The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-03-03
HE HAD NERVE.
The Gall Displayed by Travelling Printes
In An Iowa Town.

he HAD NERVE.
The Gall Displayed by Travelling Printer
In An Iowa Town.
had been devil in the Bugler Office,
in town in Iowa, about four months.
when the editor was one day called
away. The man who was acting as
pressman, job printer, col.
lector, solicitor and so forth, seized
the opportunity to 60 off on spree,
and l was thus left in sole charge.
Just after dinner, as I was washing
the roller and cleaning up generally,
in walked the first old "printer bum"
l 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 came
in, and without 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 job stick"
I obeysd, and as he took 1.-THE walked
over to tne rack, slung in two or three
lines Of display type and then stepped
to the small plea case and set up the
body of circular reading:
HE HAS ARRIVED
THE WORLD RENOWNED PROF. PETERS!
Ventrsluqutst! Aesmerfst! Phrcnol0i&!
Prof. Peters has engaged Snyder's Hall for
the evening of September q, 1873 tomorrow
EVENING" and will give the citizens OF GARNER
Cit All exhib ton of his wonderful powers in
ventrilOquism, mesmerSm and phronOogy
Will initiate the notes OF all birds; will speak
to you in sixteen languages; will wager Sl0)
to 81 that he can mesmerlze any person IN
the audience; can read your character BY
feeling OF your head: will forfeit $50 II ne
crowned heads Of Europe FiatterIng press
notices from the leading newspapers OF the
world. Everv body turn out Admission only
"a cents, children free.
He placed this matter on galley,
pulled a proof and corrected it, and
then cut lot of print paper to the
right size and said to me:
"Get up the roller and roll for me-"
l 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:
Take the tin pail and get me a
quart of beer. Tell 'em to charge it
to the Office"
was afraid of the man, and l 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."
That was inducement enough, and in
two hours, with the help of another
boy, had billed the town. When i
returned the "bum" had washed up.
combed 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. l had been back only
five minutes when the booty compositor
came in. He had scarcely entered the
door when tho "bum" rose up. waved
him back and tragically exclaimed:
Go hence! This is no place for the
depraved! How dare you enter my
office in your present condition."
The comp" backed down stairs
drunken than ever, and after the stran-
ger had questioned me as to when the
,ditor would return he went to the hotel
and engaged the best room. 1had heard
that somebody held a mortgage on the
office, and it struck me that this must
,e the mans agent. Twas young and
,reen, and had never seen a display o.
tramp printers gall.
Next morning he took possession Of
the Office. When the now sOberet
compositor arrived the "bum" selected
copy for him and bossed him around
and there was no rebellion. He wrott
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 ant
seventy-fve cents cash was paid. Dur
ing the day two subscribers paid in foul
dollars, and all the money went int
the strangers pocket.
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 new pair Of boots tn
same way he got the clothes, and h
drank three quarts Of beer at our ex
pense.
4 Prof. Peters circulars filled Snyder
hall that evening to overlooking, and
was the old bum who stood at the doc
and took the money. When the las
person had passed in, the door-keepe
Slid into the darkness, and the peopl
sat there for half an hour before the
realized that they had been duped
Then a grand man-hunt was organized
But it was too late. The bum ha
stolen skiff and dropped down tn
river. just about one hundred and fift
dollars ahead of our TOWN. Y. Sun