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Show i: Little Journeys in Americana By LESTER B. COLBY America's First Newspaper AMERICA'S first newspaper wm shortlived. It wns promptly suppressed by the government after the first Issue on the ground that It contained "reflections of a very high nature." The only edition ever Issued was dated Thursday, September 25, MX), and was called Public Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestic. Richard Pierce was the publisher and Benjamin Benja-min Harris was employed to print It. Boston was the place of publication. Pages were 7 by 11 inches Three pages contained printed matter and the fourth was blunk. Plans were formed to get it out monthly bnt the heavy hand of the government wrecked the project Only one copy of the paper exists and that Is in the Colonial Col-onial state paper office of the British government In London, Fourteen years later, on April 24. 1704, the first successful newspaper on the Western hemisphere was launched In Boston. It was printed by one B. Qreen, and the owner was John t'amp-bel, t'amp-bel, postmaster. In the beginning It contained only two pages, 8 by 12 inches. In the first number Camphel made a bid for advertising with the follow-Ing follow-Ing notice: "This News-Letter la to continue Weekly ; and all persons who have any Houses, Lands, Tenements, Farms. Ships, Vessels, Goods, Wares or Merchandise, Mer-chandise, etc., to be sold or let ; or Servants Runaway, or Goods Stole or Lost; may have the same Inserted al a Reasonable Rate, from Twelve Pence to Five Shillings and not to exceed. ex-ceed. . . . "Who may agree with John Camp-bel. Camp-bel. Postmaster of Boston, all person In Town or Country may have the News-Letter every Week, yearly, upon reasonable terms, agreeing with John Campbel, Postmaster for the same." "B. Green," the printer, became owner own-er of the publication in 1722 and after that his name blossomed into Bartholomew Barthol-omew Green. The News-Letter was published continuously In Boston for 72 years and was the only paper printed there during the famous siege. The Massachusetts Historical society has a partial file of the publication. In Its early years It wfs crudely written writ-ten with small regard for grammar, spelling or punctuation, and the print-. Ing was badly done. Its columns reveal re-veal that trading consisted largely of barter and that a condition of semi-slavery semi-slavery existed. Servants were "bound out" and "Indentured," "In-dentured," Imprisonment for debt was common and there was much poverty. For many years It wus believed that the first American publication was the English Mercurle, presumed to have been published originally In 17488. Finally It was admitted that this publication pub-lication was a hoax perpetrated by the second Lord Hardwleke. Proof of this came along with evidence evi-dence that the -paper upon which It was printed came Into existence long after the supposed time of Its publication. publica-tion. Errors In historical data and mistakes tn the timing of notable events of the period were' otber evidences evi-dences offered to prove It a forgery. (& 129. Lester B ColbM |