The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-10-03
The Danhury News Man as . BOy.

Although. It may have
q depressing influence upon the
coming generation. the truth must
be told, that when young he was
rather wild, and could always be
4 found with them &snssty boyEzas a {
An early age he esssyed peddling
/ apples, but not getting rich he, At
his mothers urging, went to school.
When about fifteen years of age,
James attempted the law, but lin
en- coat thWaFted his purpose, and
prevented his shining at the bar,
1t seems the other oflce-boy was
much smarter at throwing ink, and
much more dexterous in avoiding it.
The damaged condition in which
James brought that coat home one
night to his sorroWiRg mother so
depressed her that she withdrew
him from the bar. 5J sa % -
He next turned his attention to
the grocery business, but q sweet
teoth rivaling bis sssiduity, he clerk
ed tat only long enough to tell
the lump sugar barrel In the dark.
The grocer at partigg kindly gave
his estimate of James true value
to him, but thought he would prove
"lesdp to an yone who would boil
him up or down. He even went
out of his way to inform james
stepfather that his parting with
him was very much like parting with
the best part of his stock. =rf
Turning from Grade and barter"
he plunged into literary pursuits,
and wrote q novelI Another boy,
similarly inclined to plunge, sur
repiitiously obtained type from the
Roman Citizen, and cheerfully con-
tracted to publish the work. They
reached the second chapter, and
owing to the thrilling nature of the
story, were warming up to their
work, when that Roman Citizen,
in prOhTia persona, made q descent
on the publishing house of Bailey l.
Co., and carried off the entire effects,
including the cherished manuscript,
in his pocket-handkerchief. Thus
again was the yesrning of his aspir-
ing soul diverted from its course,
and his future made bowling viii.
derness. The novel was of q do.
nestle character, Astounding in ev-
eryday occurrences, such as well
performed sssassinations and clev-
erly executed poisoniDgs; all center
ing around the most enduring love
for that "wisest nobiest, and best
of god'S gifts to man-woman."
The novel was entitled The Aven-
ger-r-rr, and was calculated to make
tronble in the itrary world.
About 1859 young Bailey returned
to Albany, and lived with his grand.
parents. He again tried his luck in
the grocery business. His employ
er proved to be q more pleasant
chap than the Roman, and became
so attached that he took him along
while going through bankruptancy
three months later. Having struck
in soft plsce, his employer went
into the grain business, and engaged
young Bailey as clerk. AdmoniAhed
by late experience, his employer
became fearfully economical. After
purchasing boat load of oats, that
had been under water, he violently
exercised this new trait in setting
James to turning a fan-mill in the
top loft of q four-story building.
Having raised the wind consider
ably, and cleaned out the oats, he
went home to die, but eventually
recovered, and in the fall of 1860 re-
moved to Danbury, Connecticut
While in Albany, In August 1860,
young Bailey first appeared in print.
The gossipper's Club of the New
York Mercury gave him this OPP
portunity, and he continued a con-
tributor to the club for a year and
half after going to Danbury.
In this, and indeed up to 1870, al
though writing with q free will,
there was little or no attempt at
humor. In Danbury he worked at
c2rpentering with his stepfather,
and in the summer of 1861, when
work was scarce, he exchanged
with a farmer to bind oats at the ex-
asperating rate of 75 cents per day.
One day sufficed to fiji his soul with
freedom and independence of ag-
ricuitural life, but the voluminous
pain in the small of his back on the
"evening of the first day" he said,
would have made q dead man dis
satisfied. Here, no doubt, he CLEAN :
ed that aggressive knowledge OF
agricultural which so often gives
body aud weight to the News.-AI-
baDV Evening J0urnaI