The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-30
4 PRINTERS TALE.
.,vr LA SHELLE TELLS OF THE Ev-
CLIFTON OF A NEWSPAPER.

,nonv. used to be printer on the
sailv papers Of Chicago in the earlier
u and tells some interesting sto-
u Tie has seen both sides of life, and
- the sunny times of the present has
not entirely forgotten certain charm
that gilded the days when things did
NOT "come so easy.
Tn the first place he was printer on
country paper down at Wyoming, Ills.
Tie distributed pi, washed the rollers,
belped with the press work, built the
eros and swept the Office. And he re-
noiycd SI.25 week for his services
There was a journeyman printer who
could make SO on 81 when be was sober
and who could quote whole pages of
byron and Scott and Tennyson when he
was drunk. The foreman received $12
a week. and the sum seemed perfectly
stunendous to LaShelle.
Whatever could man do with S12
week? In what possible manner could
he find places for so much money?
Where could he put it? How should he
snend il? How greater than the fortunes
of nrinces was the estate of this foreman
who received $l2 week.
LaShelle grew in efficiency till he
could set as much type as the journey
man. and then the latter rose to such
inebriated heights that he could no
longer recite poetry and was discharged.
The pay of the apprentice was then
raised to SO n week. The foreman left
and came to Chicago, and after time
wrote for his former "devil, and the
lad left Wyoming and took a place as
galley boy on the old Telegraph, which
had been started as greenback paper
by Colonel S. f. Norton.
IL was an afternoon paper, and La
Shelle had all the work he could do and
drew So week for doing it. After
awhile Colonel Norton retired from the
paper and man named Collins, from
Winchester, came up and invested S40,-
600 in the struggling concern. 1t is said
of Mr.. Collins that his dream OF life
consisted in the ability to write passes
TO theaters, and the dream was never
realized till he had bought The Tele-
graph.
The paper ran as an afternoon sheet
for about year, and then it changed
suddenly to q morning issue. The
change seems to have been mistake,
for The Telegraph lost money steadily,
but this fact did not for time interfere
with Mr.. Collins privileges with the
theaters. Then came day when the
business manager Of the paper came up
and announced to the men that he
would have to hold back a certain por-
ton of their pay for week or so. AT
the end of that time the Office was I'M
able to. provide any of the pay. The
business manager came up and told the
men if they would hold on for day or
two everything would be all right, as
Mr.. Collins was negotiating for a sale.
That went on for another week, and
one night the men went up to the com
posing room and talked the matter all
over. They had worked for nothing as
long as they thought there was any rea-
son for it. They believed i'll being loyal
TO their paper, but they saw no reason
why the thing should run along indefi'
nitely The time for starting compost
ton approached, and the men had real
ly concluded not to pick up type
Suddenly the ruined owner came slow
ly, laboriously, up the stairs.
Good evening, gentlemen, said he
II don't suppose you feel like working
again tonight, and l cannot blame you
OF course you ought to have your mon
ey. If the paper could go on till tomor
row believe the trade would be MADE
and in that event you will all get you
money. If paper is not issued IN tn
morning, of course there will be noth
ing to sell, and can do nothing towart
paying you, for have sunk every dol
lar 1 had in the world, and this is tn
end Of my resources put $40, 600 II
The Telegraph and it is all gone.
81 don't care so III; oh for myself L
really doesn't matter am getting {
be an old man, and these things canno
interest me much longer, but when
man has put the earnings OF his lifetlm
in business, as have, he gets TO 1eel
sort Of interest in it and to wish 1t mlgh
live, even if it has to pass to others.
"Well, suppose you are right. :
course / cannot ask you to do an
more And he turned YEARLY an
started down stairs.
The foreman looked toward the clocf
1t marked just THE time for goin
to work Every man felt in his rlgi
hand vest pocket for his composing RUE
and without a word every printer wake
straight to his case and began the reg'
lar work of the evening. AS the de1eate
owner reached the bottom OF the stall
he could hear the thrilling click OF met'
type in the steel sticks of the men, an
he knew he had not been abandoned
his extremity.
The paper was sold next day, as 20
Inns had hoped. a man named ferKi,
"a large, unctuous man--bougnt u
sheet, and he lasted just two week
Later The Telegraph was acquired py
little group of men, who knew newsp
per work and dared to make Till
fortune, though their fortunes we ",
small They changed the named 10 III