Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-03-18
he HAD NERVE.
The Gall Displayed by Travelling Printer
.I IH In an Iowa Town.

The Gall Displayed by a Travelling Printer
p.Hl. In an Iowa Town.
i had been devil in the Bagler Office,
in a town in Iowa, about four months,
when the editor was one day called
away. The man who was acting as
compositor, pressman, job printer, col
lector, solicitor and so FORTH seized
the opportunity to go off on spree
and was thus left in sole charge.
Just after dinner, as / was washing
the roller and cleaning up generally,
in walked the first old printer bum
had ever seen. The buds on his back
weren't worth silver quarter, his hair
was long and unkempt, his face COW
cred with dirt and bristles and his
breath scented the room. He was rag
ged, dirty, homeless and penniless, and
had been let out of the county Jail,
eight miles away, that morning.
Howdy, boy" he said as he can't
in and without a second glance at me
he took seat at the desk and attacked
the remains of my lunch. When he
had eaten the last crumb he picked
his teeth with the editorial pen, peeled
off his old coat and commanded:
Boy, hunt me up a job stick.
Il obeyed, and as he took it he walked
over to the rack, slung in two or three
lines of display type and then stepped
to the small plea case and set up the
body ola circular readings: p" i'' .
r.-n. r..l. HE HAS ARRIVED .gue.
THE WORLD RENOWNED PROF, PETERS,
Ventriloquisti Mesmerist! archaeological
Prof. Peters has engaged Snyder's Hall for
the evening OF September -, 1868 tomorrow
evening", and will give the citizens of GARNER
| City an exhibition of his wonderful powers in
ventriloquism, mesmerlsm and 1phrenology.
viii initiate the notes of all birds; will speak
to you in sixteen languages: will wager SloO
to So that he can mesmerize any person in
| the. audience; can read your character. by
feeling Of your head; will forfeit $500 If he
fails In a single case. Medals from all the
crowned heads of Europe. Flatterng press
notices from the leading newspapers of the
world. Every body turn out Admission only
| % cents, children free l' Hl .,
He placed this matter on galley,
pulled a proof and corrected it, and
then cut a lot of print paper to the
right size and said to me; sai
Get up the roller and roll for me. y
complied, and he worked off two
! hundred of the circulars. He was not
only good compositor, but he wrestled
that old hand press around like man
who had never done any thing else.
When we had finished he said: a.,r il
Take the tin pail and get me a
quart of beer. Tell 'em to charge it
to the office. " e. d.7je ...s..d ,tt rf
/ was afraid of the man, and | got
the beer and paid for it out of my own
money He drank the Whole quart
with only one breath
Now, then, take these circulars out
and distribute EN-" he said, as he put
away the pail. BE good boy and I'll
give you two tickets to this great en-
tertainment. ,......,..,,. ..f....
That was inducement enough, and in
two hours, with the help of another
boy, / had billed the town. When
returned the bum had washed up,
eombed his hair, and had on new
suit of clothes. He had gone to a
clothier's and bought them and had
them charged to the Office, claiming
that he had been engaged as foreman.
Further than that, he had been and en-
gagged the hall. | had been back only
2 fiveminutes when the booty compassion
came ina He had scarcely entered the
door when the bum rose up, waved
him back and tragically exclaimed;
% "Go1hence! This is noplace for the
deprayed! How dare you enter my
Office in your present conditions"
~ The comp backed down stairs
. drunken than ever, and after the stran-
ger had questioned me as to when the
editor would return he went to the hote
and engaged the restroom. Ihad heart
that somebody held mortgage on the
office, and it struck me that this mus
be the mans agent. was young anc
green, and had never seen a display o
tramp printers gall. '." ''-
Next morning he took possession OF
the office. When the now soberec
composition arrived the bum selected
copy for him and bossed him around
! and there was no rebellion, He wrote
J and set up several editorials himself
and made up the outside pages of thu
paper in neat manner, and worked
off two jobs for which three dollars anC
: seventy-five cents cash was paid. Dur
ing the day two subscribers paid in fou
: dollars, and all the money went int
the strangers pocket.
4 The editor was to be gone two days
; and the man took such complete pos
/ session that we Believed In his right
: and did not kick. During the day h
got hat and anew pair of boots tn
+ same way he got the clothes, and h
e drank three quarts of beer at our ex
S pense.
= Prof. Peters circulars filed Snyder
e hall that evening to OVERLOOKING, and
: was the old bum who stood at the doc
n and took the money. When the las
e person had passed in, the door-keepe
: slid into the darkness, and the peopl
sat there for half an hour before the
j realized that they had been dupet
Then grand man-huntwas organized
;, But it was too late. The bum ha
stolen skiff and dropped down til
= river, just about one hundred and tift
L. II IL & n