Among the early newspaper enterprises of Atchison was _The Patriot_, established by Nelson Abbott October 25, 1867. In September, 1868, Messrs. H. Clay Park, B. P. Waggener and Mr. Abbott formed a partnership, under the name of H. Clay Park & Company, and purchased the establishment, and in October of the same year, the paper passed into the hands of C. F. and C. P. Cochrane, but shortly thereafter reverted to Nelson Abbott, who remained in control until December, 1875. Dr. H. B. Horn, for many years a respected and honored citizen of Atchison, was connected with the paper as bookkeeper and business manager, and performed much of the editorial work, and when Mr. Abbott finally relinquished control of the paper, it fell again into the hands of H. Clay Park, who together with F. L. Vandergrift and P. H. Peters, assumed control. Mr. Peters did not remain long in the partnership, and in 1877 he sold his interest to E. W. Beall. The paper was Democratic, and Mr. Park, who was very actively identified with the affairs of Atchison in the early days, was an able editor. He left Atchison twenty-five years later, to become an editorial writer on the _St. Joseph News_ and _Press_. F. L. Vandergrift is one of the famous newspaper men of Kansas, and for many years was the representative in Kansas of the _Kansas City Star_. He is one of the best loved and best known newspaper writers of the West, and is now (1915) editor of the _Earth_, a publication devoted to the interests of the Santa Fe railroad. One of the well known newspaper men of the West connected with _The Patriot_ was Tom Stivers, who was connected with the _Champion_ for eight years, and in January, 1879, became a partner with Mr. Park and Mr. Vandergrift. _The Patriot_ was an afternoon daily paper, and always stanchly Democratic in politics, and for many years was a successful journalistic enterprise. This paper continued to be published either as a weekly or a daily until about October 12, 1895. It was in a precarious condition many years before that date, and had a number of different editors, among them F. M. Stambaugh and W. J. Montgomery. _The Atchison Morning Star_ and _Daily Patriot_ was built upon the wreck of the original _Patriot_, its first issue being dated October 13, 1895, and running until February 23, 1896.