In this day of huge metropolitan newspapers and up-to-the-minute news stories, it is hard to realize the handicap under which the newspaper of fifty, or even thirty, years ago labored. Facilities for receiving and publishing news had not reached the point of perfection attained today. The editor of today is a business man, a manager, a news medium; years ago he was a moulder of public opinion, a controller of local politics. The paper was known by the editor, but now the editor is known by the paper. Crude hand presses, meager supply of type and other simple paraphernalia of the early printing shops have given way to the linotype, power presses which turn out over a hundred papers a minute ready for the subscriber, and other wonderful inventions and methods used in modern newspaper production.
    In Hendricks county the growth of the newspaper has been very substantial, although it has been retarded by the close proximity of Indianapolis and the large dailies there. The resident of Danville and other larger townships is enabled to receive the city paper almost as soon as a local edition. The papers in Hendricks county have been restricted to weekly editions due to this fact alone, for otherwise the population and interest of the county would warrant more frequent issues.


    The year 1846 saw the beginning of journalism in Hendricks county. In the spring of that year the Danville Advertiser was established, with Joseph Graham as publisher and Dr. H. G. Todd as editor. Doctor Todd and several other enterprising citizens bought the press and gave it to Mr. Graham for the sole purpose of giving the town of Danville a newspaper. In size, the Advertiser was a six column folio, composed almost exclusively of reading matter. Very little advertising matter found its way into the sheet. Politically, the paper was Whig. The paper was established to promote the interests of this party and it continued so during the period of its. existence. After a few years, the paper changed hands and from then on. had a varied career, having several owners, appearing under several names,, until 1856, when it came out as the Danville Republican. Under this title it was issued until the spring of 1864.


    On the day of April 23, 1856, the first issue of the Hendricks County Union was published by W. P. Gregg & Company. The paper was decidedly in favor of war. At the top of its first page it printed each day, "To preserve the Union, soldiers must fight at elections as well as fight in the field." The name Union was selected instead of Republican in order to gain the support, of the war Democrats, which in large measure it accomplished. The paper was under splendid editorial management and met success from the very start. The above mentioned firm continued to publish this paper until July 14, 1856, when. Col. Lawrence S. Shuler, a soldier, became sole proprietor, with Col. James M. Gregg as-editor and Gideon B. Thompson in charge of the local department and assistant in the management of the business. Colonel Shuler continued to publish the paper until April 20, 1865, when he sold it to James L. Singer,, who became editor and publisher and remained as proprietor of the newspaper until March 15, 1866, at which time John N. Scearce bought the office. Mr. Scearce continued in charge for over thirteen years and changed the name of the paper to the


    Under Scearce's management the paper had a very prosperous career. During a part of this time Dr. A. Furnas was agricultural editor and contributed largely to the value and interest of the paper. In 1866 O. H. Smith was educational editor. On the 2nd of January, 1879, Mr. Scearce sold the Union to J. E. Sherrill, who had begun the publication of the Danville Republican. Sherrill merged the Union into the Republican, but the new paper wa -of short life. On January 30, 1879, less than one month after the suspension of the Danville Union, another Hendricks County Union came into existence.
    The new firm was South, Hathaway & Company, and the paper at once struck the public favorably, there being something of advantage in the old name Union.    In a few weeks Mr. Sherrill sold his Republican office and busi-ness to the new Union firm, S. F. Wishard and James B. Greene being added to the proprietors. A. G. South soon left the company and in a few months Mr. Greene also retired, the paper being continued by Hathaway and Wish­ard. On August 4th of the same year Mr. Wishard sold his share to John R. Rankin and Hathaway and Rankin were proprietors until November 7th, when O. H. Smith bought out the interest of Mr. Rankin. Smith became editor and in December, 1880, bought out Robert F. Hathaway's share of the paper, thus becoming sole editor and proprietor. On February 11, 1882, he sold to Parker & Bowen of the Republican, who continued to issue the Union from their office for about two months on account of certain advertising contracts.


