Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-03-18

Tftcks In Language--.CuriOs ities
OfPrintinS---Qmeef Things Done
in Type. Ell E#
The mistakes of printers are very often
funny to readers and very exasperating to au-
thors. A single letter is often of the greatest
importance, and small mistake frequently
changes the whole effect of IN article. Some
very funny stories are told of mshaps of this
cha, acter, and we give below some Of the best.
An English paper once stated that the
Russian General Backlneffk owsky was found
dead with - long word in a his mouth" It
should have been "sword." In this case, the
printer could not have been blamed for leav-
ing out letter after having set up the Rus.
sian name correctly.
During the Mexican war one of the English
newspapers hurriedy announced an important
item Of news from Mexico-that General Pill
low and thirty-seven of his men had been lost
"in bottle" It should have been "battle."
A lad in printing Office came upon the
name of Hecate, occurring in line like this:
''shall reign the Hscats Of the deepest hell"
The boy, thinking he had discovered an
error, ran to the master printer and inquired
eagerly whether there was an in cat
"Why, no, you blockhead," was the reply
Away went the boy to the press room and
extricated the Objectionable letter. But fancy
the horror Of both poet and publisher when
the poem appeared with the line:
'.shan reign the He Dat of tho deepest hell"
A newspaper some time ago gravely in
formed it's readers that rat descending the
river came in contact with q steamboat with
serious injury to the boat that great exertions
were necessary to save it. It was raft, not
q rat, descending the river.
ne@a LETTERS DROPPED OUT.
But let form of types be ever 90 correct
when sent to the press, errors not unfreQuent-
ly happen from the liability of letters to drop
out when the form has not been properly ad.
justed or locked sufficiently tight A prin-
ter putting to press a form of the Common
Prayer, the in the following passage Drop
ped out unperceived by him:
1--WE shall be changed in the twinkling Of
an eye" ..-t
When the book appeared, to the horror of
the dev0ut worshipper the passage read thus:
1--WE shall oe hanged in the twinkling of an
eye."
A Newspaper..recently stated, in . report
of battle, that the conflict was dreadful,
and that the enemy was repulsed with great
laughter (slaughter.)
A man was said once to have been brought
up to answer to the charge of having eaten
(beaten)a stage driver, for having demanded
more than his fare. .....
The public were informed some time ago
that man was committed for having stolen
a small OK (box) from lady's work bag
The stolen property was found in his vest
pocket.
In an account Of q Fourth of July dinner it
was stated that none ofthe poultry was eaten
except the owls Qowls.) ST.
SNAKE UP" BLuNpER.
A laughable mistake is shown in the follow
ing mixing Of two articles-one concerning .
preacher, and the other about the freaks Of q
mad dog, which occurred in hurried snake
up in the printing office:
"Rev. James Thompson, rector of st. An
drew's Church, preached to large conoourse
ofpeople on Sunday last. This was his last
sermon. In q few weeks he will bid farewell
to his congregation, and bis physician advises
him to cross the Atlantic. He exhorted his
brethren and sisters, and after short prayer
took within to cut some frantic freaks. He
ran up Timothy street to the college At this
stage of the proceedings, couple Of boys
seized him and tied tin kettle to his tail,
and he again started. A great crowd collect
ed, and for time there was grand scene oil
running and confusion. After q long race,
he was finally shot by policeman"