Few men in Idaho in the 1870s were as much admired as William J. Hill, editor and publisher of the Owyhee Avalanche newspaper. He was noted for fiery editorial attacks on his political enemies.

Although most of his readers loved his lively style, some tried to kill him for his opinions and the way he expressed them.

On May 14, 1868, the Idaho Tri-weekly Statesman reported: "Two desperadoes, named Prescott and Cage, armed with hatchet and knife, found the editor, Mr. Hill, wide awake, and both were compelled to plead for mercy. We admire your pluck, Bro. Hill. May all meet the same reception when on their murderous errand. We are only sorry that you did not do unto them as they would have done unto you."

As a mark of affection, his friends called him "Old Hill" even though he was still in his 20s when this attack took place.

"He was 'Old Hill' to us," Thomas Donaldson, who knew him well, says in his book "Idaho of Yesterday," "and the sound of his name always aroused admiration. Six feet in height, of swarthy complexion, with brown eyes, smooth face, and a bearing that showed brains and strength, this was the editor of the Owyhee Avalanche. He reveled in things of force and power; even the name of his paper had a tinge of fight in it. He ruled southern Idaho with a rod of iron, and his touch and his opinions were felt in all portions of the territory. He was king of the foothills and monarch of the valleys; we compared him to an Idaho windstorm that swept desolation through the Snake Valley. Hill was admiringly dubbed 'a holy terror.' "

Donaldson's warm reminiscence of an old friend, and his high opinion of the man's influence on southern Idaho, confirms that Old Hill, beyond question, was a figure to be reckoned with. His paper, like Donaldson, was Republican in its politics. "Hill despised Rebels and Democrats, mean men and mean actions," he wrote.

To understand the hold Hill had on his readers, we need only look at a couple of samples of his editorial style - a style that delighted his friends and enraged his enemies. Here is Hill, only mildly offended:

"Of all the contemptible catchpennies that ever afflicted our Territory, he is the chief; of all the miserly exotics that ever visited Idaho, he is conspicuous; of all the pitiful paltry scrubs that we ever saw, he caps the climax. If he were to breathe one liberal breath, he would die instantly. The imprint of a picayune can be seen on his retreating forehead, and the essence of low stingy meanness is plainly written upon the narrow space between his eyes."

You may wonder what kind of person could rouse Hill to such rhetoric. The man, traveling with a theatrical company, had refused to give Hill free tickets to the show. This was a courtesy extended almost universally to members of the press, in the hope of receiving favorable reviews. Added to this slight, the man had his posters printed by a rival newspaper.

The Owyhee Avalanche and the Idaho Tri-weekly Statesman were both Republican papers at the time, and their editors generally saw eye-to-eye on political matters.

Things changed dramatically, however, when former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Milton Kelly bought the Statesman from James S. Reynolds, its founder. Hill felt that Kelly had maligned Judge M.E. Hollister over the disputed appointment of a territorial printer. Here is a sample of Old Hill, fully aroused against Kelly:

"Come now, speak the truth for once in your life, you spawn of iniquity! You louse upon the body politic of our Territory! You maggot squirming in corruption! You pismire crawling where to sting and stink! You procurer making merchandise of the virtue of the press! You fester! You itch! You gangrene! You putrescent, phosphorescent, iridescent pool of moral stagnation, reflecting the flying vapors of spite, envy and spleen! You deformity! You abortion! You Kelly!"

According to Tom Donaldson, this attack was "a thing to be read and never be forgotten." Even the editor of the rival Idaho World, a stanch Democrat paper, published a generous tribute to Old Hill when he sold the Avalanche and bought the Salinas Index in Salinas, Calif., and moved there with his new bride.

"He leaves an impress upon the country that will never be erased Words of comfort and good cheer, the funny sayings and bright witticisms, and above all the wisdom embodied in the manly and able editorials that have ever characterized and given individuality to the Avalanche since his connection with it. "

It should be obvious from this that the samples of his invective that we have quoted for your amusement are not typical of Old Hill's real editorial contributions to the young Idaho of his day. They were positive, progressive, wise and widely respected.

Arthur Hart writes this column on Idaho history for the Idaho Statesman. It appears each Tuesday in the Life section. Reach him by e-mail at life@idahostatesman.com.