The Platte Valley Independent was issued at North Platte, January 1, 1870, by Mrs. M. T. G. Eberhart and Seth P. Mobley. In their salutatory they claimed that the new journal would prove precisely what its name indicated. On the editorial page are given good descriptions of North Platte and Grand Island. As it was the only paper of the whole western' and north and south central sections of the State west of Fremont, its pages were filled with advertisements and the news columns were very replete. On June 11 the editorial attack on J. P. Marston was made. This led to an action for libel, which suggested the sale of the Independent to Barton & Park on June 25, but ultimately to the withdrawal of the suit and the dismissal of Marston as foreman of the Union Pacific shops. Mr. Mobley, however, remained at North Platte as editor for some time, and the name was changed to the Advertiser. The first issue of this paper at Grand Island is dated July 2, 1870, Mrs. Eberhart being resident editor, with an oflice in the two-story brown frame building near the depot. The tone of the newpaper was decidedly Republican when political affairs were under discussion, and the news columns were very replete. It was the advertising medium for all this section of the State, and gained a foothold which has since been maintained. On December 9, 1871, Mrs. Eberhart married Seth P. Mobley, who was editor of the Fort Kearney Herald, in 1865. Mrs. Mobley was born in Limerick City, Ireland, and came with her parents to the United States in 1849, where her father died in 1851. She attended St. Mary’s convent at South Bend, Ind., in 1852, and in 1864 was engaged to teach school at Peoria, Ill. In 1867 she removed to Omaha, and in 1869 presided over the school at North Platte, where, with Mr. Mobley as part ner, she established the Independent. Mrs. Mobley, like her husband, was very prominent in the Grange movement.

Her Fourth-of-July addresses and lectures on statesmen and agriculture received a good deal of attention. The Platte Valley Daily Independent was issued October 2, 1873. From the salutatory the following paragraph was taken; “It will appear at sun-up each morning, and in order that there may be no fears in regard to the permanency of its financial basis, we make both subscription and advertising rates payable weekly.” In reality this was a campaign issue, and ceased with the political battle of the year. The Daily § Fair Bulletin was issued September 18, 1878, from the Independent ofiice. The present daily issue was subsequently commenced. J. W. Liveringhouse was proprietor of the in January, 1884. On July 19, that year, Fred Hedde became owner and editor, and Mr. Liveringhouse issued his valedictory.

The war on the Independent by a faction of the White Cross League waxed earnest during the cold weather of March, 1888. The journal called it “the purity circus,” and in advertising, it introduced the names of Sanders, Merrill &Co. Of the first-named the editor speaks thus: “ Sanders, the head manager will perform the great feats of squeezing himself through the eye bf a needle, and of curing the blindness with which his own mental eye is troubled. Standing on his head he will give a lesson in decent language, one of his most diflicult performances---and deliver an oration on the terrible life led by all people who have no children. Finally he will show the wonderful trick of changing in the twinkling of one of his blind eyes a barbarian (by which he means a person not born in this country) into a civilized person * * * * and initiating him into the mysteries of the purity paralyzers’ school for scandal.” (1890:562)

The Platte Valley Daily Independent, appeared on October 2, 1873. In its salutatory paragraph, it announced:

It will appear at sun-up each morning, and in order that there may be no fears in regard to the permanency of its financial basis, we make both subscriptions and advertising rates payable weekly.

This daily issue ceased at the end of the political campaign during which it had made its appearance.

The Daily Fair Bulletin was issued from the Independent office September 18, 1878.

After the Mobleys had conducted the Independent during the dozen years preceding, in 1883 they made a sale to J. A. McMurphy of Plattsmouth, who had a week or so later sold to Fred Hedde. J. W. Liveringhouse was another proprietor who owned the paper during the time the Mobleys sold it, and Fred Hedde eventually took charge.

Early in 1883 a company of liberal men, who were dissatisfied with the political con trol of the railroad monopoly and who desired a medium by which they might express more independent views, formed an enterprise that undertook the publication of what they termed The Anti-Monopolist These gentlemen were William Anyan, Fred Hedde, \V. H. Thompson, and J. R. Thompson, afterwards district judge, Ed Hooper, Geo. Cornelius. This company did not exist very long and Fred Hedde in the course of 1883 acquired the whole establishment. When he purchased the Independent, and on July 18, 1884, became editor and owner, he united these two weeklies, retaining the name of The Independent and adopting the tendency of the anti-monopolist, a tendency peculiarly his own.

