Charles Shively And Wife Clara B. Thixton, Who Lived In Huron County, Ohio

Charles Shively

Charles Shively was born in Vigo County, IN on 18-Oct-1863. He died on 3-Oct-1940 in Springfield, Clark County, OH. He was married to Clara B. Thixton who had lived in Owensboro, Daviess County, KY.  Clara was the daughter of John Thixton. Charles and Clara had one daughter Mary Ellen Shively who married Edgar Bell. Charles may have married a second time. In 1906 Charles Shively and partners bought the newspaper Norwalk Experiment and the Huron County News.  From newspaper articles it appears Charles Shively spoke his mind often times making him unpopular.  Following are several of the newspaper articles documenting his activities.

Extracted from The Norwalk Reflector-Herald, Tuesday, November 5, 1940, Page 8, Column 4:

Chas. Shively, 79, Formerly Of Norwalk,Is Dead

Word has been received of the death of Charles Shively at Springfield, OH. Interment was made at Terre Haute, Ind., his birth place. He was born in 1861. Mr. Shively published the Experiment News here about 20 years and for many years was employed as a proof read by the Crowell Publishing Co. of Springfield where the American Magazine, Colliers Weekly and three other major magazines are printed.  In his proof reading work, Mr. Shively was prominent among those engaged in this exacting branch of the magazine publishing business.  Mr. Shively is survived by his daughter, Mrs. Edgar Bell of Norwalk and six grandchildren.  He was engaged in the publishing business in Kentucky for a time.

From The Norwalk Reflector-Herald, Tuesday, January 29, 1946, Page 1, Column 2:

Did You Know

by J. H. Williams, Curator Firelands Museum

The Experiment passed into the hands of Charles Shively, an able, but erratic editor, whose main fault was in calling a spade a spade with the consequent enemy results.  Shively was in more or less hot water during his incumbency.  His desire was to boss the democratic party in Huron County. He tried to be appointed postmaster, failing in getting the appointment he soured on the town, sold out to Judge Earl S. Miller, who in turn sold to Colonel Davis, since which time the Experiment has been the property of the Davis family.

From The Evening Herald, Thursday, December 27, 1906, Page 2, Column 2:

Reorganized

Experiment And News Company Now Is Conducted Under New Auspices

New Officer And Directors Are Chosen At Meeting Yesterday

At a meeting of the stockholders of the Experiment and News company yesterday, the plant of which was purchased the first of last October by Mr. Charles Shively and associates, the following directors were elected:  Charles Shively, Clara B Shively, Frank A. Shively of Terre Haute, Ind., John Thixton jr. of Louisville, Ky., John Thixton sr. of Owensboro, Ky., and Herman E. Lowy of Norwalk.

Immediately the directors elected the following officers for the coming year: Charles Shively, president and general manager, Herman E. Lowy, vice president, Mrs. Clara B Shively, secretary and treasurer.

Mr. Charles Shively has been in the printing and newspaper business for many years before coming to Norwalk.  In Indiana, his native state, he was with the old Rockport Democrat.

For the past twenty years he and his family have resided in Ohio, fifteen of which have been as residents of Norwalk.

F. A. Shively, of Terre Haute, Ind., one of the directors, is a merchant of that city and a brother of Mr. Charles Shively.

Herman E. Lowy, vice president of the new company, has been connected for the past five years with Die Columbia as editor and since Mr. Shively has acquired this property, Mr. Lowy has now identified himself with the Experiment & News Company also.

Messrs John Thixton, sr. and John Thixton, jr. are residents of Louisville, Ky., and Owensboro, Ky., respectively.  Both gentlemen are prominent in business and banking circles and are relatives of Mrs. Charles Shively.

From The Evening Herald, Wednesday, June 12, 1912, Page 1, Columns 3-4:

Controversy Over Crop Of Strawberries

George Snider Files Affidavit Charging Assault by Chas. Shively And Fred Miller

A dispute over the right to harvest a crop from a strawberry patch yesterday forenoon led to a physical encounter between the claimants and a third party which presents some rather unusual features, and which led to the filing of an affidavit this afternoon with Justice of the Peace Bechtol charging Charles Shively, editor of the Experiment-News and Fred Miller, of this city, with assault and battery on the person of George Snider, who lives at 298 West Main street.

While the affidavit filed does not go into details, statements made by the parties to the affair, which do not differ materially from each other, indicate that the fracas arose over an agreement made between Shively and Snider to plant a piece of land to strawberries on shares.  Shively was to furnish the land Snider the labor.

