, 1889-02-17
A TOURING PRINTER.
The Noted Col. l.. r. Busby Visits
the Magic City.
He Is Scholar, Philosopher, Soldier,
Editor and Typo.
His Dissertation on the Degeneracy
of the Country Office.


noted of American typographical tourists,
spent two days in Cheyenne last week.
working in THE LEADER composing
rooms one night. The colonel, who is a
tall man of military bearing, long since
reached the conclusion that a dress suit
topped off with silken tile was the proper
attire for a travelling printer, and always
appears in this costume.
Busby is more than fifty years old and
has been a confirmed tourist for more
than a quarter of a century. He has set
type in every state and territory in the
union, has contributed to the columns of
many of the leading journals and is per-
sonally acquainted with nearly all the
prominent men Of the day. He adopted
the profession OF letters years and years
ago. In his most laxative moods he
never refers to his embarkation IN the
business, but 1t is suspected hat his
start was made when as a little shaver
his mother called him bright and early
n morning and sent him to the office of
a little Missouri weekly Ito learn to be a
printer" The colonel has been going
ever since and will continue to go until
the Almighty calls lime OF him.
The mans accomplishments are numer-
GUS and his fund of general information
wonderful in its scope and quality. He
can best the shrewdest in a political argu-
ment, has Latin, French and German on
his tongues end, can review III detail the
notable battles of the age and reel off a
comprehensive crltiqe of the latest novel,
scientific work, play or opera. In or
biography, orthoepy and ~etymology he is
past master and is accepted as authority
in any printing Office in the land. To hear
him dissertate on theology, temperance or
kindred topics is a rare treat. To audi
ences OF his brethren of the stick and rule
he has made addresses on these subjects
which for fairness, finish and erudition are
unrivalled. Busby is a lawyer, too. He
repeat the constitution, declaration of
independence and law OF nations, Is con
versant with naval statutes, knows the
principal points in all treaties. can lucidly
recite the differences in the divorce and
usury laws of the various states. While
not given to star gazing, he is an astrono-
He hasn't sported a boutonnaire
for wears, but is a botanist. Few mineral
could teach him anything about
ores.
On one thing this talented man of
diversified attainments is a mild crank.
He bemoans the degeneracy of the coun-
try printing office. Here is a peroration
on the topic delivered during the lunch
hour:
The good old days when the country
editor was his own writer, printer, press
man and business manager are gone. In
nine Of every ten of these establishments
now in existence you find one of these
three men in charge;
"A lawyer who forsook Blackstone be-
cause his only Casa hog replevin suit
in a squire's court-was lost.
"a doctor whom the people suppressed
because they suspected hat he had
formed a combine with the village under
"A soaring literary genius who lost the
district school because he was incompe-
tent.
They are all in the business for the
same thing-they want to be elected to
some little one-horse office. They love to
be called journalists, and aver that Jour
nalism is the fourth state-none of them
could enumerate the first three.
Lets go into one of these modern
opinion moulding foundries and apply for
work. The editors feet are ON the table.
His plug hat is on one side of his head
and a toothpick is in the opposite corner
of his mouth to balance the weighty af-
fair. He removes his feet from the ia
BILE, wheels around and gazes at you in
surprise. Curiosity satisfied, he says:
- have considerable help and times
are so hard that L have to rustic to collect
enough money to get my paper u of
the express Office. of course he runs a
patent inside edited in some city.
Take a look at his shop and force. 1t
is in bad shape and the complement in
cludes one inferior man, four or five girls
and a couple of boys. L engage the editor
in conversation and being o~utspoken ask
him why he doesn't lessen his force and
indulge in manual labor himself. He is
aghast and exclaims:
MY Gawd, man. l must have time
to write my editorial
His editorial (contemptuously). Read
it. You expect a political article, and
turning to the page you eyes fall upon
the catchy title danger aheadP The in
PRODUCTION is clever, but it winds up by
setting forth that the peril of the hour is
neglect to invest twenty-five cents in a
box of DIR. Killemquick's celebrated liver
pills.
uRnt hia local noua is tho crozpipg