The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-05-31
The Danbury ssNews" Humorist.

to take up newspaper without finding
something within its columns from the Dan
bury Netrs. 1t may not be credited it may
almost be hidden away among its compan-
ion lines of wit aud humor," but it is al
most certain to I've there. and those who
have learned to erbes and to appreciate the
Inspirations of the -Danbury humorist, find
them out and recognize them from their in
describable quality Of genius. The repu-
tation of genuine humorist-that rarest of
literary wonders, as colorists are most rare
in artists-vas rSver more quietly made
than that Of the man of Danbury" He
wrote no book he made no series of arti-
cles in any well-known journal he made no
studied production of any kind. He went
about his chosen labor of editing a weekly
newspaper in small New England town,
and enlvened its columns with those quaint
and favorous "local items" which, unex-
pectedly and despite himself, have made the
authors sayings household words. Consid-
ering that his bright thoughts are SO well
known, it seems little singular at first that
his history. even his name, should be known
to few. But this is no doubt because he
has taken no step whatever to make himself
known, as have other men in like circum-
stances. He has been contented to write
and work and wait. We do not know, in
deed, that Mr.. Baileys name was ever men
toned in print in reference to the Danbury
Ne,cs items then floating through the press,
until the Reporter called attention to the
authorship in its issue of July 80, 1872.
The items were constantly copied, however,
as early as 1870, and it may be that the
Press had begun to suppose it had natural
right to them. More lately some of them
have deepened in humor, and have length
ened out into sketches, attracting still more
curiosity, and it is certainly time that the
world should be more familiar, both with
the man and his history.
James Montgomery Bailey was born in
Albany, N. Y, Sept. %, lS4l. His ia
Their was killed when James was quite
child. His mother afterward married a
gentleman from Rome, N. Y, and at that
place, and in Albany, the family lived un-
til 1860, when they moved to Danbury,
Conn. At this time James was eighteen
years OF age. He had free range of the
public schools, though at that time, like
most boys, he preferred business. He
checked this inclination, however, and re-
manned at school until his arrival at Dam
bury, where he worked with his stepfath-
er at carpentry until August, 1862. Then
came the war, and with it the Danbury
youth took his first practical lessons in
original composition. MIR. Bailey immedi-
ately enlisted in the Seventeenth Con-
necticut Volunteers, and served as private
in that regiment until the war closed. AL
though he passed through many scenes of
danger, he met with but one serious casu-
atty; he was captured at Gettysburg, and
with his friend MIR. Donovan, now his
partner, was imprisoned in Richmond for
two months. His letters from the army
over the signature Of H. p. Manton"
were sent to the Danbury Times, and
made for their author a considerable local
reputation. After the war Mr.. Bailey,
with the fellow member of the regiment
with whom he was captured, Mr.. Thomas
Donovan, bought out the Danbury Times.
This was in September, 1865. 1t was a
hard struggle at first to keep the Times
up, as the Office was in poor condition at
the time of purchase But the young firm
succeeded at last, and March 1, 1870, the
Jefer'sonian was purchased and was con-
solidated with the Times, thus making the
Danbury Ne,cs. The paper was made
strictly local, and it was not lohg before
the people discovered that one good pa
per was better than two poor ones.
All this time the local notices which
have since made such a reputation, were
slipping into the paper from time to time,
and it soon became the fashion to copy
them In 1870 the items became well known
and n 1871 all newspaper readers were
able to recognize them. At the present
time there are not few who recognize in
Mr.. Bailey fund and quality of humor
second to that of none in the country.
With this slight sketch, we will leave
Mr.. Bailey with our readers. We may
say, however, for the satisfaction of any
curiosity that either sex may have on the
subject, that Mr.. Bailey is married man.
He has no children now living and resides
at Danbury, apparently not at all uplifted
by the full measure of fame which has
been brought to him.-American Neus-
paper Reporter.