1913 Lorain Daily News Contest – Part 2

Detail from a July 15, 1913 advertisement for the Daily News contest

The Lorain Daily News kept its subscription contest going throughout July 1913. Each day, the paper's front page would include an article designed to drum up excitement and encourage contestants to work harder to earn those special bonus ‘votes’ to be able to win the Reo.

Here’s the front page of the July 21, 1913 Daily News. The opening paragraph of the contest article (“CANDIDATES ON HOMESTRETCH IN BIG BONUS VOTE OFFER”) is somewhat over the top, a takeoff of Mark Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.

The Daily News of July 23, 1913 (the date at the top of the page is an art error) included this drawing depicting the competition as an auto race. Note that the top six contestants at that point were all women.

The contest continued right into August 1913 without skipping a beat. The front page of the August 9th edition of the Daily News noted, “Just one week from 8 o’clock tonight, the Daily News’ grand automobile prize contest will be over and the prize winners will be known."

And a little more than a week later on August 18, 1913, the winner was revealed: Ethel Sanborn.

Miss Sanborn was ecstatic to win, to say the least. 

As the article related, “I believe I’m the happiest girl in Lorain, in Ohio, oh in the whole wide world” said Miss Sanborn today with sparkling eyes as she surveyed her handsome new automobile. “I don’t know what to say to show my friends how much I appreciate the way they rallied to me. Of course I worked hard, but so did lots of others work hard and it’s my friends who helped me and the Daily News which certainly acted fairly throughout, that I must thank. Hey girls, come take a look at my buzz wagon” she called to two friends who were on the way to offer congratulations. “Some auto, eh?” and Miss Sanborn affectionately petted the new car.”

And Miss Sanborn and her new Reo appreared on the front page the very next day on August 19, 1913.

Here’s a closer look.

So who was Ethel Sanborn? The 1912 Lorain City Directory has her listed as a clerk at the Style Center, living at 1231 Fifth Street with her parents, Eugene and Elda Sandborn, and her siblings Grace and Howard.

You might be wondering (like me) where the photo was taken. The answer: right in front of her home on Fifth Street. The houses in the background of the Daily News photo are across the street from her home.

Here’s a “now” view.

****

Ethel later married, and lived to the ripe old age of 93, passing away in Lorain in late December 1984. Here’s hoping she had a happy life. With her desire to work hard and ability to make friends that she demonstrated in her contest victory, I have a hunch that she did. (Here's the link to her page on www.findagrave.com.) 

****

The Daily News was very pleased with the contest results (more than 1200 new subscribers), as it explained in this editorial that appeared just a day or two after the subscription campaign ended.

Maybe the Morning Journal will decide to mimic this contest. Maybe with a Kia Rio as the grand prize?