The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1872-01-18
The Old Tramp.
From The 1T. Sterling Sentinel

Printers whose memories run back O
>quarter ofa century or 50, will readily 70.
call the person. whea We mention the
name Of Singleton Siugle,erry. 10 those
days wandering printers were far more
scarce than nov. and. we must do them
the justice to say. much jollier vasabonds
and more companiouable witbsl than
those Of this latter aud more diss.pated
era,
The old Scotch printer, Tom Wallace,
with his flute and bis ''ticaler" aud bis
merry, but often vulgar songs, was as mad
and independent wag as ever footed bis
way through life. singletery' tune on
apint bottle as the best Of the gracee.s
crew. He never fingered long in n place.
He called bmselfa revised and corrected
edition Of the Wandering Jew. "rm
still 10 the old clio bushes, you see,' was
generally his reply to the salutotion that
greeted him upon bis entrance into an Of.
hcc. With all his years Of vagrapt wan
derlug and dissipation he was an cxtraord.
iusry old man. When we knew bin in,
tue days Of our apprenticeship, he was full.
~ sixty, and had been a wouderer for
nearly forty years, yet his tall, spare is-
ure was as erect as an Indians, lis black
eyes was Us keen as an eagles, bis jet
hair withouta thread Of silver, bis step
light and elastic as that Of . youth. On
bis bronzed features alone time bad begun
TO trace its power. His was remarkable
mind. lie never forgot names, faces or
localities. Whatever he read seemed to
be indelibly impressed upon bis memory.
He could read and speak most Of toe mod.
ern languages, was famous Greek and
Latin scholar, and was we'll up in modern
literature. When 10 the humor, no
was au inimitable conSersatiouaIist. Scion
Of wealthy and aristocratic South Caro-
liua family that ha, furnished Gov
ernors, Senators and Representatives to
the State when boy he took fancy to
to the printers art and his, inlulsent par
outs gratiiel his whim, as they believed it
to be, by permitting him to enter print
ing Office 10 their astonishment-for
they imagined the fancy would soon wear
df-he remained until he had acquired
all the knowledge Of the business his mas
ter could impart, About the time bis APP
premiership had ended his foot was also
upon the threshhold Of manhood. He
married The daughter ola wealthy neigh
Dor, and for three years devoted himself
toa planters life. At the expiration Of
that time bis wife died, leaving him With
two children on bis hands. These he
placed in his mothers charge, and, aban.
doniug home and opuleuce, started out to
tramp the world as journeYnan printer,
hoping to find forgetfuIness Of his sorrow
10 change Of life. Thus be became won.
deror and vagabond. There was not q
printing Office between Maine and Texas,
the Northern Lakes aud the Southern Gulf,
whose door he had not entered,
Poor Siugleterry! About dozen years
ago he breathed bis last in a far Iowa town,
after telling where his relatives could By
addressed, and they carried bis remains
back to bis native State, and gave them a
burial beaefttiug the station he had so
long and ofhis own accord put behind
him, in order to lead the vagabond exis-
teuce Of which be bad grown euamored.