Charles
C halfant, who started The D aily Sun in 1885. In 1902 R u fu s K . Polk bought the JnteUigencer and the Sun. H e discontinued publishing the ^Nrf. hut the Inlelligenccf continued to exist until 1907. T he last itublisher w as D. A . Lutz. F . C. Angle finally purchased T h e Danxnlte Intelligencer and discontinued its publication. The Danville Democrat was established in 1840 by Cliarles Cook. During the presidential cam paign o f 1844 he publislied a German paper, called the Danx^tle Anseiger. which pro moted the cause of the National Democrats, In 1864 M r. Cook sold his |>apcr to Jo el S. Bailey* who ran it a short time. The M ontour Am erican was founded in 18 5 5 by I). H. B. Brower* who sold it in 1859 to (ieorge .Ayers* o f H arrisbui^. who ch a n g ^ the name to M ontour Herald. T lic same year, however. Brow er purchased it back and re stored the name, and conducted it until 1864* when he sold it to Jo el S . Bailey. Bailey suc ceeded, in the short time he held it, in combin ing it with the Democrat, without changing the name. D r. Brow er repurchased the paper and car22
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ried it on successfully as a Republican organ until 1871* when he sold it to W . H . Bradley and Lew is Cordon, for $5,000 cash. In 1876 ocl E . Bradley bought Gordon’s interest* W
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I . Bradley selling his interest to Edward C. laldy. In 1878 Edward C. Baldy sold his interest to V. B. Baldy* and in i8 8 t William B . Baldy became sole proprietor, l i e died in 1893 and the paper w as sold to John Bennett and W. C . Frick* fo r $2*000. In A pril, 1895, the paper was sold at sheriff’s sale and pur chased by Frank C. Angle, who still continues to publish it. T h e M edium w'as started in 1871 by D. H. B . Brow er as a semi-weekly, and published for a year. It was then sold to the DanviUe Pub lishing Com|xiny, which changed (he name to T h e in dependent: it had a life o f only nine months. T h e M entor was started in 1873 and pub lished f o r a year. It was published by Richard W. Eggert, b . H . B . Brow er, John Leshcr and William McCarty. The Dantnile R ecord was started in 1876 by A. P. Fowler, with D, H. B. Brow er as editor. A fte r two years the office passed into the hands o f Jam es Foster, Hcnr>‘ Mncent and Victor A. I^tier* who changed the name to The Xational Record. Lolier became sole owner in 1879 and conducted the paper until 18 8 1, when he changed it to The Daily Record. T his publication had but a short life, soon passing away. T h e Gem, a l one lime the narrowest col umned paper in the United States, w as first issue<l M ay 30* 1885* in the old warehouse on the canal near Mill street. Richard W. Eggert was the editor. K ^ c r t was a strange character and his jiersonahty w,as read in the paper* which, however, became a success* at one time having a circulation o f over i*$00. In 1903 he sold his paper to George Edward Roat, who still puliUshcs it in the basement of the City Ilall. T liis paper has alw ays been non-political ,ind contains a vast amount o f local news. The .lontour County Democral was bom 5 >cpt. 23. 1895, fathered by W alter O. Green. This is' a Democratic organ and some o f its articles arc very keen and penetrating. Mr. Green takes great interest in local affairs and docs not hesitate lo use his paper in commend ing or unfavorably criticising* according to his own judgment. The M orning Nexvs was started in Septem ber, 1897, by Frank C Angle. F . M. Cotwalds, who was formerly associated with Thom as O ialfant on the IntAligencer, became the city editor. Under this management the
