The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-15
Some Funny Men.

OcOt&0 KScks tDe taLher OF the dad
hoy," was shere.a few days ago. In
the past few years Peck has become
one OF the most successful of profess
sional humUrists. His income is said
to be nearly $4,000 year. In 1871
ne was reporter on the New York
Herald, "several hundred dollars
worse off than when he was dead
broke" He left New York with
resolve "never to come back until I
had accumulated Sl3." Peck origl-
mated and grew up in Wisconsin.
With "Brick Pomeroy he went to
New York to start Democratic pa
per. He was fortunate, lo0sing but
" UOO-all that he had. however.
After reporting on the Herald for
short time he returned to Wisconsin,
and. locating at La Crosse, started
PecE'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 sue
cess. A friend to him told me, a lew
days ago, that he owned the whole
town. That's perfectly natural. It's
a way we editors have. The Sun con-
sists mostly of real, and sparkless,
wit and humor. Peck does nearly all
the editorial work himself. His ex-
penses are light and his profits large.
The humorist is about forty years of
age, heavy set and wears an immense
imperial. He has fitted up an elegant
office and has beautiful home. He
is very popular, and especially so
with the ragged newsboys. Not long
ago he gave several hundred of them
banquet, and they in turn presented
him with a pair of diamond cuff
buttons.
Bill Nye, another Western humor-
ist, and the funny man of the Rocky
Mountains, is baId-headed, and the
top of his head shines like shirt
bosom in the hands of Chinaman.
He is married. He is a tall man, with
full brown beard and brown eyes, and
has the general appearance of a pros.
porous country merchant. He is quiet
in his ways. and to look at him one
would not think that he could not
cause his fellow-beings to laugh. But
appearances are deceptive. There's
Henry Wattepson. People say he
looks just like the individual who is
supposed to run things in an exces.
sively warm climate. But he isn't
such person, notwithstanding he
lives in Kentucky, and raises-the
Democrats sometimes. Nye was
Justice of the peace in Wyoming. He
wrote a number of letters to the Den.
yer Tribune. They contained con-
siderable exaggerated humor and
gave him some local notoriety. A
few years ago he started the Boomer.
dag, and has succeeded in making
about $4,000 profits. He has long
wanted to establish funny paper in
Minnesota and his friends say he will
soon locate near st. Paul.
The editor Of Puck, Joseph KEEP
pier, an Austrian with dark hair and
eyes and modest and cordial in man.
ner, formerly lived in st. Joe and st.
Louis, Mo. He was born in Vienna
about forty-seven years ago. While
in his teens he became an actor, and
played in Austria, Italy and Switzer-
land. When he was twenty-four
years of age he came to America and
went to Missouri to join his father,
who was seeking to make a fortune.
The latter desired the son to become
a physician, and sent him to st. Louis
to study medicine. But the young
man took to the stage and aspired to
become manager. Fortunately, no
one was ever killed by him as doc
tor. or compelled to be tortured by
looking at him as an actor. His as.
pirations to be stage manager resulted
in bankruptcy in very few weeks.
II that kind 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. KeppIer, after his
bankruptcy, began drawing humor-
Gus pictures. Seven years ago, with
his partner, Schwartzmann, he was