Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10

Men Who Have stood More than half
Century at the Case.


Century at the Case.
Pennsylvania boasts of printer named
Quinn, better known among the craft as
Father QUINN" IN Erie, way up in the
northwest corner of the State, who has
Just completed his halt century at the
case. Father Quinn's ''string" would fill
$1,000 columns of space, and, if stretched
out in continuous line, would make over
Z miles of solid reading matter. The
editor of the Sumter Republican, Brother
Hancock, comes to the front with another
80 years of toll with the types and sets
up his claim as the oldest printer in Geor-
gia, but Savannah goes one better, and
can boast of three printers, two of whom
have been at the case considerably over so
years, and one over 90.
Capt. Josiah Hodges, the oldest of the
three, is considerably beyond 20. He
started as an apprentice to the printing
trade in the old GeOrqidn office over go
years ago. He afterwards became fore
man of the Office. When quite a young
man he moved to Macon, and remained
there for number of years as foreman of
the Messenger. He was twice elected
Sheriff of Bibb county and filled the office
very acceptably. 1t was his unpleasant
duty upon two occasions to act as Jack
ketch for two negroes hung
for murder. Upon retiring from the
office of Sheriff he began farming, but
there was nothing so natural to him as
the click of the types, and he returned to
his trade. Shortly afterwards he moved
back to Savannah, where he now resides
with his daughter. Although advanced
IN years he is active and smart, and can
pick up and distribute 5000 ems day.
He is in no regular employment at pres
ent, but takes odd jobs as they are offered
him. There are many younger men who
are no match for him at the case. In his
long career he has seen what, if written
out and published, would form many en-
t-rtaining volumes. He is in good health,
cheerful to a degree, but when aroused
will fight at the drop of hat. He is the
sole survivor of all his contemporaries
and promises to last for many years to
come. 1t is but just to say that there are
few men living who have seen as much
hard service as Capt. Hodges.
Another veteran typo who celebrated
the 50th anniversary Of his entrance upon
the ''art preservative of all arts" on March
II is l. P. Ashby. When he first went at
the business such thing as a printers
roller was not known in his section of the
country. The forms" were worked on a
Ramage press, two pulls to a sheet, and
were linked with balls. There were two
negroes in Mr.. Ashby's town who could
play tunes with the bucbskins on the
forms as they struck them with the inky
balls. Not long after this the Smith and
Washington presses were introduced,
and when subsequently these presses
were fitted with linking machines from
behind it was deemed worlds wonder.
The power press was the next astonish-
ing innovation. Mr.. Ashby has gone
through all the gradations of printing
office from sweeper up, water tOter and
fire builder to cOmpOsitor and editor. He
is now a cOmpositOr on the MORNING
NEWS, and is as sprightly as the young
est man at the case ease. He has an an
years old, who finished his
time long before the present Ashby went
to the trade. He was a high private
during the war between the States, and
followed Gen. Lee to West Virginia. He
was afterward taken prisoner by Burn
side at Roanoke Island, N. c., and ex-
changed and continued in the army till
the close of the war, though much above
military age. Since then he has made
ern States, and there are few towns from
Virginia to Texas where he has not visit
ed and worked. He is well known to the
craft all over the South. His Journeys
have been made on foot. and, old as he
was, he could knock off his twenty-seven
miles a day. He still follows the trade,
which he has been at for sixty-one years.
Hon. George n. Nichols, who celebrated
his fiftieth anniversary at the trade on
June 4, is another veteran whose first
t'sit'' dates back in the ''thirties." Mr..
Nichols has taken good care of himself
and has been more successful than the
generality of the craft. He owns the
oldest Job office in Georgia, and has ac-
cumulated competency. His friends in
this community are legion, and there are
few men whom printers had rather work
for. He has filed the Office of Alderman
tor several terms and is a member of the
present board. He was nominated few
years ago as the wOrkingman's candidate
for the Legislature and elected, and served
his term.
In addition to these veterans in the sec
ond half century of their career, J. W.
Lamotte and James NJ. johnson, two
other compositors on the MORNING NEWS,
have served As to 40 years at the "case,"
and are still hale and hearty.
There was living at Union Court House,
S. c., few years ago, old Mr.. Mcknight,
who, if still living, is perhaps the oldest
printer in America. His youngest son
was named George, also a printer, who
became celebrated during the war under
the nom U6 plume OF ASA darI." he was
a poet hardly excelled and fine prose
writer. He was taken prisoner during
the war at New Orleans and sent to john
sons Island, where he contracted bron-
chitis, which undermined his constitu-
ton. He died at Spartanburg shortly
after the burning of Columbia by Sher-
man.
The stories that these sold vetso could
write of the incidents in their career
would fill volumes. They have toiled
through the best years of life with the
clicking types. They have seen genera
tions come and go. They have watched
the progress of the art for half a century,
and have seen the wondrous changes that
have been made. They have worked day
and night. They have been kicked about
as the "devil," have been roared at when
they worked at the case by the foreman,
cursed by the proof-reader and blowed at
by the editor. They have seen printers and
foremen and pressmen and reporters and
editors fill their places and leave them
empty. They have stood under candles,
lard oil, lamps and gas till way into the
late hours of early morning, and have
climbed clear into the boxes to chase a
type up into a corner when the cases
were not full. They are now on the turn
of life, but they still cling to the craft,