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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
tee of the Northwestern University at Evanston. In politics he is a zealous Republican, and has repeatedly served as a delegate to the State Conventions of that party, including the Bloomington Convention of 1856, and was a candidate for Presidential Elector for the Ninth District on the Elaine ticket in 1884. He has made several extended tours to Europe and other foreign countries, the last including a trip to Egypt and the Holy Land, during 1898-99.
MECHANICSBURG, a village of Sangamon County, near the Wabash Railway, 13 miles east of Springfield. Population (1880), 396; (1890), 426; (1900), 476.
MEDILL, Joseph, editor and newspaper publisher, was born, April 6,1823, in the vicinity (now a part of the city) of St. John, N. B., of Scotch-Irish parentage, but remotely of Huguenot descent. At nine years of age he accompanied his parents to Stark County, Ohio, where he enjoyed such educational advantages as belonged "to that region and period. He entered an academy with a view to preparing for college, but his family having suffered from a fire, he was compelled to turn his attention to business; studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1846, and began practice at New Philadelphia, in Tuscarawas County. Here he caught the spirit of journalism by frequent visits to the office of a local paper, learned to set type and to work a hand-press. In 1849 he bought a paper at Coshocton, of which he assumed editorial charge, employing his brothers as assistants in various capacities. The name of this paper was "The Coshocton "Whig," which he soon changed to "The Republican," in which he dealt vigorous blows at political and other abuses, which several times brought upon him assaults from his political opponents-that being the style of political argument in those days. Two years later, having sold out "The Republican," he established "The Daily Forest City" at Cleveland-a Whig paper with free-soil proclivities. The following year "The Forest City" was consolidated with "The Free-Democrat," a Free-Soil paper under the editorship of John C. Vaughan, a South Carolina Abolitionist, the new paper taking the name of "The Cleveland Leader." Mr. Medill, with the co-operation of Mr. Vaughan, then went to work to secure the consolidation of the elements opposed to slavery in one compact or
