The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-02
Old Printers, Stories.

There was one story which big Injun''
told, which may rank first in the collection,
says the New Haven Register. IL was
prompted by the boastings Of fellow COM
pos as TO the number Of thousand ems they
could set in a day. Big Injun" was
something OF liar himself, as well as a
"Pshaw." he said TO the boosters. you're
not IN u with me, not even a little bit.
can paste up a bigger string than any Of
you IN day, but that amt what i started
out 10 tell you. It is Of my experience one
night in a printing Office down south. 1t
was during the war. / had struck de-
serted toWn-'twas nearly deserted, l can
tell yOu-and picked out a vacated print
ing Office TO bunk in. II seemed more
homelike you know. 1t was a good,
quiet place to sleep, barring the rats,
but somehow 1 couldn't sleep. Strange
bed, perhaps. though the floor wasn't any
harder than usual, and had fairly good
press blanket for a covering.
l tossed around for awhile, and finally.
to relieve the mOnotOny, / thought I'd
STICK little type and make believe /
was getting out the morning paper. /
tered composing stick, but there wasn't
handful Of type in all the cases. The
fore he fed. ! didn't suppose he had car
ried the metal away with him, so I rum
mayed around and finally found the whole
Outnt in bag
Then / was happy. I threw off my coat
and went to work. didn't want to dis
arrange things too much, so I didn't both
er to put the type into a case, but set it
from the bag. I had nothing to make
a light not even candle, but there
was a bright moon, and l carried each
type to the window to identify il, except
the upper case letters, which l could tell
by feeling of EN-. 1t was setting type IN
der difficulties, but, timing myself by the
village clock, l put up 1000 ems of BREWER
in an hour"
No one attempted to match this story
and " hat the printers thought of il may
be inferred when it is known that the
average printers string of BREWER
in an hour was 1000 ems.
Talking about setting type without
case" put in Rocky Mountain Jones
reminds me of little experience of mine
out on the fringe OF civilization. l had
struck little town with a printing office
II didn't look very promising, but / sailed
in and inquired if they wanted a first
class printer. The boss looked me over
and told me to go to work. Where's the
type?' says /. over there in that bag
says he. Where's the caseg says l.
Case be blOwed. said he, or words to
that effect. Here handing me a piece
of chalk. go and mark one out on the
floor, you're so BANKED particular
You didn't stay long, l guess" remark
ed Holy" Joe. so named because of the
odor of sanctity, not to mention other
doors; "tisn't well to stay until you are
fired. l was never fired but once, and
that was done so slick that 1 forgave
the chap. 1t was in an office down in
Texas. / had stayed a little longer than
usual, seeing as how l needed a new
pair of shoes, and had got so acclimated
that i enjoyed an individual nail in the
wall on which to hang my hat. Well,
one night l came in and found my nail
driven clear into the wall up to the head.
! suspected the devil and welt for him
1 didn't do it, he said. Who did? /
asked. The foreman, says he and that
means that you're bounced l didn't wait
Tor any more ceremony "