Shively says that Snider failed to furnish labor in sufficient quantities to entitle him to share in the proceeds of the crop.  Snider on the other hand claims that he labored hard and long, and the he was justly entitled to half the strawberries which might be gleaned off the patch.  Yesterday morning Snider came to the field, which lies somewhere in the rear of the Shively residence on West Main street, equipped with baskets and proceeded to garner of the fruits of the field.  He hadn't picked so very many when Shively appeared on the scene and ordered Snider off the lot. Snider refused to go, whereupon, the "doings" began.  When the gong rang at the end of the first round Shively was on the ground with a gash over his eye where Snider had kicked him after knocking him down.  Snider's victory was not destined to do him any lasting good, however for when Fred Miller, who had been impartially watching proceedings up to this time saw Snider kick Shively when the latter was "down", he decided that wasn't sportsmanlike and "butted in".

Miller and Snider roughed it for a moment during which short period of time Miller acquired a discolored eye.  By this time Shively had arisen and went to Miller's assistance.  Together, they overpowered Snider and threw him down.  Then, according to Snider, Miller struck him several times while he was being held, and blacked one of his eyes in return for the gorgeous optic which he had bestowed upon Miller.

Still holding Snider, the victors then proceeded to tie Snider's hands together with a stout rope and as did the conquering legionaries of imperial Rome, the captive was trailed in triumph to the street.  With a parting admonition to go home and let his wife untie him, Snider says he was turned loose.  He finally succeeded in uniting the knot with his teeth, after appealing in vain to a passer-by.

Bearing a piece of rope, which he said was part of the rope with which he was tied, Snider appeared in the office of a local attorney this morning.  He looked battered, and his eye was a sight.  Editor Shively had not appeared at his office pup to noon today.  Miller appeared to have escaped with the least damage, and yesterday afternoon was reciting his version of the affair in the business district with much animation.

Located in Norwalk Reflector-Herald, Friday, September 28, 1917, Page 1, Column 6:

Gets Taste Of Own Medicine

Editor Who Villified Local Merchants Given Worst Dose In Town’s History

Charles Shively, editor of the weekly Experiment and News, and who for many years has taken delight in personally vilifying his betters, literally “got his” today.

And the whole town is shaking with laughter.

A. A. Kist, who is conducting the co-operative sale for local merchants, emptied a five-gallon bucket of fresh cow manure on Shively’s head and then jammed the bucked down over his head and ears, while a crowd of some 200 people laughed till they ached.

It was the climax of a bitter attack Shively has been making in his paper the last two issues against Mr. and Mrs. Kist, and some thirty prominent Norwalk merchants who are conducting the sale.

Kist armed with the bucket of manure, waited on prominent street corners for two hours Friday morning waiting for Shively to appear.  Finally, shortly after 12 o’clock, Shively appeared near the court house and made a bee-line for the waiting city car at the corner of Linwood avenue  -- possibly he (literally) scented danger and sought the car.

He was accosted by Mrs. Kist, who stepped in front of him and said:  “I want to know what you mean by our attacks on me in your paper?”

“Never mind what I mean,” Shively is said to have replied.  “I’ll get you yet”.

Mr. Kist then stepped in front of him and told his wife to get out of the way.

“I’ll attend to him”, Kist said.

Just at that moment Shively’s hat, either blew off or was knocked off, and Kist upturned the bucket and its slimy contents over his head, jamming it down over his shoulders.

When Shively got out from under and pried his eyes open he saw a gib crowd of people, among them merchants he had called crooks and boobs, laughing loud and long.

He made at Kist and was met by a smashing blow on the nose from Kist’s fist.  He got a couple more in the same place and then ran back and got the bucket to attack Kist with.  But that time the fight had turned into a travesty, and the man, literally reeking and choking with filth, made its way into Ferguson’s saloon, where he spent an hour getting cleaned and sent home for clothes.

The cause of the outbreak was Shively’s attack on prominent local merchants, as well as Kist.  He printed that the sale last spring had been a fake and the prize-winning a swindle, implicating five local merchants who stand above reproach as leading men of the community.  For many years the fellow has been printing lies and false stories and innuendoes about Norwalk people, and the general sentiment is that he got what was coming to him.

“I have no statement whatever to make,” said Mr. Kist when interviewed by a reporter, “except to say that I made him eat his words”.

Kist was served with papers late this afternoon, sworn out in Squire Pechtel’s court, charging him with assault.