THE WEST END NEWS 1912- 1973
The West End News was established on April 2, 1912 in Frederiksted, St Croix in the Danish West Indies. It was published by West End Pub. Co. and had several editors over its 61-year run. Axel Ovesen was the first editor, serving from 1912 to 1919. B. Brandt served as editor from 1920 to 1921, followed by Paul E. Joseph, who served as editor from 1924 to an unknown date. The final years of the paper were led by Cephus N. Rogers, who served as editor from an unknown date to 1972, before the paper ceased to be published in 1973.
A November 1953 publisher’s book reads: “The West End News Published Daily, Sundays and Holidays Excepted” although distribution varied throughout the years. The paper ran daily from 1926 to 1955. From 1955 to 1965, the frequency changed to triweekly then to semiweekly in 1965. It continued to alternate between triweekly and semiweekly until June of 1969 when it published weekly until the final issue in 1973.
The West End News issues consisted of four pages, with four columns on the front page and three columns on subsequent pages with dates given two at a time e.g. Wednesday and Thursday.
A strong sense of camaraderie existed among the newspaper publishers of the Virgin Islands.This connection is particularly evident in The West End News,whose advertisements for various products were reprinted in the St. Croix Avis as far back as 1919.
Local newspapers often reported the activities of fellow editors, treating them as celebrities. For instance, editor Paul E. Joseph of The West End News was frequently mentioned in the Avis. Moreover, the ongoing saga of a court case involving the editors of three Virgin Islands newspapers was recorded faithfully in the Avis throughout the mid-1940s.
Both Paul E. Joseph and Canute A. Broadhurst, then editor of the Avis, were charged with contempt of court for publishing an op-ed concerning a local murder verdict. Joseph served ten days in jail, while Broadhurst appealed his case and won. Despite the challenges they faced, these publishers remained committed to their craft and to each other, building a strong sense of community and mutual support that persisted for many years.
The West End News was guided by three mottos: “Challenges Injustice to All,” “The Virgin Islands for All of the People,” and “Liberal Since 1912.”
The paper covered a broad range of topics, including government news, local board and council meeting notes, as well as both national and international news.
Some of the regular features included advertisements for local theater performances, employment advertisements for university and government jobs, legal announcements, public notices such as court summons, meeting notices, and trademarks, as well as news from the Municipal Council of St. Croix and the West Indies Bank & Trust Company. There were very few images included; even advertisements and recipes were primarily text.
Editorials were a significant component of the paper and were primarily focused on local politics and policies, as well as information about significant figures in the
history of the islands. A photocopied image of a letter to the editor from June 21,1912, recounts a story about a local man named Joe La Grange who was the nephew of John Gottliff aka “Moses Gottleib.” Gottleib, who was also known as “General Buddhoe“ a common term used during slavery in the Caribbean to describe someone with great leadership skill. This name derived from the “General Buddhoe” credited with leading the 1848 slave rebellion resulting in the abolition of slavery in the Danish West Indies.
International news included developments in atomic weapons and weapons in general, and it provided coverage of sporting events, From at least 1961 to 1963, the paper regularly included the Spanish language column “Desde Mi Escondite” by Jose Ernesto Carrero, which published Carrero’s thoughts on many local topics, especially complaints concerning his own business with local utility companies and banks.
Source: Library of Congress
