The Hazards of a Newspaper Man: Lon Hoss

 

                                                   Photograph courtesy of Stewart Schultz

 In an earlier article I discussed “Dirty Politics” and one of the people swept up in the Sligh-Durand debacle was the editor of the Democratic newspaper in Granite County, known at that time as the Citizen Call. Leonidas Rohespierre Hoss, with assistance from his brother Abe began publication of the paper before 1893 and the name was legally changed to The Philipsburg Call in 1901. The paper had been known as the Philipsburg Call as early as 1897. 

                                 Photograph from the Fan Titus McKenzie Harrington Collection

A photograph of Esbaugh and Bailey’s stallions on Sansome street before 1900 shows the Call window sign next to a Bank in the Opera House Building. Then the 1904 Sandborn map shows the Call printing office on the east side of the back of the State Bank in the Hyde Building which is now the Brew Pub. 

Prior to the Sligh-Durand Campaign, Lon had lost $300 in the Helena Capital Campaign and was listed as one of the twenty three claimants for a total of $4,556.95 with interest from November 1894. Research failed to find an outcome to this lawsuit. Next, The Philipsburg Mail on December 4, 1896 carried an article stating: “The Mail wonders how the chairman and secretary of the Granite county Confusion Party will be able to answer the last question in the corrupt practice statement required to be filed by law. The question reads: “Amount of personal expenses and liabilities unpaid and promises unfulfilled.” Since it is said that the Sligh combination is short $900 and is unable to settle its bills, we presume it will have to be so stated in the statement: Promises unfulfilled, $300 to Lon R. Hoss of the Citizens Call, for carrying on as dirty a campaign as it has ever been the misfortune of any community to undergo.” 

The next article in the same issue titled Hoss’ Misfortune stated: “It is said that the Sligh confusion committee is short $300 as compared with its assets; also that of this amount, Lon R. Hoss, of the Citizens Call, is out $300, which he is unable to collect.” I am certain those sums of money were a large loss to a young man with a small business and an ever enlarging family. As prior to this date Lon attempted to receive an appointment as Postmaster with the following article in the January 25, 1894 Mail: L.R. Hoss wants to be Nasby “There is a general rumor around town which we suppose is founded on fact that Mr. Lon R. Hoss our contemporaneous co-laborer, is out for the Philipsburg postoffice; wants to be the nasby of the crossroads—in other words, is in the hands of his friends! We are afraid he has an uphill pull, not because we don’t believe him thoroughly competent to discharge the onerous duties of the office or that he would not do so in a creditable manner if he secured the plum, but Grover [Cleveland] has sent forth the edict that no newspaperman need apply..” An interesting fact here is Hauck, the owner and editor of The Mail, received the postmaster appointment in 1901. 

Lon, born in Montgomery City, Missouri June 12, 1865, eloped with Georgia A. Kelly in 1890 and was married on a train near Granite, Idaho. At that time he was working for The New Northwest Newspaper. His mother Caroline Hoss was a teacher of Georgia in Deer Lodge and her father was the United States Marshall and a strong Democrat. 

The 1900 Federal Census shows the Hoss family living in Philipsburg with children: Gwynne (8), Frederick (4), Robert (3), and Mary (1). They added Dorothy in 1903 and Abe in 1906. After failing to receive the postmaster appointment, Lon ran for Clerk of the Court and lost to Josiah Shull. Through out this period his health had been steadily deteriorating, probably from lead poisoning, and he spent considerable time traveling to hot-springs and treatment facilities. 

He campaigned for and received an appointment as private secretary to Governor Toole in April of 1901. His brother Abe took over the Call, which published through 1905. By 1906, Lon had been appointed Secretary of Agriculture, but was too ill to handle the responsibility. The family, with newborn Abe, moved to Portland, Oregon. 

Georgia first sold real estate and then life insurance to support the family. The 1910 Federal Census shows the family living in Portland. Lon died October 28, 1911 in Salem, Oregon which leads one to believe he was still involved in politics. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. 

The Portland, Oregon 1920 Federal Census shows Georgia with Dorothy age 17 and Abe age 13. She died April 15, 1860 in Portland, Oregon.