    Mr. Bowen and J. O. Parker had established the paper known as the Hendricks County Republican on the 13th day of October, 1881. This paper is now, after an existence of over thirty three years, the leading paper of Danville. On February 10, 1883, Mr. Bowen sold his interest in the office to William N. Crabb and the paper was published by Crabb and Parker, with Mr. Parker as editor and manager until the month of April, 1883. After Mr. Bowen's departure Samuel F. Wishard was local editor for one year. In March, 1884, Mr. Bowen returned to the paper, with which he was connected as local editor until April, 1885. In this month Crabb and Parker sold to Moffett and Riddle, who continued the publication to good advantage. John C. Ochiltree was the next proprietor, followed in the year 1890 by Julian D. Hogate, who, in 1914, is still successfully publishing the Republican. It is the leading newspaper in the county, having a circulation of about eighteen hundred. It is a six column quarto, issued Thursday of each week. The paper is neat in appearance and is strictly a news sheet. The Republican plant turns out a quantity of high class job printing in connection with the issue of the paper.


   Two newspapers were at one time moved to Danville from the town of Plainfield. Both papers bore the name Progress. The first was in 1877 by John N. Vestal, who suspended after six months, and the second occasion was in May, 1883, when George V. Mechler made a like venture. He, too, found the venture unsuccessful.
    The Democratic  party has been represented editorially  in  Danville.
The first newspaper of that political faith bore the sanguinary title of The Butcher Knife. It was founded in 1856 by George Gregg. Four years completed the life of this sheet and it died amidst the strong Union sentiment at the opening of the Civil war. The Danville Indianian was established in 1870 by a group of men from Greensburg. Soon after it became the property of a stock company and afterward, for a time, it was in charge of Doctor Haggart, who was followed by two brothers named Ray. In 1872 the office was purchased by C. N. Walls, who remained in control until the fall of 1875, when the office and material were sold and transported into Illinois.
In February of the year 1878 E. D. King established the Democrat and remained as its editor and publisher until August, 1879, building up a strong and influential paper. At the latter date mentioned he sold the office to M. A. Barnett, who, in turn, closed out the office in October, 1881, to James O. Parker of the Republican. Just prior to this, E. D. King returned from a year's trip in Colorado and founded, on September 15, 1880, the


    which is now the leading Democratic paper of the county. The paper was started during a presidential campaign and found a fertile field in which to grow. It at once assumed an important position and today (1914) it still holds that reputation. At one time its editor was indicted for libel under the Grubbs law, but so obviously unfair was the action of the partisan grand jury that Mr. King was never brought to trial, the judge of the court quashing the indictment and throwing the case out. In August, 1882, E. D. King retired from the managerial helm of the Gazette and from then until August 1, 1884, ^ passed through the hands of several proprietors. At that date it came into possession of William A. King and John W. Cravuis. Cravens disposed of his interest in a few months and Mr. King became sole proprietor. He holds this position today, after thirty years of valiant service for the Democratic party. Just at present he holds the office of postmaster of Dan­ville, in connection with his editorial duties. The paper is a weekly, published on Thursday, being a six column quarto and with eleven hundred subscribers. The paper has been uniformly successful throughout the many years of its existence. High class job printing is also made a specialty at the Gazette plant.


    There have been almost as many papers started in the town of Plain-field as there have been in Danville. The first one was called Once A Week,. being founded by John A. Deem in 1862. After a short run this was suspended. John N. Vestal afterward attempted to make the paper a success under the name of the Citizen. After publishing it for some time, he sold it to Charles S. McNichols, who issued a paper for a period under the name of the Tribune.


