The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-07
CITY NEWS
"Q[D BlODG[' GOES
OUT TO FARM 4 SPELL
He Takes a Respite From Toll.
at the Printers Case After
Forty-seven Years.
"old Blodgea has laid aside the

Stick zs:9s
After nearly half a century passed
before the printers case, A. c. Blodgett,
of ST. Paul, has gone Tout to the farm
to rest up and dig worms for the
spring fishing
If you don't know sOld Blodge' your
takes in this town have not been
numerous; you must be .tcub,' per-
haps a galley kid" y. te-wit, a simple
devil" For 'Blodge" is probably the
Oldest active printer in the Twin
Cities, in Minnesota, or in the whole
Northwest. He "cussed"5 his first 'pi''
forty-seven years ago; he turned In his
first string in ST. Paul in 1860, forty
four years ago, before the war; Dur
ing seventeen years he has been the
Nestor of The Clio be composing
room.
Mr.. Blodgett was born in Lafayette
county, Wis.,, April 81, 1874. He oblig-
ingly accompanied his parents to How
ard county, Iowa, in November, 1856.
The following year, at the age of
thirteen, he took his first vows of de-
votion to the craft upon the stone of
the New Oregon ePlaindealer, now the
Cresco Qowa) Plaindealer. This auxil-
larry lever for jolting the universe had
just been established, in March, 1857,
by George w. Peck, future author of
1.-THE Bad Boy and future governor of
Wisconsin. With Mr.. Peck was asso-
ciated partner named Fairbanks. The
Plaindealer, Sx4,i four pages, was full
of personals, politics and ginger"
Having put this journal well upon it's
feet, Cub" Bledgett fastened TO the
assistance of the Herald at Sparta,
Wis, where he and the editor proprie-
tor, Patrick Mcbride, labored happily
for year and more.
Now we'll advanced into his wander
years." the young Caxton took snip
ping, stopped over at La Crosse, found
the profession prosperous, and passed
on down river to st. Louis. His good
ship was the ada j Johnson"
This voyage brought him strange
sights but few opportunities. Soon he
set sail for ST. Paul and first encounter
ed Jackson street A. D. 1860. Here he
fingered the types of David Ramaley
the pioneer Gutenberg, publisher to
this day, who was then the lord and
master of Job office" But the intro
ductory visit to ST. Paul had ended in
three weeks.
Thereupon the uneasy Blodgett with
drew to Winona, where he found q tenn
porary Ararat. He entered the office OF
the Republican but was presently at
tracted to the loftier ideals of the
Democrat, conducted by j. j. Green and
John R. Gill Mr.. Blodgett fingered
with the Democrat for nearly ten years.
When, In 1870, he returned to st.
Paul. he was welcomed by his former
employer, at that time head of the job
printing house. of Ramaley, CLANCY &
Kicker, in Minnesota street. The sec
ond member of this firm, Josiah b.
CLANCY, is now assistant librarian of
the State Historical society,"
Becomes Hotel Clerk.
Slow to find a foothold in ST. Paul,
Mr.. Blodgett had labored here two
weeks only when he accepted call
from the chapel of the Winona Re
publican, as extended through the ed1-
tor and proprietor, D. S. Sinclair. After
a year at the head of the Winona
composing room, Mr.. Blodgett tired of
immobility and fed to Kansas City in
1871 He worked two nights consecu-
lively upon the Kansas City Times.
But the Coates house wanted night
clerk, and the Coates house was the
finest hotel in Western Missouri. Mr..
Blodgett accepted post behind the
Coates house desk. He was in control
of the bells and ice water at this no.
tel when the receipts of the Kansas
City fair were stolen in broad day
light before a great crowd by Outlaw
Jesse James.
1t was then that the Badger Frank
lin, feeling painfully permanent at
Kansas City, and experimenting that he
might be rooted to the spot Travelled
forth to Salt Lake City, to Denver, to
many another town and news room
'twixt the Big Muddy and the Rock
les.
Before the close of 1872, however,
like a homing pigeon, Blodgett had.
winged his way to Winona. Soon he
got his bearings, decided to try Min
neapolis, and secured a sit upon the,
"Trib,' namely the Minneapolis Trib-,
une. He was made assistant foreman
of the "Trib" composing room, and
there he drank his midnight coffee
TRANQUILITY for eight long years.
AT last a voice called Printer Blod-
gett to the harbor of a lifetime. He
went forth ten miles and came unto
the ST. Paul Clio b e. the only news
paper, after many trials in many
places, that fulfilled his expectations.
He was appointed an lad" man on
T h e G o b e because of his recog-
nized skill in the difficult art Of max
| ing each advertisement appear more
attractive than its predecessor. He
brought to pass this miracle night after
night during seventeen years He might
! still be contributing to the common
prosperity of himself, the dear public
and the deareF purveyors of the public
| had he not frosted his hand while go
| ing home on one of the coolest of this
| winters cold mornings.
Temporarily disabled, he CHANGED to
recollect that he hadn't been s'out to
| the farm" for nearly half a century.
He has started, accordingly, to Alder
| wood stock farm, the pleasant proper
| ty, filled with cows and horses, milk
and fish, where his family is living, at
Dodge Center, MINI.
IT think I'll stay down there awhile"
said "Blodge" last week, pulling his
Mosaic beard, .but maybe won't. I've
always been a trif1e restless"