Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-12
PROFESSIONAL HUMoRIsTs.
Sketches of George w. Peck, Bill Nye
and x ennIer

Correspondence Of the Indianapolis journal.
George Peck, the father of the chad
boy" was here a few days ago. In the
past few years Peck has become one Of
the most successful of professional hui
mOrists. His income is said to be nearly
So, 600 year. In 1871 he was a reporter
on the New York Herald, ''seyeral hun
dred dollars worse off than when he was
dead broke" He left New York with a
l had accumulated $13." Peck ORR
ginated and grew up in Wisconsin.
With Brick" Pomerov he went to
New York to start a Democratic paper.
He was fortunate, losing but $2,OOO-all
that he had, however. After reporting on
the Herald for a short time he returned to
Wisconsin, and, locating at La Crosse,
started Peck'S Sun, which has brought
rays of brightness to many households on
dark and gloomy days. Five years ago
he removed to Milwaukee, and there
he has met with continuous success.
A friend to him told me, a few days ago,
that he owned the whole town. That's
perfectly natural. It's a way we editors
have. The Sun consists mostly of real,
and sparkless, wit and humOr. Peck does
nearly all the editorial work himself.
His expenses are light and his profits
large. The humOrist is about forty years
-
imperial. He has fitted up an elegant
office, and has a beautiful home. He is
very popular. and especially so with the
ragged newsbOys. Not long ago he gave
several hundred of them a banquet,
and they in turn presented him with a
pair of diamond cuff-buttOns.
Bill Nye, another Western hum 0rist,
and the funny man of the Rocky Noun
tains. is bald-headed. and the top of his
oh IF in
hands Of a Chinaman. He is married.
He is a tall man, with full brown beard
and brown eyes, and has the general APP
pearance of a prosperous country mer-
chant. He is quiet in his ways, and to
look at him one would not think that he
could cause his fellow beings to laugh.
But appearances are deceptive. There s
Henry WattersOn. People say he looks
just like the individual who is supposed
to run things in an excessively warm
climate. But he isn't such a person,
Notwithstanding he lives in Kentucky,
and raises-the Democrats sometimes.
Nye was IA Justice of the Peace in WyOm-
ing. lie wrote a number of letters to the
Denver Tribune. They contained consider
able exaggerated humOr and gave him
some local nOtOriety. A few years ago he
started the Boomerang, and has succeed
ed In making about $4,000 profits. He
paper in Minnesota, and his friends say he
will soon locate near st. Paul.
The editor of PHc6, Joseph Keppler, an
Austrian with dark hair and eyes, and
modest and cordial in manner, formerly
lived IN st. 10, and st. Louis, Mo. He
was born in Vienna about AZ years ago.
While in his teens he became an actor,
and played in Austria. Italy and Switzer-
land. When he was "A years of age he
came to America, and went to Missouri
to join his father, who was seeking to
make fortune. The latter desired the
son to become physician, and sent him
to st. Louis to study medicine. But the
young man took to the stage and aspired
to become a manager. Fortunately. no
one was ever killed by him as a doctor,
or compelled to be tortured by looking
at him as an actor. His aspirations
to be a stage manager resulted in bank
of lightning would just strike two or
three hundred alleged stage managers
that are now loose! But lightning never
strikes twice in the same place. Keppler.
after his bankruptcy, began drawing hui
mOrous pictures. Seven years ago, with
his partner, SchwartZman, he was EN-.
plOyed by Frank Leslie at $50 week.
The two saved and borrowed $1,000 and
started Puck. Leslie prOphesied that the
enterprise would fail. But it didn't. and
in three weeks the paper was on a self
sustaining basis. Within year it had a
circulation of 100000, and now, l under
stand. 100000 copies are issued weekly.
Both Keppler and Schwartzman are en-
joying an income Of $4,000 year,