Staunch Republican newspaper; the stark opposite, editorially, of the Houston Times.

According to merseburger1950, in 1873, it was sold to a new owner who renamed it the Mercury.

1869

From microfilm. Actually the Tri-Weekly Union or just Houston Union at this point?

• January 6 - “For the Freedmen” - In the genre of “advice to the freedmen,” recommending purity, family, daily prayer.

• January 11 - “Recorders Court.” C. M. Noble charges W. B. Johnson with embezzling drugs. George Noble and “Ben. Johnson, colored” fined (Noble $5 and Johnson $10) “for fighting and quarreling at a ball on Saturday night.”

• March 10 - “Homocide.” Reporting that George Noble had “shot and killed another colored man at Bryan yesterday. This is the second colored man who has met his death at the hands of Noble, besides another seriously wounded last spring.”¹

1870

AHN

• May 25 - “Local Views” - “Colored Ball” - “There will be a ball gotten up by the colored people on Saturday evening next, near Kennedy’s mill.”

• July 24 - “By Telegraph - From the Capital” - Brief article listing Governor’s “Houston appointments” for city offices: Scanlan, Mayor; William H. Allen, Recorder; and aldermen: A. Huebner and Richard Brock, “the latter colored,” for first ward; Gustave Meyer and C. C. Gillespie, second ward; Jacob Binz and Sandy Parker, “the latter colored,” third ward; J. W. McDonald and Johnson Rice, “the latter colored,” fourth ward; and S. T. Hailey and Willis Hitte [or Hitt], “the latter colored,” fifth ward.

• December 9 - “City Council” - petition from Fourth Ward about gullies.

1871

AHN

Election (in January?) replaces some of the City Council officers appointed by governor the previous year, including Rice and Parker. Taylor Burke replaces Rice, Taylor Hillyard replaces Parker? See February 10 article. This new council receives Fair Grounds petition.

• January 30 - “City Improvements” - a pseudonymous letter to the editor by “Republican” calls for more public investment in infrastructure and city streets and supports the City Council giving money to improve Fair Grounds

• January 30 - “City Council Proceedings” - Reports the length of the petition for city investment in Fair Grounds, and also a vote on a tax ordinance with which Richard Brock agreed but from which Johnson Rice dissented.

• February 8 - “Letter from Galveston” - Interesting commentary on city charter revisions and local politics in Galveston.

• March 11 - “Editorial Correspondence” - E. H. Quick comments on recent wrangling in the City Council over the city attorney office, says that it is because “some of those same men” had not joined him fully enough “in preventing Democratic office seeking aspirants getting ‘chicken pie’ positions from Radical Loyal Leaguers.”

• March 11 - “City Council Proceedings” - The ordinance to buy $10,000 worth of bonds from Fair Grounds association passes unanimously, with Brock, Burke, and Hitt all present.

• March 16 - “The Council and the Times” - Defends the City Council from slanders by the city’s arch-conservative Houston Times, which connects the council to the Loyal League.

• March 30 - “A Communication from Sufferer” - About poor quality of roads and need for infrastructure investments from city council. “Our citizens are dreaming of Houston becoming the railroad centre of the State—with not a decent street or side walk in it.”

• April 21 - “The Grand Jury” - Reports on the empannelling of the first Black Grand Jurors in Harris County: Erastus Carter, George Lynch, Johnson Rice, and J. N. Coss.

• May 24 - “Meeting” - “There will be a Republican meeting to-night, at the Antioch Baptist Church. All Republicans are invited to attend, as speeches will be made by several prominent Republicans.” Antioch Missionary Baptist Church