Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-03-13

ing Iooui vi d large udiil. especially d
morning paper, where the work was
entirely night work, there were some
features of the work which were I'M
doubtedly responsible for the resort
to drink. Laboring under the light
of a glaring gas light. and upon work
which demanded close and absorbing
attention of the brain, eve and hand,
everything from the hour of COM
mencement to the time when the last
line of type was set. the forms or
pages made up, and the presses start
ed, was one continuous rush and hur-
~. Eight or nine hours of such a
strain was terribly exhausting, and a
resort to stimulants was natural, but
has made hard drinker out of many
an intelligent and skillful worker.
Such a man was old ''Speck" White.
of New York state, well known to us.
A splendid printer. whisky threw him
down hard, and he would resort to
anything to get drink when he was
busted" and had worried his fellow
craftsmen in a fit of disgust in the
effort to obtain the price. One day
in Boston, Mass, he was roaming
through the streets in asgloomy fit of
abstraction, trying to raise drink
Continuous ''panhandling' of the
boys had failed to obtain him the coin
and he was trying to hit upon a
scheme to get the liquor. Passing
the fish market, a thought struck
him, and he proceeded to put it into
effect. He smeared his right eye and
a portion of his face with blood and
tied handkerchief round it. His
appearance was something awful in
this guiSe. He secured an old fish eve
and wendell his way toward the Post
newspaper Office. Slowly he climbed
the stairs and staggered into the com
posing room. Some one said:
''Hello. 'Speck,' what in - is the
natter"
"Oh, L had fight awhile ago and
got badly done up. l had my eye
gouged clear out. Look, at it," and
here he displayed the fish eye.
Good heavens, that's awful" and a
crowd formed around him in mo-
ment.
You had better go home and get
fixed up" said one OF the boys
"How can L go home. You know /
am dead Droke' was "Specks'' reply.
he lived some 300 miles away in New
York state. The generous hearts of
his Fellow workmen were touched
and printers are IA generous hearted
class OF nien-and they immediately
TOOK him up a collection. Five min
uteS afterward he walked rapidly
down the stairs removing the hand
kercnief on his eye and such blood
stains aS he could, and with "A bulging
pocket. some seventeen dollars in
small change the richer. About ii
O'Clock that night he was found by
the police lying on the pavement
where he mad been put out OF Sa-
ioon-dead to the world. Next day
there was d howl of Indignation from
the Post composing room, afterward
mingled with laughter at the way
| they were worked" Several of the
Boston newspapers published .the
story as in instance of total depravity
But the machines have now chang
ed all this, and the hard-drinking
| printer Is now Tile exception ana MOI
the rule. for the work demands in
creased attention and d keener eye
The older printers who have seen the
good times and who failed to profit by
them are in a more cruel position
than the younger ones, who can turf
their hands to other employment
Employers will not put a man owe
about % years of age on the machine
and thus, in their old age they ar,
thrown on the tender mercIes of
merciless world. 1t is too late nov
to say, ssGive me chance and / viii
improve it, Hard times and TIN
type-setting machines came togethe
and the printers were hit hard Man,
have obtained the means to set up
country newspaper for themselve
and are now making comfortapl
living Others are entering othe
walks of life, and still others, con
tinuing at the trade, have emigrate,
fn folds urQop and naStnrac poxu /