Biography  of Arthur Caryden Wolfe, pages 621/622.  History 
of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., 
Indianapolis, 1914.



It is a generally acknowledged fact that journalism is one 
of the most important factors in twentieth-century life, 
exerting as it does an influence on practically every 
department of society. This relation is just as actual and 
potent in the smaller cities and towns as in the large 
cities, and he who directs the policy of a newspaper, or 
wields the pen which expresses that policy, exerts a 
personal control over local thought and action not equaled 
by any other profession. Among the newspaper men of DeKalb 
county who have, by their progressive attitude toward local 
affairs, contributed in a very definite way to the 
advancement of the community, is the gentleman whose name 
appears above and who is successfully publishing the News at 
Ashley.  Arthur Caryden Wolfe, third son of John Manuel and 
Sarah Elizabeth (Frazier) Wolfe, was born at Antwerp, 
Paulding county, Ohio, April 9, 1876. Being one of ten 
children, he was forced by necessity to leave school after 
finishing the eighth grade, and his education  was finished 
while learning the printing trade, under Col. James H. 
Fluhart, publisher of the Continental (Ohio) News. Colonel 
Fluhart outlined a course of study, furnished the books and 
acted in the double capacity of tutor and employer for a 
period of six years, beginning in October, 1891. The Colonel 
was a grand type of man, possessing a fine sense of honor, 
and was also a man who would rather be right than President 
of the United States. He was a college graduate and taught 
school prior to the Civil war, in which latter service he 
won both honors and distinction, wearing the regalia of a 
colonel when the war closed. It was under Colonel Fluhart 
that Mr. Wolfe was inspired with the idea of becoming a 
publisher of a country newspaper, for Mr. Fluhart was an 
ideal pioneer publisher, his young apprentice often sharing 
hardships, which have since proved invaluable to him in his 
work. Mr. Wolfe first became interested in the printing 
business while residing with his parents in Chicago, 
Illinois, where, after school hours and during school 
vacations, he was a “newsie.”  His first armful of daily 
papers came from the office of the South Chicago Calumet, 
after which several of the down-town papers were sold by 
him, pilgimages often being made to the down-town streets, 
where he sold to many of the hurrying people on the main 
thoroughfare. The battles with the other newsboys for 
“corner rights” but added to his knowledge of humanity and 
broadened his ideas as to the “common rights of others.” O. 
C. LaBoe, a reporter on the Daily Calumet, interceded in his 
behalf and “Newsie Wolfe"  was granted the right to sweep 
the offices and composing room at a dime per night. The 
scattered type in the composing room and his manifest 
interest in the types lead “Shorty” Burk, a compositor, to 
teach “Newsie Wolfe” the news case, and subsequently, when 
the Wolfe  family returned to Ohio to reside, he kept asking 
Editor Fluhart for a “job,” until that kind an benevolent 
old gentleman finally consented for him to become an 
apprentice,  under the condition that he was to study such 
books as would be furnished and endeavor to become, to us 
the exact phrase of Mr. Fluhart, “mentally equipped to 
become a great editor.” Mr. Wolfe lays no claim to being the 
great editor as indicated; but he does consider that the 
editor of even a country newspaper has a great 
responsibility. He endeavors to be consistent and not to 
betray his trust nor take advantage of his position in the 
community by perverting his columns to a wrong use.  Mr. 
Wolfe published weekly papers at Deshler, Ohio, Columbus 
Grove, Ohio, and Montgomery, Michigan, after working in 
various offices as printer and local editor, buying the 
Ashley News in 1910 of J. L. Gillespie, the founder. The 
Ashley News was started in 1909, after J. F. Coss, publisher 
of the Ashley Times, became involved in a suit over a deal 
of his newspaper property, when the times was discontinued. 
The subscription list of the News was very small, only 
containing two hundred names when purchased by Mr. Wolfe, 
but today it contains nearly eight hundred and fifty names-
which give one some idea of Mr. Wolfe’s ability as a 
newspaper man. Mr. Wolfe was united in marriage October 10, 
1897, at Continental, Ohio, to Julia Irene, daughter of 
Irene and Emma (Hull) Harbaugh. To this union seven children 
were born, one dying in infancy. The six living children 
are: Emma Elizabeth, Edward Keith, Lester Kenneth, Leota 
Avis, Arthur Charles and John Manuel.  The Ashley News is 
equipped with modern power machinery and up-to-date printing 
material throughout, which is free from incumbrance. The 
volume of business done each years is about four thousand 
dollars, which would indicate that the News office is at 
least getting the business rightly belonging to it in its 
field.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com