    On January 1,  1879,  George V.  Mechler established the Plain field' Progress, which he ran successfully for several years.   Mechler was a Democrat of the first water and the community was Republican, so he compromised and published his paper as an independent sheet. In this venture he was successful and, thinking to gain more prestige at the county seat, he removed. to Danville in May, 1883.    At this place he was soon obliged to suspend. publication.   Immediately after his removal Horace G. Douglass and J. A.. Fullen began the issue of a paper under the old name of the Plain field Progress.   These men issued their first number on May 31, 1883.    Fullen withdrew after a time and moved west.    Douglass retained control, however,, until May 12, 1884, when he obtained an appointment at the Reform School and sold the office to A. T. Harrison.    The Progress was at this time a five column quarto.    This paper was published until September  5,   1904,  at. which time it was succeeded by the


    established by P. W. Raidabaugh. From May, 1910, until June, 1912, C. C. Cumberwrite had control of the paper. At the latter date Fred E. Warner became the editor and proprietor and is still in this position. The paper has a general circulation, is six column, eight page in style, and is Republican.


    J. J. and H. E. Hennon came from Roachdale, Putnam county, in July,. 1884, and until March, 1885, published the North Salem Reporter. This was a six column quarto, independent in polities. In the month last mentioned, however, Messrs. Hennon returned to Roachdale. .
    In 1892 the North Salem Herald was established as an independent newspaper. It is still in operation, a weekly six column quarto, and is edited by John H. Wetz, who took charge January i, 1914. Previous to this date Samuel Sherman Waters held the office of editor. The paper has a circulation of five hundred.


    The Clayton Weekly Press was established on January 6, 1914, succeeding the Clayton Enterprise. The Enterprise had been established by a Mr. McDaniel, and was later owned successively by Harrison F. Weesner, then by H. E. and Paul Hathaway. The Clayton Weekly Press is an independent Democratic paper, with a circulation of six hundred. The paper is an eight page quarto, patent insides. Cal Sinninger is the editor and owner of the papeR.


    In the year 1881 A. S. Clements established a paper in Brownsburg known as The Modern Era. It then changed to the name Brownsburg Courier, and later to the present title. It is a very prosperous paper in 1914, with a circulation of approximately one thousand. It is a six column quarto, independent in politics, and is issued weekly by U. S. Watson, the editor and publisher. Previous to Mr. Watson's management Charles A. Sedgwick, Walter Burns, Carey Gaston, John R. Sheehan, G. A. Johnson and Charles A. Hughes presided over the destinies of the paper. Mr. Watson assumed control on June 10, 1912.


    There have been quite a number of religious publications issued in Hendricks county within the past years, most of them devoted to the Friends denomination. There was the Friends Bible School Teacher, with twenty five hundred circulation, a quarterly magazine of sixty four pages for Sunday school superintendents and teachers; the Friends Advanced Quarterly, thirty two pages, with a circulation of seventeen thousand, for the main body of the Sunday schools; the Friends Intermediate Quarterly for younger classes in the Sunday school, thirty two pages and seven thousand circulation ; the Friends Lesson Sheet, weekly, two pages, forty five hundred circulation, for general study in Bible schools; the Youth's Friend, eight pages, illustrated weekly for young people, seventeen hundred circulation; Child's Lesson Leaf, for the primary department of the Sunday school, four page weekly, thirty two hundred circulation. The Africa Record, eight pages, missionary information, published quarterly, and with fifty five hundred circulation.
These publications were all edited and published by P. W. Raidabaugh and were moved to Plamfield from Chicago in 1901, and were transferred to the American Friends Bible School Board, located at Fairmount, Indiana, on January 1, 1914.


    The Pittsboro Sun was established in January, 1893, by Frank C. Harrell. It was bought by E. C. Weaver during its first year of life. He placed it on a firm basis. On December 25, 1898, Samuel James became the owner, remaining in charge until June, 1911, when he sold to Evart Watson, a young man who made good in the twenty months that he conducted the paper. In February, 1913, the Sun again changed hands, Gregory Walden, of Howell, Michigan, becoming its publisher.