Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-02-02

particular REQUEST Of our friend, as Arte-
mus Ward said, although | was too nearly
suffocated with suppressed laughter to make
even last diving request had it been neces-
sary. II was too ludicrous to depict-tne
professor, an indistinct white object, stand
ing on the chair, .elocutiDg' as Ward had IT,
and we sitting on the focr, holding our
sides, while AW would family whisper be
tween bis pangs of ninth, Just hear him.
/, was not in Wards heat 10 have his fun
at the expense Of another, without recon-
pense; so next dav, | remember he pub
iished lengthy and entirely serious account
of our visit TO the professor s rooms, spoke
Of his wonderful powers as an elocutlonlst'
and expressed the satisfaction and dehghl
with which we listened to his unequaled
Rotations The professor was oyerloyed,
and probably is Ignorant to this day thai
Artemus was playing ii on him.
never knew man whose sense Of the
ludicrous was 50 keen as his and be would e
any length to crafty it. once came upsn
him at a little country inn near Cleveland,
having a frolic with some old farmers he hac
fallen in with. Ward was mounted on the
back of white-haired old mare Of seventy
at least, and was riding circus act around
the bar-room. The way be made that ven
cradle mare walk, trot, run, 20 lame, waltz,
and dance the polka, was too funny.
lis Jokes were not always well taken.
We were coming into the city, one Gay, from
a drive and came upon some men engaged
in tying up raft on the Cuyahoga river 1t
was 4 hot day. and they were perspiring pro-
fusely. Artemus stopped bis horse. and ask
ed them very gravely, why they didn't g.
and steal for a living, instead Of tollng and
sweating in that way. The result was, be
had to lash his horse into run, in order to
get away from the shower Of Stone they
hurled at Us.
His Artemus Ward letter., which he wrote
for the PLAN Dsaler, made his reputation
and were the best thiogs be ever produced,
for the reason that they were not composed
as the spirit moved him, and not written ''tc
order. 50 His column Of City Items spar
kled with witty paragraphs 1t was difficult
FOR him to write up the most commonplace
item Of news without some witty concert
creepipr in. | remember him paTagraphlne
an accident to a Cleveland lawyer, as fol
lows ..Our old friend Bruce met with AT
accident this morning. His horse took isighi
and ran away. and in jumping from the bug
" Mr.. 7. suffered & sprained ankle. Bruce
little thought, when he defended Cole, the
Ashtabula wife p1isoner, that in les than
four years from that time, he would lumI
out Of his buggy and sprain his ankle such
is life.
once asked Brown, Che diin spell hi.
name with en- C in those iays) what sug
gested his nom de plum, Artcmls W ard
lie said, when he was reporter On the Ioled'
Commercial, he reported the uial Of ont
Ward. in that city, for murder. The par.ie
to the trial were all a queer, .gnorant set
and he said that there were 50 many ludl
crous and grotesque features TO the tfial
that the name Of Ward became indissolubll
associated in his mind with the oUtlandisi
and comical lie always considered th'
name Artemus a funny name, go he ante,
the two, and thus adopted Artemus War,
for a nom de plume.
think Artomus left lew enemies behio'
him, whel.in the fall of 80 he left Cleveland
for a broader field of effort. and tie friend
who knew him in his earlier days rejoice,
at his subsequent prosperity and sincerely
mouned his untimely death.-Na'urdat
Journal.