Gilbert Patten
William continued to write, mostly western adventures and some sports stories, selling them to a number of publishing houses using a variety of pen names. The use of pen names was a common practice at the time. Even though his stories were selling now he felt the need to “pick up some money around Corinna”. Given his knowledge of printing, gained while working at the newspapers in Dexter and Pittsfield, he decided to open a print shop. He bought a second-hand Washington hand-press and some fonts of type and began doing print jobs for local merchants. Alice Gardner, who had learned typesetting when she worked at the same two newspapers, help him with the work.
In 1887, with a Fourth of July celebration coming, William decided to do a one-shot local newspaper with the program of the celebration and columns about local businesses. He called it the Corinna Advertiser. Businesses in town purchased advertising in the paper. He was able to distribute it for free on the Fourth with the help of two boys.
![Weekly Herald - Corinna [16]](https://i0.wp.com/cattailpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Weekly-Herald-x.jpg?ssl=1)
Patten describes the celebration, “The town swarmed with people…there was a procession of “horribles”, a thrilling battle with “Indians”, representing General Custer’s battle with the Sioux on the Little Big Horn,…the popping of firecrackers and the red glare of rockets in the evening…a huge success.” So was his paper. He “did not have enough for everyone who grabbed for them.”
Soon many in town were urging him to launch a weekly newspaper. A Corinna resident, P. J. Whiting, had tried before in 1879 with a paper called The Weekly Herald. [16] But that paper failed. In hindsight he says that should have been a warning to him but merchants promised they would support the effort with advertising so he went ahead. Using money he had and also relying on credit he traveled to Boston to purchase a foot-powered Golding Jobber printing press. He rented a shabby little building on Pleasant Street (now St. Albans Road), renovated it some and set up shop.
He called the paper the Corinna Owl. The first issue was published in the Fall of 1887, printed on a single large sheet of paper folded twice to make eight four-column pages.
The outside pages were local news, ads, and his columns. The inside content came from a service that provided country newspapers with “patent insides”. The paper was successful. He was proud of it. The list of subscribers totaled over three hundred. Some of his columns were even picked up and republished with credit in papers like the Bangor Commercial and the Lewiston Journal.
However, after about six months the advertising revenue began to shrink. Local businesses decided they were not benefiting enough from the expense. They reduced ad purchases and some even stopped buying ads. William knew the paper could not continue in operation. He had spent his money and gone into debt for about five hundred dollars for the printing press and other supplies. Not yet of voting age he knew that his debts would fall on his father if he did not find a way out of the situation.
After a time he realized he must try to sell the paper. The Owl had cut into the circulation of the Dexter and Pittsfield papers. He approached the owner of the Pittsfield Advertiser asking if he would be interested in buying him out. After reaching an agreement that his paid up subscriptions would be honored, he sold the paper making enough money to pay off his debts and with some to spare. The last issue of the Corinna Owl is dated June 1, 1888.
A few copies of the Corinna Owl still exist in the Stewart Free Library collection. They are fragile and uncirculated.
After the sale of the paper, William felt a new sense of relief and freedom. He told Alice he intended to graduate from Corinna Union Academy and attend Colby College in Waterville. However, that was not to be.