Bath County’s first newspaper’s perilous beginning

Ahh, the modern age of communication. At the stroke of a keyboard or scroll of a mouse on a portable electronic device, we can have the latest news and weather. Traditional ways of publishing news has nearly fell by the wayside; the large block printer presses and typesetting machines are almost archaic by today’s standards. Simply setting up a newspaper business was a task in those early days. For Bath County’s first news publication, the Owingsville Inquirer, just getting the equipment to begin publishing was a perilous task.

According to John Richards’ “An Illustrated History of Bath County,” The Owingsville Inquirer’s debut edition hit the stands Feb. 2, 1869. Louisville publishers S.K. Bangs and W.H. Boblits purchased a Franklin Press and other materials necessary for printing the weekly paper, opening the business on the second floor of the old Honaker building, which was located on present day North Court Street.

The first edition consisted of four pages with seven columns. In that first edition was a colorful account of how the Owingsville Inquirer came to be, with a harrowing journey from Lexington to Owingsville via horse and buggy. The following is quoted from the Feb. 2, 1869 edition, which was reprinted in the Richards book.

“Arriving at Lexington we found our type boxes broken and the type scattered in every direction. After much trouble and annoyance, occasioned not only by the condition of the material, but by the loss of an indispensable article in our business, we succeeded in packing the whole G.d. lot into a wagon that would convey it to Owingsville. We found it necessary to follow after the wagon on foot to see that none of the loose type played truant by the roadside.

Leaving Lexington at an early hour on the morning of January the 15th, a damp, drizzling, disagreeable day, we jogged along at a funeral march, our ‘composing stone’ keeping time, ‘In a sort of Runic rhyme’ against the side of the overloaded wagon.

Unexpected demands on our pocketbook had divested it of our last nickel, and, on reaching the first toll-gate, we resorted to an innocent little stratagem on the credulous Irish lady who came to the door — ‘Pay you on return this evening.’

“Hardly had we reached the first milestone when a crash occurred and down came the wagon on a broken wheel. Nothing daunted, we scoured the neighborhod in the quest of a wheel that was a wheel. Failing in this, we returned to the scene of the disaster, carried the hub and broken spokes to a blacksmith shop some distance away and had the thing repaired. Blacksmiths are proverbially good-hearted men; but it was no Joe Gargery we had to deal with in this case. However, earnestly protesting that we would not fail to settle the matter on reaching our destination, Vulcan grumblingly consented to let the ‘veel go’. In the intermediate time, between riding to and from the wagon, through sleet and rain, we had become drenched to the skin and resumed our journey in the expressive language of Mr. Santalina, a ‘demned, damp, moist body’.

“At a late hour we reached Winchester. Through the kind and generous aid of our whole-souled friend, Commodore Parris of the Clark Democrat, our wants were provided for. With light hearts we took up our line of march on the following day for Mt. Sterling, which we reached about 2 o’clock, still pushing on with the intention of reaching Owingsville by nightfall. Man proposes but outrageous fate disposes. Wearily we climbed hill after hill, and anon the shades of evening gathered around us. Just before reaching the second toll gate, and when within six miles of our objective point, another wheel was smashed and a portion of our material dumped into the road.

“Fortunately the accident occurred near the farm of our worthy representative, Hon. George Hamilton, whose amiable, accomplished and excellent wife extended to us every courtesy and the hospitalities of her home. We shall ever remember with deep and sincere gratitude the kind welcome and assistance so cheerfully given us by Mrs. H.

“With a new wagon and a pair of mules and horses we were confident of completing our journey without further mishaps. Our route lay over a dirt road, in many places axle deep in mud, rendered so from recent rains and melting snow. It is a good enough road in summer they tell us, and that’s a sound argument against pikes. This apathy of our good people in this regard to a matter of such vital importance as good turnpikes, is very like the fellow in the dialogue of the ‘Arkansas Traveler’. In bad weather it was impossible to cover his house; in dry he had no use for it.

“But we digress. Of course our wagon stuck fast ere we had proceeded two miles. Coaxing the horses and breaking numberless rails over the backs of the mules proved to no avail. Unloading a portion of the materials we again essayed to pull out, but the horses understood the situation and the mules coincided. It was ‘No go’.

“On applying to Mrs. J. A. Marks for an ox team to extricate us from the difficulty, she kindly consented to loan them. Her servants were away from home and it devolved upon us, agreeable to instructions, to hitch the whitest ox on this side and the other on the t’other. As we could distinguish little or no difference between the browsing, bullheaded twain we gave it up.

In the meantime our wagon with half of its load had pulled out of the mud and mire. As luck would have it further down the road we met our clever countryman, Robt. Clarke, who loaned us his oxen and wagon to bring up the debris in the rear. Oxen seldom give vent to their feelings even under the most trying circumstances, but on this occasion it was too much for brute nature.

The ‘off ox’ under the terrible strain and distention of muscle and hide, bellowed lustily. It was only by the wildest and most threatening demonstrations of a young country gentleman who attacked the oxen with the apparent intention of ‘busting’ something, that the wagon moved off, amid the yelling of the boy and the bellowing of the brutes. At last we reached the pike and our troubles in a measure ended. On our arrival at Owingsville we found our type in a mess of ‘pi’ and ourselves in a sad plight, which has occasioned a delay in the appearance of the paper.”

The subscription price for the Owingsville Inquirer was $2.50, and according to some, was a fine newspaper. Most of the early businesses advertised with the weekly publication, but only a year later, theInquirer closed down. S.K. Bangs went onto become a successful publisher and head of the Frankfort Democrat paper, and employee David Williamson went onto to work for several newspaper publishers in Bath County over the years.

There have been many newspapers published in Bath County since 1869, but it’s unlikely any of those had such a story of origin.