Middletown transcript., 1883-04-13
Written for the MiddIetoWn Transcript.
THE FUNNY MEN.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL CHANCES At
AMERICAN NEWSPAPER
HUMORISTS.
GEORGE W PECK.

GEORGE w. PECK.
About forty years ago in the village
of Henderson, Jefferson county, State
of New York, bundle of flannel con-
tanning live and kicking boy was put
into the arms Of a proud and happy
father. That boy had merry twinkle
in his eye from the very start, and in
due time he was named George w.
Peck. While George was yet mere
child his parents packed him into a
wagon with the household goods and
went west to grow up with the country.
He acquired the rudiments of an edu-
cation at a country school, where the
master was frequently locked out in
the cold by the big boys, and, if tradi-
tion is to be believed, the subject Of
this sketch was not always passive
spectator when the locking-out perform
ance was going on. At the age of
fifteen he entered a printing Office and
stood as the youngest apprentice in the
northeast corner of the room behind
the hand press with the mixing roller in
his hands. He performed cheerfully all
the disagreeable and trying duties of
the Office of "printer's devil" and
graduated with high honors. A good
and steady printer, and loving his pro-
fession, he in course of time came to be
foreman of an Office, and, after serving
a short season in that responsible posi-
tion, was called to the editors desk. |
Whatever George Peck did, from print
er's devil to editor, inclusive, he did
well, and though he had few strug-
giles at the bottom of the ladder of sue
cess, when he finally got started he
went right up hand over hand. He
served two years in the war, going
through several hot engagements and
receiving promotion for bravery in the
field. At the close of the unpleasant
ness" he returned to Wisconsin and
again took up the pen and scissors to
mould public opinion at two dollars per
year, in advance. Mr.. Peck's humor-
Gus contributions attracting the atten-
tion of Brick Pomroy, who was then a
character in the newspaper
world, he was offered position on the
La Crosse Democrat, which he accepted.
He was afterwards on the New York
Democrat. Pomroy's unsuccessful East
IN venture, and is said to have fur
lished regularly to that paper a column
# humor each day. And it was not
Machine hltmor, either Many of the
right things that Pomroy got the :
redit for came from the prolific pen of :,
'eck. In 1874 Mr.. Peck started the
1un at La Crosse. He hadn't much
apital, except good health, energy and !,
n ever-playing fountain of humor. His
ketches soon began to be widely copied :
nd the circulation of his paper grew in
way to surprise him. In 1878 he i
loved it to Milwaukee, where there :
as wider and more promising field );
il newspaper of its class, and now it !; !;
said to have circulation of 10000
opies. 1t is handsome paper of fifty
X columns, and prints weekly more :,
riginal humor than any other paper in :
-merica. And Peck writes it all. :,
en- columns of humor in six days is
Ot an unusual task for him. He seems :.
, be inexhaustible. There are but
w newspapers in the country that :,
i've not frequently reprinted his :
,etches and paragraphs, and George :,
eek and Peck's Sun have become
)usehold words. Perhaps Mr.. Peck's !,
ost successful work is "The Bad
ilwaukee Boy" whose adventures as :,
counted to "the groceryman" are oa
ven weekly in the Sun. Everybody l..
no reads newspapers has read these -
etches and laughed at their irresisti-
e humor. Three books of selections !,
ON Mr.. Peck'S paper have been pub =,
shed, the latest of which is made up :,
the Bad Boy'' sketches. These >,
'oks have each had large sale, par q,
cularly in the West. During the sea- -
ms of 1S76-7-9 Mr.. Peck lectured i'll 80
any Of the Western towns and cities, :,
S subject being, " How Peck and An -
her Mule Crushed the Rebellion . -
is very funny lecture and Peck de- Z.
rered it in way that wonderfully G
irred up the hilarity of his auditors.
S lecturer he was very successful
it his paper became such a tax upon 49,
S time that he found it necessary to -
retire from the platform. -
Mr.. Peck is one of the most =,
NAL and kind hearted of men. Ever
dy who knows him is his friend and -
the children fall in love with him at ~
st sight. He has a kindly face, a on
DAD brow, keen, twinkling eyes that 10,
2 everything on the funny side, and a tir
eadily increasing bald place on the 10.
p of his head. In conclusion, permit -;
to say that in the galaxy of Amer ~,
III humorists, George W. Peck is en-
led to an orchestra chair in the front -
". -. '
GREELEY AS PRINTER Boy CHI
re in Poultney the New York Iri- joy
ne was founded. Here its founder ros
shed the forms, and carried water, bu
d built the fires, and didn't sweep the ant