The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-26

ed" Typesetters He Had Never
Before Met With-Made a Modest
Fortune at His Calling.
Uncle Ben" Warner was probably the
best known caterer to the exclusively
printer element in the early days. He
held forth In St. Louis, but it was not in
the Mound City alone that uncle Ben
was well known. Scarcely q ''pedaler' Of
the early days but knew Uncle Ben"
He was wise in his way. He would trust
any typo. And he usually got his money.
Uncle Ben" served lunches in the news
rooms of the old St. Louis Republican
and the Globe. He also had a stand in
the Times Office in that city, in the days
Of Stilson Hutchins. Nearly all the bust
ness done by Uncle Ben" was credit.
He did not expect the cash save on pay
days And he did not show favoritism.
A stranger was just as welcome to
Uncle Ben's'' lunch as was the old timer
In the town. All went ION the book"
Often 1t was a year before Ben got his
money, but, as a rule, he got it. The
printers treated him square
BEN'S BAD EAR.
There was a standing joke based upon
Uncle Bens" hearing. 1t was related
that he was deaf to all appeals for loans.
A printer would approach Ben with:
LET me have a dollar till pay day, will
you, Benz"
To this Ben would invariably respond
"Hey?"
No matter how often the request was
repeated Ben's response would be:
| "Hey?'
| On the other hand, let printer be
absent from the Mound City for year
or longer and, upon his return, approach
| Uncle Ben with:
"How much do L owe you, Benz"
Swift as the cataract at Niagara would
| come the response:
Dollar thirty-five,' or whatever the
amount due might be-and Ben always
| had it correctly.
There were few on Ben's blacklist
shall not name them-but High Hand
was among the number.
VETERAN JACK STINSON
When Jack Stinson was foreman of the
St. Louis Globe Joe McCullagh was In
his prime. They were both base ball
cranks-editor and foreman-and the
Globe team easily carried off the cham
pionship until the Times got together g
club that made us hustle. There were
straight ball and toss 1t as swiftly as
possible. l was pitcnc@ 1or the Globe
team. We were tied for the championship
with the Times aggregation, and the de-
cisive game was on. In the ninth in
| ming the score was II to 10 In our favor
but the other side had their half Of the
inning, with three men on bases, two
out and two strikes on the batter. shot
In hot one, and the Times man caught
it squarely on the nose. 1t came out tC
the pitchers box like one Of those thir-
| teen-inchers at Santiago. Quick as a flash
1 realized that 1 could not dodge it. II
| must be caught, and caught 1t was, by
sheer accident-thrown over to first, and
the game and championship were won.
COVERED COPY-BOX.
The story Of the base ball game is bu
Of the covered copy-box in the Mount
] City newspaper offices, and the Incl
dent that caused the change Everythin,
went ION the hook in those days-tha
is, the regular men got the fat" TIL
advertisements were purchased by a
syndicate, the members of which pait
| SO much as agreed upon for the priv
| lege. Whatever that amount was
| vent on the hook in bonuses of 1000 en-
| each-50 cents a thousand was the price
| in those days, and so a bonus was worth
| while getting. My cases were just oppo
| site Stinson's desk. I had made an er
| ror in one of Editor McCullagh's lead
ers,' set in minion, loaded with four-to
plea leads-making it very white.
| There was a bonus on the hook. If
| corrected the editorial properly, I woult
| lose the bonus. In went two or three en-
quads, and the galley went to the ston
| for revise.
AND IT CAME BACK.
Bill Frasier was proof-reader I SAY
him coming up the aisle, and to my hoI
ror and dismay, with him was J. B. NC
Cullagh, editor of the paper. stinso
shifted his glasses to his forehead, afte
having glanced at the botched proof
Then he motioned to me to step up t
his desk.
Did you do this. Green?' he asked
pointing at the proof.
II did, SIR
Don't you know what the rule is 1
regard to notwithstanding larger tina
a three-em space in spacing out?'
II do" was the response.
'"Then why was this done?'
[ Bonus"
Put the bonus back on the hook an
fix this galley was all the stern fore
man said. Later, when asked why h
did not execute the usual penalty, h
said:
Cant spare him-he pitches for GU
base ball team"
And out of that incident grew tn
covered copy-box.
PRINTER WITH ONE ARM.
Jack Martin was one of the early-da
printers, who would not have settle
down. under any consideration. An
Jack had but one arm. He could Sc
type marvelously fast, considering hi
affiiction. Foremen, who did not know O