The Portland daily press., 1880-10-08
Printers.
How They Hob-Nob with Greatness.
L1'itusville WO. ld.l

lTitusville WO ld.l
A little knot of printers, just arrived in
Titusvile, were indulging in some personal
"reminiscences, and an epitome OF the conver-
sation will give the public an insight into the
cosmopolitan life of the craft, and show how
they often hob-nob with greatness
Said Slug One: 81 tell you Sam Bowles
was a good one. Nothing small about Sam.
One day struck Springfield busted as fiat as a
flat iron, and bolted right for the Republican
Office. Sam was writing an editorial on the
Kansas border law, or some of those old heavy
subjects, but he dropped everything and made
it nice and comfortable for me. Gave me an
order on restaurant for something, and gave
me the ad. frames that night,
"Did you ever strike Greeley when you
wanted favor?" asked Slug Two. "Greeley
was always busy grinding out that horrible
copy of his, but he rarely allowed his work to
interfere with his social duties. | was present
once when he threw printer down stairs, but
| never blamed the old fellow much. The
trouble grew out of some insinuation had
made about the Niagara meeting,
Slug Three said he struck Louisville once in
George d. Prentice's time, and the visit was
always bright spot in his memory, II
wanted to see the old man and went right to
his private office. He asked me if needed
anything, and l told him 1 didn't. Had two
full weeks pay i'll my pocket, and told him
wanted him 10 come out and take something
with me. remember it like it was yesterday
He was writing poem OH the death of child
none OF yonr Philadelphia Ledger poetry,
but the real thing. George iabbed his pen in
10 the desk and said, kind oil melancholy like
L don't often take anything, but when do, 4
have noticed it is usually about this time of
day. He stayed right with me all tho after
noon. Never had such u circus in my life
The police knew George or both of us might
have been iugsed. Quote poetry? Why he
would hang onto the edge of bar like a
ground squirrel and quote the Greek and Lat
IN poets till your head would SWIM
Slug Four was in Boston when Dickens read
there, and enjoyed the extreme felicity OF a
night off with the great novelist. Dickens
came into the Office one night to look over the
report of his lecture, and made some correc
tions and additions in the lproof. 81 couldn't
read his writing very well, said the printer,
and brought the proof out and asked him what
SO and SO meant. He told me and then tipped
me the wink and asked me to correct the gall
ley and put on sub and come and see him at
his hotel. When l got through and went
around to the fremont house it was about one
O'Clock in the morning, but I'm darned if
Dickens wasn't waiting for me. Well, L
needn't tell you any more than TO say that be-
fore we parted company he wanted me to call
him Charlie"
And so the interesting personal reminis
cences went on. One printer, Frenchman,
had set up sonnet from Victor Hugo's manu-
script. He captured the copy" and had it at
his boarding house now, is any one cared to
step around and see it. Another had set up
take OF a famous double-leaded editorial on
the abolition OF slavery, written by the elder
Bennett and elected into it, surreptitiously
and with cussedness .afo-ethought quotation
from ''A1ary's Little Lamb" chewed up the
copy and managed the whole thing with such
devllish adroitness that it got into the paper
and went through all the editions.