Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-05
A Trihe Too Steep.
How a LsadvIll0 Job Printer ParaIy zed
Sport in the Golden Age.
TFronn fha naDvar Naua

How a LsadvIlls Job Printer ParaIyze
a Spert in the Golden Age.
[From the Denver EewE.l
'You think job printing is high in the
West, do you Pr said former Lsadville pub
fisher yesterday to q customer, who was kick
ing at the price eff piece of work which
would be considered cheap in New York.
''Well, you'd ought to have been in LeadVille
in the early days, when there we're forty
thousand people there. all expecting to be-
come millionairss in few days, and throw
ing away money with recklessnsss that
looked like as if they dsspised it on account
of having been earned by honest work. Why,
1 remember one evening after got to be an
old settler, having been there fully three
weeks and running a job office for that
length of time. All that was the time to
make glad the heart of the job printer. We
were running little Office, but the profits
were immense. We took in between $500
and 800 day, and there seemed to be no
end to prosperity. I remember one evening
my partner and had got through with our
days work and were preparing to leave the
Office. We were met in the hall by a hashiIy
dressed person, whose appearance ct once
stamped him az a sporting man. He III
quired if the boss was in. My partner spoke
up and replied that he was. We'll, just step
this way q moment, please p said the man.
oh, no not to-day said Joe, the thought
suddenly flashing through his mind that q
daily We were publishing had given some Of
Tense, as, indeed, it was only toe likely to
have done We're both in the business and
have no objection to hearing your statement
en- mssse.' It transpired, however, that the
visitor was not in search of either blood or a
retraction, but simply wanted to have piece
of job work done of trifing nature. We
told him that ne was too late that we were
going home, and he would have to come
around in the morning if he wanted the work
done. But I can't wait, said he; L am
going to run q table at Kemp's to night, and
I have to have them cards no matter what it
costs We finally consented, and he ex-
planned the nature of the work wanted. 1t
was very simple piece of work requiring
only the placing of some numbers on num-
Der of plain cards. just how they could b
used in gambling never could imagine
Well, we took off our coats and went to work
at it. I got out the figures and my partner
ran a planer over the cards, which were then
left few minutes to dry, during which We
proceeded to make out the bill. This wasn't
such an easy thing as you may imagine, for
there was no adequate basis to work on The
whole cost of the cards was only two cents,
while the value of our work at most liberal
estimate could not be placed above forty
cents. OF course that wouldn't do, and SO
we had to fall back on our imsginations
Lets put it at &c., said Joe. 'Oh, pfhaw,
don't insult the man. said I make it $25.'
And Joe jottod down $25 in the receipted
bill which he prepared. The cards were to
be delivered at Kemp's and we dropped in
there on our way down. The place was
crowded with as miscellaneous g looking lot
of men as q mining excitement ever brought
together. We found great difficulty in
forcing our way through the room, but fnal-
ly came across our customer seated at table
and prepared to begin work, seemingly in
some danger from an impatient crowd of men
over anxious to be relieved of their money.
handed him the bill. He gszed at it a mo-
ment and then looking up asked: eff pay
you this will you deliver the goods p oh.
certainly replied, laying down the little
bunch of cards leRs in thickness than sheet
of pasteboard. He laid down two tens and q
five in payment for the work. Then closing
one eye, assuming look of judicial severity,
and drawing out his words deliberately, he
said, while he marked off the points with his
finger on the edge of the table, i know that
am a gambler AID thief; that I steal my
money that if you don't get it out of me I
will lose it to some other dishonest gambler,
and that we are fair game for everybody, but
don't you think that this is just leetle too
HIGH ?in