Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-03
Rambling Reconections of a Printer.

in that time did not lay in store of useful
knowledge, or differ from other rolling stones
in the moss gathering business, did furnish
pleasant chamber in my memory; and have no
regrets when recollection brushes the dust off
the incidents of those four months and invites
to season of retrospection.
The partner of my aimless wanderings had
left at Louisville, where I subsisted for two
weeks on the proceeds few nights of work Oh
tanned on the Journal, of which Watterson was
at that time the editor, although Geo. D. Prentice
was about the office, writing paragraph now
and then, taking a drink between paragraphs
and basking in the lingering rays of sun we'll
nigh set. Poor old broken down Prentcel Any
one seeing him stumbling about the Office as
saw him would have to be told before he would
once suspect that he was looking upon the man
whose brilliant genius gave the Louisville Jour
nal place among the first newspapers of the
country, and made for himself name as
poet and wit of the age. Prentice passed away
year or two later, but "Prenticeana' is on the
library shelves, and his sharp newspaper Jokes
are still on their travels. / am stopping too
long at Louisville; Frankfort is the place of
which began to write, and to its narrow streets
1 will now return.
The legislature was about to assemble, and as
the legislative bodies always make plenty of
work for printers, whatever else they do, pre-
ceded the honorable members to the capital and
secured work in the state Office during the ses-
sion. l arrived in the city at a late hour one
raw, gusty November day, not feeling particu-
larly cheered by my ride of sixty miles through
tolerably level country of corn stubble and
smoke houses. / was not sure of work, for
knew that other printers were looking out in
the same quarter; but there was, with five
| cent nickel in my pocket-simply that, and
nothing more; and l walked away from the
depot with feeling akin to a desire to "sell
out" and go home to my mother. asked a
stubby looking old groceryman to direct me to
the Yeoman office, which he did after taking a
stubby pipe from his mouth, and displaying
some black, stubby front teeth.
soon found myself astride ricketty STOOL
talking to Dan McCarty, a spruce looking
apprentice boy who was alone in the
office, earning an honest penny by an hour or
two of extra work. Dan took me for show
agent, as he afterwards confessed, because had
my boots backed and wore stovepipe hat; and
he thought wanted to get some bills printed;
so he hustled round and offered to show me
where the forman lived, which was on his way
home. This took us long walk over the Ken
lucky river bridge into South Frankfort, but it
paid, for walked back in few minutes with
the assurance from the gentemanly Mr.. Barrett
that could have all the work | wanted. And
when inquired about boarding houses, he de-
monstrated his knowledge of the average
"jour" by sending his boy Guy with me to the
Southern hotel, with instructions to tell Mr..
Bohannon that the gentleman was going to
work in the printing office, and would like room
and board for the winter" "The old man is a
little shy of strangers since the war;" said Mr..
Barrett; "but he needs custom bad enough,
reckon, SO you'll be all right if Guy goes with
you" And ,oas all right. Bacon, corn bread,
buttermilk and hospitality, put me in a frame
OF mind quite different from that of the hour
previous, and from that time fed and fattened
on the substantial food of the "Kaintuck" val
ley, and enjoyed the friendship of every member
Of the household, from the comedy landlady to
the curly headed little muatto who built my
fires for five cents week, and Struggled hot
suppers from the cooks house to my room when
l didn't get round in season for the regular ta-
BILE, and had reasons of my own for preferring
an unostentatious meal.
People at the north who have never been to
Frankfort, or taken particular pains to learn
about it, have, l find, mistaken ideas of its
size and importance. When we talk about cities
up this way we have in our minds places popu-
lated by tens of thousands, and Frankfort, be-
ing tbs capital of the state, would seem at first
thought to be place of considerable magni-
tude. This is not the case. The total popula.
ton is less than six thousand, and two-thirds of
this number were slaves before the war. 1t is
situated on the right or northeast bank of the
Kentucky river, at point sixty miles from its
confluence with the Ohio, on an elevated plain
or valley between the river and the bluff, which
rises behind the town to a height of several
hundred feet. A railroad with but single track
runs through from Louisville to Lexington
and boats run up and down the river when the
waters are of sufficient volume, which was not the
case during my sojourn there, The Kentucky
river, at this point and for miles above, runs
through deep cut with ragged limestone
cliffs several hundred feet high in some places
on eaGn side. The streets of the city have a very
ancient appearance, with narrow sidewalks and
ups and downs like country road In fact
when was there the broad pixies stretching off
from the city through the surrounding counties
in several directions were much more level and
better kept. The only buildings of any note
whatever were the state house, of granite; the
;4nI1 o4oV 4 &I,n
lot Of brick buildings covering over a large
| space of ground and being very well filled. The
| governors residence, plain brick house, was
not so much better than the surrounding dwell
| lings as to be picked out for an executive man
sion.
Frankfort is as dull as a court house between
sessions except during the legislative term,
when it is enlvened by the presence of repre-
sentatives of upwards of a hundred counties,
senators accordingly, and a train of newspaper
men, gamblers and other necessary and unne-
cessary accompaniment to the gathering Of law
makers. 1t is during the season of their stay
that the storekeepers, hotels and boarding
houses make the money on which to live the
rest of the year. The bar-rooms are the only
places that do living business at any other
season.
The most popular man ever had the honor
of knowing personally, was the dignifed and
yet joval mayor of the city. Not a very big
job to be mayor of city of less than 5000, some
reader may think, and think rightly, perhaps;
for in addition to this office Mr.. Major was
state senator from his district, state printer, and
editor of the Kentucky Yoeman. But for all
this he was not SO overburdened with business
as TO prevent his spending the night until one
or two o'clock in the spacious bar-room of the
Capital hotel, where congregated each evening
jovial set of senators and Others to tell stories
talk politics aud drink apple toddies. They
were pleasant companions-thoses senators and
toddies; and the bar, shaped like a half moon,
was the resting place of many an Hon. elbow,
as tongues wagged on during the long evenings.
The old jokes and stories of Tom and Hum
phrey Marshall were always in order, subject to
revision and addition by the members from
Woodford county and the Blue Grass region.
The mayor had the reputation of being the best
read man in the state, which have no doubt
he was. Certainly he was gentleman,
scholar and good judge of whiskey
While standing in the hotel one evening talk
in0 with two or thrpe ppntIernen 7 vyas tho ,n