It was a jolly bunch of “boys” in the composition and mechanical room of the Tribune in those days and many of them, while fine fellows otherwise, liked very much to get out and “celebrate” after the pay check was received Saturday night. Of course, one element, usually small, came back to work Monday morning with a headache and an empty purse. New printers from the “sticks” were generally victims of the element who wasted their money in riotous spending over the weekend and came back to work broke. They were experienced “pan handlers,” and the new printers soon got wise and saved their money.

Later on, when an attempt was made to enforce prohibition in Sioux City, certain of the printers who craved an occasional drink, had to send an agent out to buy a quart bottle of “Duffy’s Malt,” a rotten whiskey product to be had at certain drug stores. After the daily was out at 3:30 in the afternoon, the compositors were on their own time, spending the rest of the day in-filling their type cases for the next day. The so-called whiskey was brought in clandestinely and passed around the same way - the only difficulty being to escape the observation of the foreman, who was a strict teetotaler and a deacon in the Baptist church.

However, I never knew of his detecting of anything of this nature, and I think that he considered it good policy not to see the operation, so long as it did not result in intoxication or disorder. However, there was little danger of this, as very few printers got more than one “swig” at the bottle.