Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/145

136 general land office. He died in Salem August 20, 1909. A son, William J. Clarke, has been an Oregon country publisher for many years. Sam Clarke left one book, a history entitled Pioneer Days in Oregon.

Mrs. Sally Dyer is a daughter and W. Connell Dyer is a granddaughter of Mr. Clarke. Both live in Salem.

In 1872 Clarke and Craig sold the Statesman to C. P. Crandall, who had been a lessee of the paper from Bush in 1863. He stayed at the helm until December 1873, when he passed the paper back to Clarke and Craig of the Willamette Farmer. The next April Crandall had the Statesman again, after some litigation. The Statesman Printing and Publishing Company was then formed to conduct the paper and the printing plant. Directors of the company were H Carpenter, T. C. Shaw, L. S. Scott. Calvin B. McDonald was editor, Captain Scott business manager, and J. W. Redington city editor. E. O. Norton later became business manager.

The picturesque city editor, J. W. Redington, one of the most colorful characters in Oregon journalism history (26) has some interesting stories, one about Editor McDonald.

"He (McDonald) was always ready to relax (wrote Redington) in the Statesman's eightieth anniversary number) when Uncle Davy Newsome would come in from Howell Prairie and sub for him, specializing on love stories located in his old home region, Greenbrier county, W. Va. . . . When we gave "Ten Nights in a Barroom" at Reed's Opera House, Calvin held the paper back three hours so that he could get in a column describing the magnificent stage presence of Carrie M. Foltz, the star. . . .""

In the city editorship of Redington the Statesman's circulation was fully 500. "Pay days," he wrote, "were scarce, for the business manager was also running the hack and dray company. I used to rustle ads for the four-page paper, but it was worse than painful dentistry, and when I tried to collect bills I invited getting shot, or at least half-shot. So I got scared, and got out of the danger zone by blowing boots and saddles, mounting my horse and riding across the Cascade range, where I joined the army and went scouting through three Indian wars, thus getting into the safety zone."

In those days city editors were not just newsgatherers; they had to turn their hand to anything. In addition to rustling ads and collecting (perhaps) bills, Redington used to solicit subscriptions for the weekly. "I attached one subscriber," he related, "by swapping a year's subscription for a bear to Merchant Wolfard at Silverton." . . ..

"Those were the days," he said, "when local news was scarce,