The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-08-23
Il WANDERING TYPO.
\ PRINTERS ROMANTIC CAREER-HATR-
BREADTH 'sCAPEs BY LAND AND SEA-
STARTS A PAPER IN JERUsALAM,
AND wEDs A PERSIAN LADY.

Little over year ago short notice was
published in the st. Louis papers of the
arrival and strange career of a wandering
'typo" named Isaac Smith, or, as he was
frequently called by his brother compost
tors, Ike Smith. At that time he was
staying Mt the Friendly Inn, 1921 Broad
way. His restless, erTatic nature, however.
did not permit him to remain long in this
city, and he as suddenly disappeared from
st. Louis as he appeared in it. Since then
Ike has wandered to the golden slope of
the Pacific, taking in on his route Denver,
Salt Lake City, Omaha, Deadwood, Carson
City and San Francisco, gaining his pre-
carious livelihood at this Office or that in
the various towns he passed through dur
ing his meanderiDgs. Last week Ike un-
expectedly turned up in his old haunLs in
this city on the look out for job. He
looked very dilapidated and battered and
his gray beard was unkempt and unshaven.
He is now about sixty-five years of age,
but is still tOlerablY hale and hearty. One
Gay last week he did some type setting for
the FEvening Post, and managed to set no
between 5000 and 6, coo ems.
A "Post" reporter yesterday met the old
fellow, who was smoking a short clay pipe,
and knowing his affection for Bourbon, -
invited him to take drink, when he gave
him a short account of his wanderings.
He was born in 1912, i'll Muskingum coun-
ty, in the neighborhood of GAINESVILLE, Ohio.
When boy he went to indianapolis, where
he became
PRINTERS DEVIL
and learned to set type. and has followed
the occupation of a printer ever since. He
must have had an extraordinary passion
for travelling, for when he had once learn
ed his trade he seldom remained twelve
mouths in one place. In 1880, when eigh-
faa ,,F ba Jaff
spent the next ten years of his life wander
ing through the various States of the Union,
and visiting nearly every city of any size.
In 1910 be worked his way as a deck hand
on sailing vessel to Liverpool and began
touring in the United Kingdom. He al
ways managed to earn a tolerable existence
by bis type setting. After passing nearly
eight years in England, Scotland and Ire
land, he crossed the Straits of Dover and
stayed couple of years at Paris. where he
witnessed tue coup d'6tGt of Napoleon.
Thence he travelled through Switzerland,
Spain and Italy, crossed The Alps into Aus
tria, and went to Berlin. At the break-out
of the last Polish insurTection he was still
in that city, and becoming affiliated to a
secret order OF Republicans, he, with some
fifty men, crossed the Prussian boun dairy
of POsen into Russian Poland. Here he
followed the fortunes of Gen. ROgulski in
was unfortunately taken prisoner and sent
to Siberia. His sufferings en- route to that
desolate country he described as intense.
Arrived there he was kept at work in the
TObOlsk district; but was so far favored as
to escape being sent to the mines. After
two years severe hardship he managed to
escape from the Russian territory with a
friendly party of Kurds, whose wanderings
across the desert he shared until they reach
ed Persia, where he remained for three
years, and received an official appointment
from the Shah as kind of States Printer
He
MARRIED \ PERSIAN LADY
of distinction during his second years res
idence amongst the polite Persians, but she
died in childbirth. He then conceived a
dislike for Persia, although his position
there was the best he had ever enjoyed,
and he quietly made prepara tions to leave
1t. He Joined caravan of Persian mer-
chants who were en- route to Bombay, and
in their company travelled tie turbulent
country of Afghanistan, reaching British
India in safety. From Bombay he crossed
India to Calcutta, where he followed his
occupation as & type setter for some months.
after which his love of adventure induced
him TO ship to Port Louis, in the Mauritius.
This island soon grew distasteful to him,
and so he worked his way before the mast
time amongst the Dutch Doors. He CROSS
ed the Keppi region to Natal. From Natal
he took passage in an Arab felucca to Zan-
zibar, and then to Abyssiuia. In the latter
country he at first did very well, uDtil King
Theodore imprisoned all the Europeans,
and he remained in durance vile until the
English expedition under Napier stormed
Magdala, killed Theodore and released the
prisoners. Egypt was the next country
visited Inv this lose ind irrid
he engaged in the occupation of horse
breeding on the banks of the Nile. T'hio,
however, did not pan out very well. but he
made some money. A remarkable idea
now took possession of him he determined
TO publish
sEMI-WEEKLY PAPER N JERUSALEM.
He thought the numerous European Wis
itors to the Holy City would be sufficient co
make the enterprise a lucrative one. He
accordingly departed for Jerusalem aud
issued his paper, which was published half
in English and half in French. For one
month he published this jonrnal, which he
called 'The Holy City Times" but then
his funds gave out. Ike claims to be the
only cOmpOsitor who set type in Jerusalem.
His next adventure was to join company
of Turks on pilgrimage to Mecca, where
he saw El Kaaba, or the Holy Cave. One
of these deVout Turks took great fancy
to Ike and induced him to return with him
to COnstantinople. In Stamboul he re-
maiued for eighteen months working as
printer.
He afterwards made a tour of Greece,
TO COnstantinOple, where he re-
manned a few months longer, after which
be crossed the Balkans, wandered through
Roumania, and going into Southern Russia
as far as Odessa. From Odessa he again
shipped before the mast TO London, where
ne settled down for three or four years,
finally
RETURNING TO AMERICA
in 1872. He got employment in New York
on the Herald" but his wandering pro
pensities would not permit him to settle
down permanently. Without relatives or
friends, he resumed his journeys through
the States, and Ike is well known 10 ths
rooms of most newspapers in
the country. His course is up aud down 10
aud fro on the face of the earth. aud Ike
viii probably spend the remainder of his
days in the same erTatio. never resting
manner. Every nov aud then he turns gp