The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-07
MARK TWAIN AS AN
APPRENTICE BOY
He Was Not Bright and Was
Not at All Funny in
Youth.
A story coming under Macon, Mis-

story coming under Macon. Mis-
souri,. date line. says:
In the year 1916 Frank NJ Daulton en-
tered the office OF the Quincy, ILL.,. Her
aid as an apprentice. They We're using
eight Washington hand presses to get
out daily edition OF four or five hun
dred and weekly edition OF about nine
teen hundred.
Mr.. Daulton was soon pulling a. press
and setting type by hand. Since then
he has printed papers by the same print
tive method in Missouri, Indiana, Ohio
and Arkansas-ffty-eight years-with the
exception OF four years fighting with
Gen Pap Price. during which period
he won the rank of Major in the Conted-
crate army.
Major Daultou is to-day publishing the
Greene County Newsboy, at the town of
GAINESVILLE, Ark, using an old Washing
ton man killer that is a twin brother
to the one he struggled with in Quincy
in 1886 He sets up his own copy direct
from his head. without resort to the cum
bersome method of writing 1t out before
hand.
ga man can compose better at a type
case than at desk" remarked the Ma
jor, because he won't put in SO many
useless words
~ take a. stroll around town every
morning, chat with the merchants and
visitors, and go back to the office after
dinner and set it up while It's fresh on
my mind With a little practice one can
very easily load up his head with rough
matter to set four or five columns, with
out resortng to a note. except as to the
spelling of unfamiliar names"
During the year of 1851 Major Daulton
set type on tho Hannibal. Mo- Union
for Orion Clemens, an older brother OF
Mark Twain. Mark was a printer boy
in the Union office at the same time.
Concerning the humorist. Major Daulton,
who was here visiting his old Macon
county friends this week. saSd:
What remember most particularly
about Sam is that he could get more ink
and grease on him for the amount Of
work he did than any man In the shop
He had a holy horror ofssunday school
and church, generally went fishing or
swimming on the day of rest.
ono I can't recall one single humor-
Gus story that he ever told in his printer
DAYS. Truth Is 1 don't think no was
overly bright
II read his Huckleberry Finn but
don't think it's much of hook Do youI
"sam said he edited the paper. but ]
never struck any of his copy While l
worked on 1t. 1t was a tremendous SUR
prise TO me 10 Scc ''tH' bp'''e W 'Ao $500
in after wears as a man Of letters. Guess
the gift came 10 him when he was out
In the West,
.It certainly hadn't shown any indca-
lions of lighting on him when he was
at Hannibal. His ambition then was In
another direction altogether. He wanted
to be a pilot The real halo Of glory In
those days, in the eyes of youth. sur
ronnded stea Gboat men. They We're the
real kings of tho earth
"sam wanted to be a pilot, decided
tn be n captain. Jim Wolf, the roller
Nov thought he'd be a mate, Sam was
the only one of us that realized his am
hition and i've heard he got so he knew
avarv reef and sandbar between st. Louis
"a Nav orleans, and could locate EN-
blindfolded,"
n 1872 Major Daulton came over &c
RIoomington. then the county seat OF
Macon county, and published the Blooms
,ngton Journal. The subscription price
70 mo naner was $3.50 year, and moth
ing that a farmer had between grind
stones and wild honey was refused IN eN-
change for tho paper.
One If the imposing stones In the office
ma originally done duty as monument
co. subscrIber's grandmother After
q had performed fair amount of SER
,,,ca as a tribute to her memory, the sub
s,,,her loaded it on his cart, hauled II
20 town and made himself safe with the
aa,tor for a years delinquency and one
a. ADVANCE II was welcome payment
hoa,se ire stono was large. and smooth
one side, and the office needed 1t.