In the beginning of the year 1884 he estatlished The Grand Island Daily Independent, the first issue of which appeared in January, 1884, and which has lived through all these years of struggle, varying adversity and prosperity, until it greets the year 1919, thirty five years later with daily telegraphic sen-ice for over 7,000 subscribers and purchasers. The first editor of the Anti-Monopolist had been P. Ingalls, and he was followed by Mr. Liveringhouse, heretofore mentioned as also editor of the Independent for a short time. Mr. Hedde continued in charge of the Inde pendent as the responsible editor continuously from July, 1884 with the exception of fifteen months from December 1, 1895, to the last of February, 1897, during which time the paper was leased to Messrs. W. M. Geddes. former mayor of the city and A. F. Buechler. until March 1, 1897.

Early in 1900 Mr Hedde indicated to his associate that he desired to sell the plant, clear up the small indebtedness on his business building, and be ready to meet the grim reaper whose coming the sturdy old pioneer —a pioneer both with reference to the physical community and with reference to the daily newspaper field — in fact welcomed, welcomed with the stoicism of a clear conscience and the realization that he had already run a course of four score years and had done the best he could. Because of lack of means on the part of his associate Mr. Hedde's expressed wish that the latter should take over possession of the paper could not be fully met ; but the latter set about to organize a company of active young newspaper workers who, with him had been engaged in the newspaper and print ing field in Grand Island, and of four of these, two, namely Mr. Fulton, secretary-treasurer of the company and its business manager, and Mr. Baldwin, vice-president and in charge of all mechanical equipment, still cooperate and, together with the newer acquisitions, have played a material part in the subsequent success of the company. At the time of the organization, however, it was necessary to secure the investment of other capital. This was undertaken with some concern at the time, even though the amount needed was, compared with values of today, small, for no newspaper venture, thus or similarly organized in the past, had ever paid back any of the principal, to say nothing of interest on the investment. Mr. Buechler was confident, however, his confidence being based on his experience in the establishment and his plans for future developments, that he could safely guarantee an earning of ten per-cent and when C. F. Bentley, then cashier of the First National bank, showed his confidence by a subscription of $500 to the stock, and W. H. Harrison, postmaster at the time, did likewise, no great difficulty was encountered. Among others who assisted in the organization were A. W. Buchheit, John Alexander, and Henry Rief. The promises as to earnings were kept and no stock was ever sold at less than $107.50. Every stockholder has since been repaid that sum or a larger one for his investment, or has been offered the same. Shortly after the new firm had attained possession and was in going form Mr. Fralick had an opportunity to take up the advertising work for S. N. Wolbach, for which he had a special aptitude, and he disposed of his stock.

Sickness compelled Gus E. Neumann to retire from active work, though the latter always retained his financial interest. A. D. Boehm later purchased part of the interest disposed of by Mr. Fralick. For nineteen years this cooperative enterprise has been conducted with out change in its leading officers, namely A. F. Buechler, president, F. G. Baldwin, vice-president, and J. R. Fulton, secretary. During this period it has completely changed its equipment with the exception of a few old desks kept rather as momentos than for use, has purchased a site, erected and equipped a newbuilding and grown in circulation from a total of 1,100 daily and semi-weekly combined to over 7,000. In the same period the population of the city has about doubled. Its present stockholders are A. F. Buechler, J. R. Fulton. F. G. Baldwin, Adolph Bochm, Gus E. Neumann, R. R. Horth and Henry Rief. The paper is a member of the Associated Press. has the full day leased wire service of the Chicago-San Francisco Circuit and is generally accredited by the press circles as covering its field with a generous and enterprising service.

In the meantime, Mr. Mobley had remained with the Independent as business manager of the paper until about 1891, when he was appointed World's Fair commissioner. At that time A. F. Buechler, who had a few months previously been associated as solicitor and reporter for the Daily Times, came to the Inde pendent as bookkeeper and reporter. When Mr. Mobley left for Chicago late in 1892 Mr. Buechler advanced in the business manage ment and took charge of the local news. In 1895 Geddes & Buechler leased the paper and continued its publication until 1897, when Mr. Hedde desired to "get back into the harness,'' retaining Mr. Buechler as a silent partner. Mr. Hedde's declining years began to tell more emphatically upon his health, however, and he was frequently compelled, for weeks at a time, to lay down the pen which he had so ably, independently and fearlessly wielded for so many years. (1920:394-396)