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UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION It evidently wasn't Gibbs' cup of tea, for he remained only a month. And as 1895 came to an end, the paper closed its doors and the plant was sold at Sheriffs Sale. Nearly seven years later he re-emerged journalistically by unveiling the Free Lance, published in Marysvale, a mining boom town. Its publisher declared it would be "absolutely independent in politics and religion" and that its inaugural issue would go to every taxpayer in Piute County as well as former subscribers to the Millard County Blade. Reaction was enthusiastic. Men interested in mining from several Eastern states subscribed and congratulations came in "every mail delivery," its publisher enthused. Said the Deseret News on September 19, 1902, "We are pleased to see that Editor J. F. Gibbs is once more in the newspaper field. He is a good writer, and somewhat of a free lance himself. We wish friend Gibbs and the Free Lance abundant success." So eloquently did he paint the status of mining, though, that Gibbs convinced himself and after turning the paper over to lessee George J. Russell on May 15, 1903, he took his pick and went prospecting. It required only nine weeks for him to be convinced he'd made a mistake and he returned to the Free Lance on July 17, 1903. On September 18, 1903 he announced its sale to A. B. Williams and John W. Woodring of the Richfield Reaper, who operated it briefly before suspending publication. Gibbs reincarnated it on October 7, 1904 but after four issues it came to an inglorious end. Did the editor-turned-prospector have the last chuckle, however? A gold mine he discovered but didn't retain was still providing jobs to some 30 employees nearly 70 years later. Gibbs continued to write. His controversial anti-Church book, Lights and Shadows of Mormonism, was published March 15, 1909 and he was still penning prose when in his '80s. Included in his work was a series called "Reminiscences," which was printed in Delta's Millard County Chronicle. In his April 3, 1930 edition, Chronicle publisher Frank A. Beckwith commented, "So few are able at the age of 85 to have such rare ability as a writer. Gibbs has practiced this natural gift until almost the end of his days. The days of which he 522 |
