The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-12-10
SARGE PLUNKETT.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE"OLD" CON-
STITUTION building.
The Early Years of the Great Southern
Journal and the Men Who
Worked Upon IT.
For The Constitution.


the nineteenth that Brown and l have lin
! gered around The Constitution-but nineteen
/ years is not much after it has passed.
The public is familiar with the abundant
success and the progress of the greatest
| of southern journals, but the little Things
the home life as it were. would be OF m
terest TO many now scattered over TINS
/ bread land.
| went among the workers Of the compos-
irg room the other night, just to count
the faces 1hcre now who were there some
nineteen years ago. Uncle Ike Pilgrim, the
first i'm years, as he is in Importance still
presides over the lads" and the honor be-
| longs 10 him OF having set the first line IN
type for The Atlanta Constitution one
would hardly suppose as we look upon hlm
now, that he would have ever been so
rambling i'm his mind as to have been re
sponsible for Nearer, My God. to Thee"
| going through the paper as Nearer, MY
Girl, to Thee''-how time does change our
channel of thought.
| In an opposite corner Mr.. j. u. Lively
pIesides over the market department, ana
has attained the reputation of being the
most expert market manipulation in the
whole country, but all old-timers Know
that he should have honors in another di-
rectOn, too, for he was a most distressing
crank on the weather lon.s before wealth
er bureaus were established or thought of,
and he had the men that worked with him
in the "oid Office" perfectly familiar with
the accepted principles of this day, the
honors for which others than he have profit
ed.
was about to pass from this room. when
the stately military form of Major Henry
Winter lowered above a group in the
heads department. where he presGes with
h0Eors. one would hardly suppose that
this pillar OF dignity could have ever relax
Cd enough TO perpetrate joke, but SO ne
| did. ana upon one high in authority. Cap
I IA
jor 4 mild reprimand fer some oVcrsiRr
| OF the department over which the MAJOR
then presided. The captains handwrlte'
Ike other lawyers, was so miserdDly pa
| that the major had the nerve TO approach
| Mr.. Hemphiil and oDer the repremdhd as Il
| recommendation for promotion. 70 when
the buein IS manager compiled ana captain
Howell refused to undo when the truth was
known-saying that such nerve ought TO De
rewarded.
Just these three were all that could find
I'm this room who figured in the cold build
| ing nineteen years ago, but just back OF
| a thin partition / found two others. MT. T.
j. Moran and Waiter {. henderson.
| Mr.. Moran is too well known for me to
! mention ia any matters of the present, out
/ Will mention him in connection with
| Christmas morning of the long ago. lie
was then foreman of the composing room
and upon this Christmas of the past he had
| arranged for the printers TO nave d most
Z
| th,. SPREADING OF banquet IN the morning
when the paper had been got to press. or
course the banquet was the best that the
city could furnish, ana never nave ! seen
an occasion enjoyed more heartily Joel
/ Chandler Harris aud sam Sn-aA were the
principal writers, in the little room OF the
old office gust below the composing rooHL
/ and from where urst started the stories ol
Uncle Renus" cut upon their mission OF
aelghting the world. AIR. Harris nad re-
tired. but SAM Small was stun at ms de.A
and il was easv To have him join the ban
aucters. upon ',hich occasion, after the
banquet WAL - -, va ~ ms ms, ,.HH -
! ~ type atN 5maE pradC 8. utm. "a
WAS not IN 81 days Muen a 'lper was on
the trains l fifteen minutes after the
forms were Ntady. and 80 the poem was
finished, set ian typ, the form brought
back and readers had it in their Christina
poper-ali performed after the banquet was
over.
[ remember that MIR. William II. Gun
n!ngham was the only one Of the banqueJcrs
who managed 10 get home On that day
without calling hack. William was large
and strong and was able to wiggle home
| upon his feet, bus this very thing of beng
able TO walk was the misfortune of his good
| wife having tine pitcner SMASHED when
he did se- home. William had enough con
hdencc in himself to undertake to gel a
| fresh pitcher OF water from downstairs.
| With the pitcher in his large ugnt hand
he started down the steps. He failed al
tie second step and went rumbllng ami
tumbilng TO the bottom. lie Thought Of the
pitcher when he began TO fan and in some
way protected it, but his wife ran to ,ne
top OF the stairs and hollcred down
Did you break the pitcher?'
| NO" said William, with the thought
that his wife was more exercised over the
| pitcher thaa over his bones. NO l dideut
| break II. but III be hanged if l don't" and
| he smashed the china upon the floor.
/ Mr.. Walter =. henderson is tne present
| foreman and telegraph editor lie has held
| this position for some twelve or fourteen
| years, and in all that time ] doubt if he
| has spoken a harsh word to any employe.
| True he has fired many for cause and he
! is rated as a most excellent disciplinarian
! but he has a tact Of contrCIins without
| harshness. The boys say he makes them
| feel good even when dscharging them
| I doubt IL / should have gene into the
machine ROOM" where the rattle is too
| much fo- my nerves, il / had not heard
| that another old-timer was ia there in the
| person Of Mr. louis SalOshln. Louis was
| present on the night of the banquet above
| spoken of and WAS ut that time assistant
to Mr.. Moran. In the older times it was
a common remark that it would be a cold
day in August when Louis could not find
time 10 help man in need All the way
from the Atlantic to the Pacific he was
known through travelling printers aud this
was mis- character. But / cannot miss the
opportunity of relating practical joke
upon him just because he happens To be a
good fellow.
louisa had procured a Louisiana lottery
ticket and the day of the drawing had ar
rived. He was sure that no one knew of mis-
having bought lottery ticket-much less
That they knew the number of that ticket.
In this he was mistaken. MIR. Moran a
great practical Joker then, he is now, by
some hook or crook had learned the num-
Der of the ticket. lie kept il 10 himself
until the night of the drawing aud then ne
usel it TO has purpose. In those days the
telegraph Office was down by the Markham
| hCI sc, ana a boy was kept TO bring dis
patches to and from. This boy brarg the
kilograms 10 the hrst floor, rat.led q boA
thar was there to receive them and then
they were drawn upstairs by Il string Alr.
Moran took the telegraph operator into his
confidence upon the night OF The drawing
and had LOu.s's ticket slipped nto The tcle-
gram as drawing $4,000. About the usua.
hour for receiving the news fl1n New Or
leans Louis began 10 grow nervous ami
would slide over and pull up ,he little box