The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-25
ARTEMUS WARDS BEGINNING
An indianapolis Mans Personal RecOl-
lectiOns of the Famous Humorist.
Beginning Of His Career in Boston Printing
0fice-His First Work that Attracted At
tention and His Subsequent Struggles.

Mr.. J. c. French. druggist at the corner Of
Washington and Tennessee streets, whose sill
vered hair and grey beard indicate that his age
is somewhere in the Sixties was in his early life
a newspaper man, and is full of entertaining rem
iniscences of some of the prominent literary peo-
pie of the last half century, with whom be had
an intimate personal acquaintance. He was as
ISOLATED with Charles Brown, better known to
the world as Artemus Ward when the humorlst
was making his first struggles for fame. Mr..
French knew Brown when, an obscure boy,
he left his home in Maine and went to Boston.
The two were afterwards associated together on
the Cleveland Plain Dealer, when young Brown
was toiling in his peculiarly desultory and conf
cal way to make name for himself
Brown came to Boston," said Mr.. French to
Journal reporter, who opened a conversation
with him on the subject of his recollections
of the humorist, sswhan he was about nineteen
years of age. At that time he was anything but
prepossessing in appearance. He was tall lank and
uneainly, with light fiaxen hair, slight ook
in very long nose. large mouth and protruding
teeth, short, receding chin, the whole forming
an exceedingly comical face, set off by kindly
and expressive light blue eyes. He soon began
to attract the attention of his with his
droll expressions and witty remarks His first
employment in Boston a compositof
the Carret-Bag an illustrated weekly paper,
Just established by Snow Wilder and b. P. Shil-
laber. the last best known as Mrs Darlington.
Shillaoer, so we'll known for his rare and genial
character, at once took kindly interest in the
awkward STRIPPING from Maine, which con-
tinued throughout his life. Brown had read
everything in literature wise and witty.
He saw everything that was rare and comical in
his everyday life, and made the Office ring with
laughter with his descriptions. Encouraged by
Shillaber, he wrote an excellent description, his
first important effort, of CORVALLIS surrender
and sham battle that took place at Paris, Me-,
where he had served apprenticeship in a
printing Office. The CORVALLIS was the annual
celebration in the New England States
was faithfully observed during the
early days of Brown. Among other ludi-
crous situations, the sketch represented both
Generals CORVALLIS and Washington as being
hilariously drunk, as was frequently the case
with the celebrators, and in the confusion the
latter surrendered his sword TO the former. The
article went the rounds of the American press
and was copied by some Of the English papers.
Thus encouraged Brown continued his contribu-
tons TO the paper for the few months of its ex-
istence Charles @. Halpin, miles O'Reily," also
did his first literary work for sthe Carpet-Bag
after coming to this country. The partners in
short time found themselves broken in pocket,
and suspended the publication of the paper.
Shillaber started reluctantly for the West on
lecturing tour for the purpose of raising money
to pay off disagreeable mortgage, as he ex-
pressed it.
.'Wilder located at Toledo, O., taking Brown
with him, and commenced the publication of tho
"oldr Commercial. Wilder soon after died, and
the paper, having become Democratic, was con-
tinued by Reilly. then collector of the port I'M
der President Pierce Brown did the editorial
as well as the local work The old residents Of
Toledo viii never forget that paper Brown
kept Reilly busy explaining and smoothing over
to the irate readers of the paper
the articles that appeared in Its columns.
ed his comical thrusts good naturedly.
TO illustrate one of his ''close calls"
| there was to be a grand Wing rally-perhaps
the last held in Toledo, as the party was then
on the eve of disruption. All the leading slocal
orators" were to take part. Here was Browns
opportunity. Poverty reigned in the CONNER
cial Office and Brown, being sorey in need of
illustrations for his report of the great 'Whig
menagerie.' as he called it, ransacked the gal
leys for all the old advertising cuts that could
be utilized. Good old Dickey Mott, the Quaker,
was made to stand as chaplain, and other local
celebrities were made conspicuous. General
HILL one of the orators, leading criminal law
yer and Wing politician of that day, was, in his
addresses before juries noted for his habit of
growing eloqueDtly pathetic, and on special oc-
Eshasions would weep copiously. So Brown con-
Guided his article with. Sat this stage of the
proceedings General Hill will shed two barrels
barrels, labeled Chestnut Grove Whisky"
which had been used in advertisements. The
hard times of '5S killed the Commercial. aud
Brown was out of employment, and became
wanderer, as he expressed it.
~ w. Gray, the founder of the Cleveland
Plan-Dealer, was casting about for a competent
local editor. Among others with whom he came
in correspondence was Brown. When asked
what he had been doing since leaving Toledo. he
replied, II have been in glorious state of inc
briefly" He was requested to report at the
Office. and when he did So his looks did not belle
his words. He proved a success, but not as a
Woodworking and painstaking gatherer of news.
ket reports and steamboat dock items. In
state of sheer desperation, he invented Artemus
Ward and his kangaroo. For weeks there were
inquiries at the Office of the Plain Dealer as to
when the show would appear, but it came in due
time, and with its coming the name of Artemus
Ward became famous