Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-01-17
TURNING A TOWN UP SIDE DOWN.
The Adventures and Gall of a Tramp
Printer.
a. Y Sun.

Printer.
n. Y. Sun.
| had been devil in the Bugler Office in
a town in Iowa about four months when
the editor wss one day called away. The
man who Was acting as composition, press
man, Job printer, collector, and so forth,
seized the opportunity to 90 off on a spree,
and | was thus left in sole charge.
Just after dinner, SO | Was washing the
roller and cleaning up generally, in walked
the first old printer bum" had ever seen.
The duds on his back weren't worth a sill
yer quarter, his hair was long and I'M
kempt, his face covered with dirt and 5rls-
tleE, and his brea'h scented the room. He
was ragged, dirty, homeless and penniles5,
and had been let out Ct the county jail,
eight miles away, that morning.
"Howdy, boy," he said, az he came in;
and withou. q second glance at me he took
a seat at the desk and attacked the re-
mains of my lunch. When he had eaten
the last crumb he picked his teeth with the
editorial pen, peeled of his old coat, and
commanded:
Boy, hunt me up o Job stick
| obeyei, 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 OF
q circular reading
lie HAS ARRIVED
THE wORLD.RENowNED PROF. PETERS
yENTRILoQUIsT! ME:NERIsT! PHRENoLoGlsTl
Prot. Peters hes engaged Snyder's Hall
for the evening OF Sept. Y, lS6S (to-mor.
row evening" and will give the citizens OF
GARNER City an exhibition of his wonder.
ful powers in ventriloquism, mesmerism,
and phrenology. Will initiate the notes OF
all birds. Will speak to you in sixteen
languages. Will wage 800 TO S. that be
can mesmerize any person in the audience
Can read your character by feeling Of your
head. Will forfeit $500 if he fails ia a
single case. Medals from oil the crowned
heads OF Europe. Flattering press notices
from the leading newspapers Of the world
Everybody turn out. Admission only
twenty FIVE cents. Children free.
He nlaced this matter on q galley, pulled
a proof and corrected it, and then cut 3 lot
Of print paper to the right size and said 10
me.
Get up the roller and rcll for me
/ complied, and he worked off two hun
dred Of he circulars. lie WAS not only q
coed comp0sitor, but he wrestled that old
hand pre- 8 around like q man who had
never done AM thing else. When we had
finished he said:
lake the tin pail aud get me a quart OF
beer. Tel EN- 10 charge i. to the office.
| was afraid OF the man, and | got the
beer and paid for it out q my money
He drank the whole quart with only Que
breath.
Now. then, take these circulars out
and distribute EN- he said as he put
away the pail. "Be n good BOY and II!
give you two tickets to this great enter
tainment."
That was inducement enough, and in
two hours, With The help of another boy,
billed the town. When | returned, the
bum" bad washed up, combed his hair,
and had on q new suit Of clothes. He had
gone 10 a clothiers and bought them and
had them charged 10 the Office, claiming
that he had been engaged as foreman.
Further han that, he had been and en-.
gagged the hall. ! had been back only five
minutes when the boggy comPositor came
in. He had scarcely entered the door
when the bum rose up, waved him back
ard ~tregically exclaimed:
Go hence, This is no place for the
dspravcd How dare You enter ny office
in your present condition. z
The comp backed down stairs drunkeI
than ever, aud after the stranger had pUes.
toned me os to when the editor would re-
turn he vent te the hotel ami engaged the
best room. | had heard that somebody
held q mortgage on the office, and it struck
me that this must be the mans agent. !
was young and green, and lad never sean
q cisp ay Of tramp printers gall.
Next morning be took possession Of the
Office. When the now sObered composltor
arrived II bum selected copy for him,
and bossed him around, and there was no
rebsllion He wrote and SET up several
editorials himself, made up the outside
pages of the paper in 8 neat manner and
worked off two jobs Tor which s. 10 cash
was paid in. During the day two SUB.
scribers paid in 81, and oil the money
went into the strangers pocket.
The editor was to be gone two days, and
the man took such complete possession
that we believed in his right, and did not
kick. During the day he got a hat and q
new pair OF boots the same way he gos the
clothes, and he drank three quarts OF beer
at our expense.
Pro-. Peters circulars filled Snyder's
Hall thai evening 10 over
flowing. and it was the old bum
who stood at the door and took the money
When the las. person had passed in, the
doorkeeper slid into the darkness, and the
people cat there for half an hour before
they realized that they had been daped.
Then o grand man hunt WAS organized
but it was too late. The bum bad stolen
a skiff aud dropped DOM the river, just
about $3.50 ahead Of cur town.