Odd title
For a western
shareNot really, in the sense that back then news was very very local and big events would happen in other places with weeks or more passing before it made the papers. News from the (outside) world was a big thing. How it plays into the story I can't say for sure, but the saying itself fits the times.
shareThe telegraph was widely adopted by the time of the Civil War
shareYou saying the news came over telegraph?
shareI'm saying that the primary source of news for papers and magazines of non local coverage was the telegraph.
shareInteresting, I guess that's where the Daily Telegraph and other variants of that name came from.
"Divorcing communication from transportation, the telegraph was first put into public use in the United States in 1844, and news transmission became its “killer application.”"
The Telegraph, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
The Telegraph (Alton, Illinois), founded 1836
The Telegraph (Macon), Georgia, founded 1826
The Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire), New Hampshire, founded 1832
Civilian & Telegraph, Cumberland, Maryland, published 1859–1905
Durango Telegraph, Colorado
Spiritual Telegraph, New York City, published 1852–1860
Telegraph and Texas Register, Houston, published 1835–1877
Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, Iowa
The Catholic Telegraph, Cincinnati, Ohio
Strange that some of those had Telegraph in their names before the telegraph was put into public use?
It was a futuristic name at the time.
shareThe telegraph was mostly used for commercial, personal, and other specific money related things. It did give some news, but never a good robust idea of the happenings of the world. People routinely asked strangers what news they brought.
shareAnd the Pony Express was faster than FedEx is these days.
share