Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

INGIIAM 'COUNTY HISTORY

153

neutral paper, and as it had turned out to be a black Republican
sheet, we had broken the contract. He said the paper had never
been worth a copper, but he would not stand for being swindled
that way. His subscription would not expire for three weeks yet,
and he proposed to sue for the three remaining neutral papers.
After stating his case with great unction as the attorney quietly
listened, that dignitary leaned back in his chair and asked the
irate gentleman, "If the paper during the last six months has not
been worth a copper, how are you going to figure the worth of the
three papers you say are still your due?" Something outside
just then called the complainant's attention, and he vanished
and no more was heard about the matter. The cream of the
joke, however, was the fact that he had never paid a penny for
the paper and was in debt to us for nearly six months subscription, which he later paid in good Democratic coin, and was for
years thereafter a good paying subscriber.
Another individual, who had requested that his name be put on
our subscription book, after a year had expired, was presented
with a bill for one dollar, and asked to pay. IIe was greatly
shocked that we should presume to ask him to pay, declaring
soberly that he never expected to pay, and when asked why he
put his name on the list, replied in all the candor of his soul, that
he subscribed "to help the paper along!" His idea of supporting
a paper was not altogether new, nor does he stand alone.
A good natured Dutchman of the village had, for some cause,
conceived a great antipathy toward Mr. John Dunsback. His
hatred was so intense that even the advertisement of Mr. Dunsback's store in the paper was offensive to him, and he finally
called into the office and requested that his paper be stopped unless
the objectionable advertisement was cut out. We did not like to
lose so good a subscriber as this man was, so we finally agreed
to cut the advertisement out, which we did for nearly two years.
We never charged Mr. Dunsback for the extra advertising this
gave him, but believe he reaped a larger profit from this little
circumstance than from all his other advertising.
After hoisting the Republican flag subscriptions and patronage
began to increase, and the edition rapidly ran up to 500 copies.
Leading members of the party contributed to its columns, and we