The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-06-27
SET UP By eAosrLY FINGERS.
A Typesetter's Story of News Getting That
Beat tho Telegraph.


Beat tho Telegraph.
'In the summer of 1884," said com
positor, 81 was running a paper In
little baclSwoods town in Pennsylvania.
The paper was not so metropolitan in
its makeup but that l was able 80 do
all the work myself with the exception
of the printing Publication days l
called in the services Of half-witted
fellow, who, under my instruction, had
developed into an expert roller was
the only man within radius of twenty
miles who knew how to set type, and if
had fallen sick the paper would not
have come out until / was well again.
Naturally am not a superstitious man,
but an incident occurred while | had
charge of that paper which | can not
explain, and, until 1t is explained,
, shall believe that any thing is possible
I in the way of ghosts, spoolSs, wraiths,
! etc.
"It was the morning of June TO-
had locked up my forms the night be-
fore so that could begin printing early
in the morning | was pulling the old
!
the local list was in the post Office.
Soon after the delivery had begun one
of the merchants of the hamlet--a very
intimate friend-came into the office.
"'How did you come to hear of the
death of your brother so soon?' said he
! There was no telegraph station within
fifteen miles.
"'What do you mean?' said I.
"'Mean?' said he. You ought to
know what is in your own paper. Have
you forgotten that you heard this morn
ing that your brother is dead? Have
you forgotten that you set up a notice
of it an hour or two ago?'
{" Are you crazy said L 4 swear
that do not know what you are dliv-
ing at
"At this. juncture he opened the damp
sheet that I had so recently printed and
folded, and pointed to me the following
item at the bottom of the third column
Of the local page:
"'John Jones, brother of William
Jones, was killed at Peoria, ILL.,, at five
O'Clock this morning.
'My breath was fairly taken away
from me. The merchant was right.
There was the notice OF my brothers
DEATH in my own paper, and had not
set it up nor heard of it.
"'You are right said Il but this is
the first | have known of it. If there
ever was mystery this is it.
81 went over to the form. There
was the three-line item. The moment
saw the type l was more amazed than
ever. 1t was the type-setting of my
brother, who, like me, had been bred tc
the printers trade. could tell his work
J from that of thousand. He was q
J marvellous even spacer and he carried
his taste so far that he always put less
) space after comma.
but how were the lines put into the
{ locked form? No item had been talter
: out. l examined the form closely. Yes
there was some more of my brother
: work. To gain the space leads haC
5 been taken from here and there Just u
: he used to take them. He was a grea
r sticller for good looks in page, an
] was very fastidious as to where h
;, pulled his leads 1t struck m
I right away that the notice of tn
= death would not have been so shor'
}, would have gone into details more, br
1 for the fact that my brother did nc
d wish to remove any of my matter nc
|. any lead that could not be spared 6
well as not.
Though utterly slleptical about 81
= pernatural visitations, from that m
ment l believed that my brothers di
/. embodied soul had made it's way hu,
:. dreds of miles, had entered my Office
. the early dawn had set up the motto
of his death and put it in the form
Late that afternoon dispatch can
d to the effect that William Jones WI
% killed at Peoria, Ill, at five o'clock tn
l. morning. ng."-Cleveland World.