The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-04-10

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WHEN the GRAPHIC WAS YOUNG
"reminiscences sf "Jack" Wessw,as.
the crap,acS FaCst Foreman
The Hawarden Ia) Republican
notes that dts foreman, j. w. Wood-
man, has just bought a house in which
to install his interesting and East
growing fa.s,ily-for be it known that
Jack" is with s'Teddy'' Roosevelt
against race suicide. All of which re-
minds us that 1T was just about twea-
ty years ago this time that Jack,
helped us getout the first issue of the
GRAPHlC-in the little old shell OF a
building waich now t0tters on the lot
just south OF the Matson warehouse.
In fact tJ2ck" did all OF the nae
cflanical work ;at that tdme-and for
some years afterward. There was gust
about enough material from the old
Enterprise outfit to load a pony wagon
and it took -gack" from the middle
OF the afternoon to until IL o'clock at
might to make and '~sjustify'' Gwosmall
forms working as he did with wood
slugs. tin leads and squads that looked
as though they had been shot out of a
gun. This was before Jack got marri-
ed, settled down and Joined the Sab
bath school and the words he said on
the occasion referred to would not do
to print IN strictly moral newspaper.
A few months 4ater the GRAPHIC
plant was moved into its present quar-
ters built for it, and since twice en-
larged. Jack and the GRAPHIC man
used to room together in one of the
rooms over the Office, opposite OF which
was DR.. Hollinger's office. At least
one night every week somebody would
come pounding up the stairs and try
to break the door down-hnnting the
doctor. That made Jack hot and he
'4put piece in the paper to the effect
that the GRAPHIC folks positively re-
fused to attend baby natinees be-
OWCCi III ~ Ill. tdiid I d. Ill.
There never was more devoted and
loyal employee of a newspaper than
Jack. He was not only pulling for
the GRAPHIC from daylight until
dark, but was ready to fight anybody
who said it wasn't the best newspaper
west of Chicago, One tine man in
the north part Of the county, whose
name we do not now recall, caught a
young boy going across his farm with
a gun and in a violent fit of anger at
some fancied grievance took the gun
away from the lad and beat him
shamefully. The GRAPHIC in telling
about it gave the offender an awful
roast. He was known as a man of un-
governable temper and the editor was
cautioned to look out for him. Sure
enough, few days after he came into
the office and marched down to the
editorial sanctum in the rear and de-
manded an explanation. Jack laid
down his stick and rule and followed
close after him. Ina drawer Of the
desk at the EDITORS right hand lay a
gun big enough to tap a hogshead and
in his right hand behind his back Jack
grasped mallet that would fell an OK.
There was something about the gen.
eral appearance of things that the man
from up north evidently didn't believe
it the part Of wisdom to stir up, and
after cooling down a bit, he took his
leave, and Jack laid down his mallet
and resumed his work at the case. The
next week the GRAPHIC came out a
little bit worse for the man than be-
| fore-but we never saw him again. In
cidentally, that was the first and only
time the editor ever came near getting
/ licked.
Jack used to haye his hair cut to the
bone in the dog days and the flies tor
mented his noble dome of thought un-
mercifully. 1t was favorite express
sion of. his that if the Almighty had
given the matter second thought
he'd have put tails on printers so they
could switch flies with their tails and
set type at the same time.
An apprentice by the name of Bert
Howdeshell worked with Jack year
or so. He was perfect printers devil
just about as reckless deyil-may-c
sort as is oftened pictured in print
He had habit of throwing the type
over his shoulder on the floor when he
pied a line and if he couldn't make
out the copy he'd leave it out. Any
printer knows the vexation of correct
! ing proof Of that kind. Jack told
him to ''put in anything" when he
couldn't make out the words, as it was