Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-01-04
The olas., PrIn,ar.


| Fifty-seven years at the case, y
SAID the foreman OF the New York
World composing room to the re-
porter last week, as he pointed out
an old gray-bearded man picLing
! type in the corner OF the room. The
old man stood where the sunlight
/ fell upon him, and he was chewing
tobacco under his green shade and
! clicking type in his stick unc0ncern-
edly. "He never stops chewing.
/ He comes down here at six in the
morning and works till six in the
evening. He never eats a mouth
I ful nor takes a drop to drink he
lives on tobacco
"Uncle Bob" said the reporter.
as he approached the old type-setter
and touched him on the shoulder,
'thow old are you?"
The old gentleman looked up
kindly into tie reporters eyes and
answered: 81 was seventy-flve
day before yesterday"
His name is Robert Tappan, but
everybody calls him Uncle Bob. 81
was born in Kingston, Ulster
county, in 1903. entered the office
of nay uncle-the Ulster Plebeian---
in 1921. / worked on the same
press that Jesse Buell. used. came
to New York i'm 1924 on the James
Kent, and we took Lafayette on
board at West Pointand brought him
to New York with Us. When l
came to New York / went into
Major NOah's Office, the Enquirer,
then on the Courier and Enquirer,
where worked steadily for twenty
one years. Mr.. Webb presented
me with a magnificent Bible. and
i haye kept it twenty-four years.
On the day following the above,
Uncle Bob came down to the sstfice
with the Biblein basket. Here"
he said, as he opened the book and
pointed to the hy-leaf, ''read this:"
Presented 70 Robert Tappan on Xmas,
1854, as very slight testimony ofrespect and
regard for his character and appreciation OF
his valuable and faithful services In the
office ofShe Courier and Enquirer, from iSis
TO the present time, by his friend,
Dec. 2S, 1854.
The old man then whipped out
his genealogical record, written with
blue ink on a narrow slip of paper.
Ii went so far back that it WAS per-
picking to dive for. He skipped a
few generations as he pointed about
an inch from the top of theslip, and
said: "Pve got pair of sleeve but
tons belonging to Christopher Kier-
sted, who was the father of my
grandfather Luke. Luke was sur
geon in the Revolution with WASH
ington, at Nswburg."
And then, rs he travelled by a
panhandle route over the blue ink,
he said: "A grand-nephew of Gov.
George Clinton married my grand
fathers sister. ! was married on
December l3, 1881, o. Maria C..
Lowe, of Flatbush, whose grand
father was Col. Baum, Of the arr
tillery regiment that placed the
flagstaff on the Battery on the day
the British evacuated New York.
He was afterwards appointed FIRST
postmaster of New York;
Uncle Bob lives i'm Brooklyn with
one of his married sons. He is
fond of life and enjoyment, and on
Hallow-eve played ''blind mans
buff and ''button, button,'' az
lively asany of the family. He has
heen at work ON the World ever
since he left the Courier and En-
quirer, which is now nearly fifteen
years.
"You have read many hand
writings inegour time, haven't
YOU. tscle 23Ob2's
sassXes, indeed but old Benefits
wassthe Worst ever tackled, p he
And ones mole the
click OF the type sounded in the
corner.