The Berne Witness (Berne, Ind.)
Historic newspapers carry the language, views and graphic reporting of their time, including racist content. They are shown to teen and adult profiles.
2,028 issues from 1896 to 1917, published in Berne, Indiana, digitised for Chronicling America.
After purchasing an old Washington hand press and equipment from the Democratic Press and Decatur Democrat offices, Swedish Mennonite Fred Rohrer established the Berne Witness in 1896, with its first issue published on September 3. Rohrer served as editor of the paper and manager of its publishing office, Berne Witness Co., for nearly 30 years. Recognized as a Temperance paper, the Berne Witness began as a weekly newspaper and by the turn of the century had a circulation of about 700.
In 1900, Rohrer added a supplement German edition to the Witness, which was published every Friday. In the fall of 1901, the Witness switched to a bi-weekly publication, combining the German supplement with the English edition.
Rohrer and the Witness played a crucial role in turning Berne into a “dry” city throughout the Temperance movement. It frequently reported updates on local Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s meetings and protests, alongside changes in Indiana’s liquor laws and liquor license requirements. Rohrer, a member of Indiana’s Anti-Saloon League, stated in the Witness in 1902 that Christian patriotic forces in Indiana were attempting to solve the saloon question by eradicating saloons all together, declaring, “The saloon must go.” By the end of 1903, Rohrer was assaulted four separate times and his house bombed due to his Temperance connections. Rohrer and the Witness reported the closure of Berne’s last remaining saloon and rejoiced when the last quantities of alcohol were…
- Genres
- News
- Published in
- Berne, Indiana, United States
- Collection
- Chronicling America
- Licence or status
- None stated by the archive
- Rights
- The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety.
- Credit
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Who can read it
- Teens profiles and older (placed by Invisible Network from what the archive says; archives give no ratings)
- Archive
- Library of Congress