INTERVIEW OF DANIEL DAHILL

The Scioto Gazette - Chillicothe; 04 Mar 1927

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Daniel D. Dahill, for most of that time employed with The Gazette and other newspapers in this city, gives the story of how he rode into Chillicothe on a canal boat and of the peaceful haven of rest he found in the Old Gas House, among warm Irish hearts.

Daniel D. Dahill, at present circulation manager for the Scioto Gazette, a figure known to nearly every man, woman and child in Ross and the adjoining counties through his long connection with Ross county newspapers and his contacts with them in soliciting circulation and making collections, therefore struck Chillicothe fifty years ago.

Mr. Dahill has given an interview of his experiences which show how a friendless youth was taken up and made his home in Chillicothe, where he has prospered.

Mr. Dahill's story runs thus:

Say, boys, fifty years ago this morning, I left Circleville, Ohio, driving a mule team attached to a canal boat loaded with cobs. Some time along soon we arrived at the Deer Creek aqueduct, as I afterward learned. The man who had charge of the boat and I had been shoveling cobs into Deer Creek. He says to me: "You shovel cobs while I go in to eat dinner." I thought to myself, if I am not good enough to eat dinner with you at the same table, I am going to get out, and out I did get, and started down the tow-path. I don't know how far it was until I came across another canal boat coming toward Chillicothe, and I asked the man if he would let me ride to the next town. He said, "yes", and pulled over to the bank and let me get on. He asked me if I had had anything to eat and I told him, "no". He immediately took me down some place in the boat, where the table was set, and sat me down to one of the best meals I think I have ever had. I can still remember eating, for I was hungry. I afterwards learned his name was John Schuhammer.

We arrived at Chillicothe about four o'clock that afternoon. He tied up at the corner of Paint and Water streets, where the Sherman Theatre now stands, and I got off the boat. I noticed a flag sticking out of a window, which I afterwards learned was The Scioto Gazette. I said to some boys, 'What is going on here, boys?' They said, 'Oh, Hayes was declared elected president of the United States'. After talking with them, they found out who I was and I told them that I just got off the boat and did not have any place to sleep that night. I asked them if they knew where a boy could get a place to sleep. They got talking to some man about me, and he told them to tell me to go up to the gas house, which I immediately did.

I walked in there with my hands in my pockets, big as life, and I said to them: 'Say, mister, can I get a place to sleep here, tonight?' They began questioning me, trying to find out where I was born and who I was, and I think it was Mr. Jim Carroll, as I afterwards learned, whom I told I was born in Ireland, County of Cork, at a place called Canturk. They must all have been Irish who were working at the gas house in those days, for there were Joe Egan, Andy Kavanaugh, Jim Carrol, Patrick Highland, father of John Highland, whose sons' place is on Second Street, and Patrick Martin. I sat around there for a while. Some had gone home and the night shift had come on, when some one brought me my supper. I don't know who it was. They finally got me a board and put newspapers on it for me to sleep on.

In those times, the police used to make the gas house a great loafing place at night on their rounds. Whenever I saw a policeman, I would hide, as I was afraid they would send me back home to Urbana. The first thing I knew, the policeman were some of my best friends. Tkhey took an interest in me and got me a job as night dining room boy in the Warner House, with the office where the Valley Savings Bank row is, and the night dining room, down-stairs, underneath the bank. Aunty Repple was the cook, there, in those days, and I took in with her and worked with her there for quite a while. The police used to come down and see me every night and talk with me, asking me where I came from, but I would not give them the information they wanted.

My room was in the upper part of a white building that stood in the rear of Ben Aaron's store. I went to bed one morning, and I suppose it was about nine o'clock I heard a knock at my door. One of the police, I don't know which one, but I afterward leaned it was Sol Kemery, came and got me out of bed and said I was wanted at the police station. I supposed that it was all off: that my folks had discovered where I was and I was going to lose my job, after all. On the way to the police station, he said to me: 'What is the use of trying to say your name is Dahill, when you know your name is Charley Ross?' I could not convince him that I was not Charley Ross.

Probably some of the people around here wonder why they were looking for Charley Ross. Somewhere in the year 1876, Charley Ross was stolen from his parents, and there was a big reward offered. In fact, there were several rewards offered for him. The police force of Chillicothe at that time thought they had found Charley Ross. That is why they were so good in assisting me to get a job, to keep me in a position untel they could get word to the parents of Charley Ross, which they must have done.

I was taken into the mayor's office and was seated, when Mr. Jake Warner came down and commenced raising Old Nel about the police getting his boy out of bed and disturbing his sleep. They tried to convince him that I was Charley Ross and he had quite an argument. The mayor, I forgot who he was, said that a lady would be there in a short while. Quite a crowd had come into the mayor's office, when they learned Charley Ross had been found, and they had me in a side room. A lady finally came to the office and was led into the side room. They brought me out into the mayor's office, where they had a few other boys, about my size and height, whom I did not know, and who were strangers. She was requested to pick Charley Ross out of the crowd. She looked at all of them, but could not find Charley Ross amongst them.

Mr. Warner got me and took me back to my room, and told me to go to sleep. That night he came down into the kitchen and served notice on Aunty Repple that hereafter none of the men on the police force should come down there and get their midnight lunch, which they always did.

I worked for Mr. Warner for some time, until I stumbled and fell against a table of dishes, and they were all broken, and when I went to get my wages, I had nothing coming, and no job.

I started down the street, and somehow or other, I got in with Jim Fay, who was working for Dr. Clough at that time. I stayed around there with him for quite a while. There was a lady there who had but recently come from Ireland. Her name was Annie Morley (now Mrs. James Devitt, of East Water Street). The other lady was Miss Theresa Hess, now Mrs. Charles Baader. They were very kind to me, and helped me with clothes and fed me for some time.

I finally went to work for Joseph Stewart, who lived where Mr. George Cameron now lives, on South Paint Street, for five dollars a month and my board. My room was the little office building now standing in the yard near the stable on Mr. Cameron's lot. Judge and Mrs. W.E. Evans, parents of Lyle Evans, lived in the little white house on the corner, and helped me a great deal.

The five dollars did not go vary far at that time, but I made extra selling papers and carring the Scioto Gazette in the morning. I would get up about three o'clock and deliver the papers all around the center part of the town, for one dollar a week. The circulation of the Gazette was not as large as it is at the present time. I think the proudest moment of my life was when I had saved up enough money to buy myself some jeans, and took it to Martin Curran, sho lived in the brick house on the corner of Seventh and Walnut street, and had him make me a suit of cloths. I worked for Mr. Stewart for some time, I think for two or three years. I would sell the Ross County Register, Little Cincinnati Gazette and the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday.

My connections with the Scioto Gazette began back in the year when the Chillicothe Leader was started. Mike Carrigan and George Tyler started me out with an old phacton and horse, to get subscribers. I did not have any money, at the time, but had to depend on getting subscribers to pay my own way and care for the horse. If I remember rightly, I started out the Clarksburg Pike. The subscription price of the Chillicothe Leader was two dollars a year. I think I got to Clarksburg with eight or ten subscribers, part cash in advance, and about five who had promised to pay. When I got there, I started into the hotel that still stands in the building on the north-east corner of the Clarksburg and New Holland Pike. I worked with the Leader for quite a while, and left them that fall, after I had build up quite a circulation over all the adjoining counties and in Ross County. Finally I went to work for George Manly, selling papers and working around the store.