Source: North Manchester Journal, November 16, 1893

Some Old Papers.

Having a penchant for collecting relics of one kind and another P.H. Bolinger has accumulated from time to time quite a number of curiosities of various kinds, principally of a newspaper character. He showed us, a few days ago, some of his most valuable possessions in that line, the same being a collection of old newspapers. In the lot is a copy of the "Western Universalist," published at Indianapolis of the date of August 19th, 1848; the "Advent Review and Sabbath Herald" dated November 19th, 1867 and published at Battle Creek, Mich.; also a war map chart published as a supplement to the "Dollar Weekly Times" in 1861.

Coming nearer home we find a copy of Volume XV, Number 10, of the Indiana Herald, published at Huntington, Indiana, December 3d, 1862. This paper is now the Huntington Herald. it was then edited by that veteran newspaper man Alex. W. DeLong, who still lives in Huntington, but has retired from active work on account of advanced age. If reproduced today the paper would be considered a very unique publication, owing to the many changes in the printing art, but we can easily see that it was then a very fine paper and an able one withal. There were no "plates" in those days and the paper was all set up at home. There was a good advertising patronage and among them we see names that are familiar in Huntington papers of today. Much of the news space was devoted to war news and general miscellany and considerable space is devoted to the battle of Fredericksburg.

Probably the most interesting paper of the lot is the "Union Banner, J.C. Singer, proprietor, published every two weeks at North Manchester." It is a little four-page paper, the whole paper being 12x19 inches in size, or smaller than one page of the JOURNAL. The date of the paper is July 5th, 1867, and so far as we know, it was the first paper published here. Nearly all the space was given up to advertisements. Of those who are still residents of the town J.F. Eichholtz was then a boot and shoe manufacturer, and David Frame was in the grocery trade at "No. 10 Commercial Row" and advertised that he would duplicate Wabash or Warsaw bills. A great deal of space is devoted to a lottery or "grand gift concert" operated by one Dr. T.H. Purdy. There were 348 prizes, so it said, valued at $11,000, tickets one dollar each. The "capital prize" was the old American House hotel stand, valued at $7,000. Dr. Purdy seems to have been a man of considerable consequence in the community for he advertised quite freely that he had the original recipe and was making a "Magic Liniment, originally used in Arabia, then by Dr. Escarriott a veterinary surgeon under George Washington, in the Revolution and later in the war of 1812 with great success." This remedy seems to have been good for about all troubles of man or beast and it is to be regretted that the formula for making it has now been lost. There is practically no "local news" in the paper.

These papers were all worn, torn and discolored with age, but they are very interesting things to preserve and the older they grow the more valuable they become. Mr. Bolinger takes much pride in his collection and hopes to keep the papers as long as he lives.