Eli T. Merriman, Contributor
Two brothers, Henry and William Maltby, came to Corpus Christi from Mansfiled, Ohio, almost before the place was known, the elder brother, Henry, arriving here first and assisting Colonel Kinney, the founder of the town, in making his great fair in 1852 a wonderful success. It attracted visitors from Cuba and Mexico as well as from interior points of Texas and Louisiana, many of them coming here by water from New Orleans. The fair was held below the bluff south of where is now the Nueces Hotel, near the beach where the boats could reach the shore.
The Maltbys were expert printers and newspapermen of the highest class – ready writers, brilliant and well informed; Democrats always. Henry Maltby, the larger of the two, with his long black beard, was said to have been the handsomest man in Texas when he lived here and married Miss Franks, popular Corpus Christi girl. In 1856 he was elected mayor of the city. He was engaged in the newspaper business for several years, publishing The Ranchero, which he started as a weekly, having to move the press during the Civil War out into the "sticks" in Nueces County, south of San Patricio, it was said, to escape the raids of the Yankees made into Corpus Christi. After the close of the war, Maltby moved his printing plant to Brownsville where he published the Ranchero for a number of years, finally disposing of the paper and devoting his time to the job printing business, continuing in it almost to his life's end. His son, David Maltby, of Brownsville, makes frequent visits to Corpus Christi, attending district court.
William H. Maltby, who remained at Corpus Christi, living here the rest of his life, was a "live wire," as such men are called these days, organizing a company of soldiers for the protection of the town during the war. It was known as Maltby's Company, on which much honor was bestowed when a handsome Confederate flag was presented the captain and his company on the old courthouse steps by the prettiest young lady in Corpus Christi – Miss Mary Woessner, who married W. B. Wrather, leading citizen.
This valuable flag, relic of the Confederacy, was made in the home of Dr. Robertson in the block where Lichtenstein's store is now, by Mrs. Robertson, Mrs. Lovenskiold, Mrs. Swift and daughter, Grace, during the exciting times. It is in the possession of Mrs. W. B. Hopkins, custodian, in this city. She received the flag a few years ago from Miss Mary Maltby, daughter of Captain Maltby, who is living with her half-sister, Miss Marjorie Maltby, in Los Angeles, Calif. The daughters sent the old flag here and presented it to the Daughters of the Confederacy.
After the close of the war Mr. Maltby established a weekly paper here called the Corpus Christi Advertiser, printing it on a Washington hand press. The Advertiser was the only paper published in this city and it had a good run of advertising, the last page being devoted almost to stock brands which he cut on slugs with his pocket knife. This being a stock raising country with no fences – cattle and horses roaming all over the country – the rancheros, as they were called, wanted their brands published. Along about this time Captain Maltby married the pretty Grace Swift, the very girl who helped to make his flag. He lost his wife during the yellow fever epidemic here in 1867, later marrying Miss Annie Maria Headen
In 1872 he sold the Advertiser to Barnard & Son, well known newspapermen, also here in the early days, the Barnards changing the name to the Corpus Christi Gazette and publishing it till 1876.
In 1877 Wm. Maltby, who was engaged in job printing on Water Street, entered into partnership with Eli T. Merriman. Mr. Merriman had been in the printing business before, his first experience being in the office of Judge B. F. Neal in 1870, when Judge Neal published the Nueces Valley, and in 1874 when Mr. Merriman worked in the mechanical department of the Galveston News and other papers. The new firm, known as Maltby and Merriman, lost no time in starting a new publication in Corpus Christi, The Corpus Christi Free Press, a large four page weekly with a picture of Corpus Christi clear across the heading, showing the bluff and vessels in the harbor.
The printing plant was purchased in New York City by Maltby who went there and selected it in person. Col. N. Gussett tendered him a free passage on his large sailing vessel, the Leona, which was plying at that time between Corpus Christi and New York.
The good ship Leona encountered very rough weather on her outward voyage, being tossed about on the briny deep for days. Finally, after nearly three weeks delay, she arrived at her destination, with Captain Maltby standing on the deck and calling out to a man on a passing boat, asking the important question: "who is elected President of the United States?" "Don't know," said the man. "That's strange," said the captain, "the election was held three weeks ago." It was Tilden's and Hayes' election and no one knew much about it until a month or more after it had been held when the commission appointed to determine the question in favor of Hayes, "counted him in" Maltby said. The return of the Leona to Corpus Christi was a very pleasant one, the quickest run the vessel ever made.
