00 people and I increased the population by one percent. It is more
than the best man in history ever did for any other town" (Hoffman 15).
1847 proved to be a horrific year for John Clemens. He ventured to Palmyra in
order to find work on the county seat. On his voyage home he found himself in a
devastating snowstorm which left him ill with pneumonia. He stayed at his friend Dr.
Grant's house, ill and jaded, where he rested and grew weak. He died on March 24, 1847
Samuel was eleven years old when his father passed away. He was of ambiguous
emotions. He had dreaded his father, yet at the same time respected him. The onus of
taking care of the family was now on Samuel and Orion's shoulders. He attended school
and for additional cash delivered newspapers and aided storekeepers. His expertise was
with Joseph Ament, editor of the Missouri Courier, where he was an apprentice.
In the fall of 1850, Samuel's brother Orion purchased a printing press and
expected Samuel to work on his newspaper. They began work on the Hannibal Western
Union where Orion printed all of Samuel's essays and articles. Although the newspaper
was unprofitable, and deemed a failure by most, Orion and Samuel saw themselves as a
success. They soon changed the name to the Journal and now had the largest circulation
of any newspaper in the region. It was filled with works both original and copied from
other sources. This was acceptable in a society without copyrights. When the Journal
gained success, Orion refused to print some of Samuel's works. He, however took his
writing elsewhere. He wrote for the Carpet-Bag and the Philadelphia American
Courier, berating his old town and the Hannibal natives. He signed each work with the
Orion left town for awhile and gave the duty of editor to Samuel. He
quickly took advantage of Orion's absence. He wrote articles of town news and...