The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-03-21
Artemus Ward.---A Scketeh Of his
Career

lit is a sad duty to announce the death
of young man, for whom the future
promised SO much as it did for Mr..
Browne; and the little telegram that teifs
Of his death VII. be- read with peculiar
pain and sadness in Cleveland. 1t was
here that his genus for humor crystalised
in the g Arten1us Ward ictters, andits
was while member, of. the Cleveland
press-that~ he received his frst~hearsE.
round of public applause. He coDan,eac-
ed bis career here, and, but for the en-
eotl1a cement that his early efforts receiv
ed from Cleveland friends. he would
hardly have achieved the wonderful sue
that finally fell to his share go. E 80.
Eve well remember when Mr.. Browne
first took the local S post on. the Plan
Deale,. G It was in the summer of 1885,
His experience as press writer had pre-
viously been limited TO short appretice-
ship as local editor on a Toledo paper, and
to stray communications to Mr.. ShIiia-
ber's Boston Carpet Bag; upon which
paper he warked as a composltor.; About
the first humorous article that he ever
wrote-and it was one OF his best-was a
description of Fourth of July celebra-t
ton in a New England village. The
grand spectacle of the day was a repre-
scntation Of the battle of Yorktown
George Washington and Lord CORVALLIS
in character Before the affair was over,
Washington get drunk, and had despe
rate fsticuff battle with CORVALLIS, and
came out second best This article was
tin,idly handed to Shillaber, whom its
rich humor delighted. The paper was
also printed in the Pain Dealer, soon
after he commenced work upon It,
II al bo
ledo ConameTciat as compositor; but two
paper, betrayed his rare humor to the
the result. 1t was not lo.,g after that
Mr. ]. W. Gray, the founder of the
Plain Dealer, effected an engage
ment with Browne He became
local and commercial editor of the paper
As mere reporter he was decidedly not
a success lacking the necessary enter
prise and industry; but he was literally
running over with humor, SO that his
column was always a favorite with rea-
ders, whether it presented any news or
not. One of his best hits was take off
on 'Bonnerism in the Ledger. Mr..
Bonner announced that the Lions Of the
New York Press were all writing for the
Ledqer Thereupon Mr.. Browne came
cut one evening with the startling an
nouncement that THE Tigers OF the |
Cleveland Press were all writing tor the |
Plan Dea5err The next evening APP |
Deared Ietfers-written in the broadest |
birlesete-from the different Cleveland |
editors. Mr.. BENEDICT wrote on 'Eti- i
auette, and Mr.. Gray on Dancing. We |
cannot remember the subject Of Alr, |
Harris able article. s
1t was while on the Pam Dealer that |
NJ Browne adopted the non de plume Of |
"Artemus Ward "a character that he |
individualized so thoroughly that the |
old Snowman has always seemed like a
verltabe parsonage, even to those who !
knew that he was but the creation of
humorist's pen The Ward letters were
a great success from the first, and were I
eagerly copied by the press everywhere. |
Some of them travelled across the Attain I
tic, and made their author known to |
English readers The best of these let |
tiers appeared in the PIai1a Dealer.
'sIn the winter OF 1860 'ArtemusI " ard |
accepted an offer from the proprietors Of
Taatlty Fan, land, for a considerable time,
was a leading editor on that paper-con-
tributing a continuation of the Ward let
tiers, and number of burlesque stories,
the best of which was The Fair Inez, or
the lone Lady of the Crimson Cliffs.
After comparatively short connec-
ton with Family Far, Mr. Browne con-
Guided to enter the lecture field. In the
latter he was even more successful than
as writer. Two campaigns in this field
lined his pockets with comfortable sum
of money, and made him widely famous
as a humorist. He then went to Cali
fornia and Utah-lecturing and seeing
the sights. Upon his return, he wrote a
new lecture-about four-f fths burlesqEe,
and one fifth fact-and with a " i1mon
panorama, commenced evening enter
tainments at Dodworth Hall New York
city. Crowds went TO see his pictures,
and to hear his irresistible funny lecture,
and for a time he was the attraction of the
Metropolis Mr. Brown success was
not attributable alone to his humOr: con-
trary to the expectations OF his friends,
he proved himself most skiIiful man
ager-seelning to possess an intultlve
PERCEPTION as to the best manner OF secur
ing popular patronage. One Of his New
Y ork advertiser consisted of a coup
lie Of men, attlred in a costume, half
Indian and half Yankee, who paraded up
and down Broadway, deehed out in ieath
ers, paint, 'stand-up collars, moccasins,
and cotton umbrellas, and bearing plac
ards setting forth the attractions OF bod
worth Iiail.
After performing few months at New
York, the panorama was taken through
the United States-everywhere drawing
immense crowds.
'Artemus Ward sailed for England
last fall with his panorama. The success
that awaited him there could scarcely
have been anticipated, even by the most
extravagant of his friends. Almost from
the moment of his arrival in London, he
was one OF the principal lions of the
place. The first week he spent as a reg
ular contributor to Pmch-a powerful
medium whereby to advertise himself to
the British public. '--
He then opened his exhibition at Egyp-
tan Hall, where he continued giving en-
tertainments until prevented by the Ill
ness which resulted in his death The
| London papers We'd with each other in
their laudations of the American humor-
| list. Even the Spectator came out in a
| two or three column criticism Of 'Arte-
mus Ward, which was in the highest de
/ gree complimentary to him, Prominent
| }ta'atems paid him attention ;and Charles
Reade, in his Griffith Gaunt,' mention
/ ed him as Artemus the delicious
| "Mr Browne was Just thirty-two years
of age at the time of his heath. We be-
lieye that he had no brothers OF sisters
His mother is residing at Waterford,
Maine, on farm presented to her by her
son. She viii probably be the sole heir
of his immense fortune.
'sP. S.-There are some additional
facts in regard to sArtemps that might