Mayor George Wickens- Yellow(ing) Journalism- Lorain

Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/mayor-george-wickens-buried-on-the-back-pages-lorain/

Geo Wickens 1898

Thanks to Paula Shorf a younger image of George Wickens 1898
According to the “History of the First Methodist Church” Geo Wickens – History of The First Methodist Church 1856-1956, lorain

he had fiery red hair, long red moustache, bushy brows and an infectious grin indicated that things had to move fast when he took charge……..

George Wickens became Mayor when he was 42 -April 1894 and was immediately caught up in scandal.

“The Mayor’s Trouble” Within the past 24 hours a matter involving the good name of the Mayor of Lorain has arisen which the public will learn of with feelings of the keenest regret and deepest humiliation” Evening Herald June 1894

Charges against Mayor Wickens ” were the most serious that could be made” causing him in fact due to the charges against the Mayor caused him to have to withdraw from the church and the Rev. J.F. Smith has informed him [Wickens] that his services as Superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School will be no longer permitted

Whatever did George do- murder?? rape? incest? blackmail to be “thus pilloried without a trial”. The newspaper Evening Herald calling for him to be disgraced and his behavior disgusting or is this the politics of the day a Republican and Democrat go around in 1894.

Now George Wickens admits to being indiscreet but that the woman in question [Mida Pershing] magnified the “troubles” “the so-called scandalous story”

It seems, according to the report of the day, George Wickens hired a Miss Mida Pershing as a bookeeper for his business.[Wickens and Wilkins]- she stated that her duties were to take of the books and the Mayor’s docket.

Within a few weeks Mida resigned her position. and what followed according to the Evening Herald –

it soon became whispered about there was a scandalous story to tell. It was related at first to a very few confidential friends, but soon spread , as was to be expected, like fire to an oil refinery……..

“The Evil Spirts of the Modern Day Press”. Puck US magazine 1888; Nasty little printer’s devils spew forth from the Hoe press in this Puck cartoon of Nov. 21, 1888.

…..”interest in the scandalous story of the alleged improper conduct of Mayor Wickens toward Miss Mida Pershing, his bookkeeper, grows rather than diminishes with each succeeding day. Monday am at about 10 o’clock Mayor Wickens was formally charged under arrest on the charges od using obscene language in the presence of a female and of committing an assault.

When you read the full report by the Evening Herald , the article tries to set the tone of unbiased reporting, talking of letting the people make up their own minds whilst gleefully latching on and using the inflammatory language of the time to “sway public opinion whilst seeming “reporting the news even with the lead in

“The Evening Herald refers to the subject with the greatest reluctance but it seems best to state the facts and allow the people to form their own conclusions”

Ah seems history continues to repeat itself…………

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All Rise- The Right Hon. Public Opinion presiding

To Be Continued………..