The Free Press soon attained a large circulation in Nueces and adjoining counties, mainly along the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, as far up as Oakville and Laredo.
In 1880 Mr. Maltby, who was recognized as one of the brightest editors in Southwest Texas, died, leaving a large circle of friends. In the fall of that year, Mr. Merriman purchased the widow's half interest in the business, continuing the publication of The Free Press until January, 1883, when he disposed of the business on Water Street to The Caller Publishing Company, in which he took several shares of stock and launched The Corpus Christi Caller, taking active part in the business. — Ref. Times, Mar. 16, 1936.
Henry A. Maltby
June 18, 1856, Mayor Henry A. Maltby held his first Council meeting and his first official act was to appoint Alderman Cahill to enter into a contract for renting a house on Water Street at $6 per month, to be used for the Mayor's office and the city's business. He also appointed Aldermen Cannon and McMartin as a committee to furnish same and report at next meeting. The City Council on that date consisted of the mayor and the following aldermen: James McMartin, C. Cahill, Andrew Fisher, John Cannon, Thomas Bowen, and Reuben Holbein, secretary, afterwards mayor of the city.
The second act of the session was to receive reports of the city marshal and assistant city marshal for the dog licenses collected from May 1 to July 1.
The message of His Honor, the Mayor, giving his views upon matters affecting the general interests of the city was read and approved.
On July 9, 1856, the dignity of the city was established by the following ordinance:
Section First: Be it ordained by the Honorable Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Corpus Christi, that Mayor Maltby be and he is hereby authorized and empowered to provide a Seal for said city whereon shall be engraved in the center a star of five points and around the margin, the words 'City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas,' which seal shall be kept in the mayor's office and shall be used in the authentication of all official acts.
Section Second: Be it further ordained by the mayor and board of aldermen of said city that the sum of fifteen dollars be and the same is hereby appropriated, and a corresponding amount of city "scrip" issued to purchase said seal.
Section Third: Be it further ordained by the mayor and board of aldermen of said city that this ordinance from and after its passage be in force.
In May, 1854, the mayor and board of aldermen passed an ordinance relative to cutting and constructing a ship channel between Corpus Christi and Aransas Pass. Somers Kinney was given the contract and fifty thousand dollars voted to complete the work. Two years later, nothing worth-while having been done, on June the 12th, 1856, an ordinance supplementing the ordinance of 1854 was passed by the mayor and board of aldermen:
Section First: Be it ordained by the mayor and board of aldermen of the City of Corpus Christi, that if the legislature of the Sate of Texas shall make to the corporation of said city for the purpose of aiding and assisting in the construction of the ship channel above named any appropriation or appropriations, the contractors with the corporation of said city for cutting and constructing said ship channel under the ordinance to which this is a supplement, and under whatsoever other ordinances said mayor and board of aldermen may have passed on the subject of said ship channel, shall be entitled to have, receive, hold, and own nine-tenths of the value of said appropriation that may be; that the relinquishment, by the corporation of said city of said nine-tenths shall take effect from and after date of passage on approval of this ordinance; and that the right on the date of said appropriation that may be; and the mayor and board of aldermen shall within a reasonable time after date of said appropriation that may be, pass a further ordinance, confirming said relinquishment and said right.
This section is given in its entirety to show the careful consideration of the wording of the ordinance so as to protect the city.
Mayor Maltby had much to do with the furthering of the ship channel, the great need of the city.
Another vitally important undertaking was the memorial to the legislature of the State of Texas drawn up by Mayor Maltby, for a railroad charter from Corpus Christi to Eagle Pass.
Mayor Maltby brought about much constructive legislation although he served as mayor of Corpus Christi less than a year, resigning February the 14th, 1857.
The story of his future career, and the contributions of his brother, William Maltby, to the public welfare as editor and printer are best told in Mr. Merriman's own words. — Ref. Times, mar. 13, 1936.
Source: DeGarmo, Mrs. Frank. Pathfinders of Texas, 1836-1846. Austin: Press of Von Boeckmann-Jones Co., 1951.
Transcription by: Rosa G. Gonzales