River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-07-22
G. Il. LEWIS.
Biographical sketch OF IN. Quad" the
Detroit Free Press Humorist.

]
Chas. b. Lewis, or IN. Quad" who
| has made the Detroit Free Press paper
| famous by his humorous articles, is now
| a man of about forty-tive. He started
/ life as printer. on a paper in Lansing,
Mich. He served for three years in the
war of the rebellion, on the Union side
| At the close of his military career he
accidentally learned of a journalistic
| opening. This fact was the turning
point in life filled TO OVERLOOKING with
a certain kind of eventful interest. See
| ing one day an advertisement in a
printers journal that there was a paper
wanting an editor in Jonesboro, Tenn,
! he applied for the situation and his
proposition was accepted. He threw
up his situation in Lansing and started
| for Jonesboro. Coming into Cincinnati
| he was surprised at the bigness of the
city, and when he saw the steamer
which was to convey him down the
river pulling and blowing out great
quantities of steam he rather feared to
] enter her He went up TO the clerk.
who was taking bills of lading and
/ asked him if he thought there was any
danger OF The steamer blowing up, As if
/ so he did not care 10 90 A crowd of
| passengers standing by laughed, and
the clerk was inclined to think that
Lewis was trying to guy him. A glance
at his green, country air, and look at
/ his honest face, convinced him that the
| young man was in earnest, and he
! assured him that the Magnolia" for it
was that famous boat, was all right, and
| that he could safely trust himself to her.
4 With that M Quad" took his bundle
from his shoulder and stepped on board.
Now, rival boat had got about fifteen
miles start of the Magnolia" and as
| she left the wharf she put on all steam,
| intending to catch and pass her. Lewis
supposed it was all right, and was much
! interested in watching the machinery.
! The Magnolia was the fastest boat
\ on the river, but this time she outdid
/ herself, and Just rs she came in sight
of the rival boat her boiler burst, and
up went the ship, and Lewis went up
| with it, but coming down near the
/ shore he was Just able to crawl to dry
4 land, when he sank down insensible.
| Being SO near the engine he was badly
\ injured, and his face was so covered with
/ SCOT that he looked like a very negro.
Those who came to the assistance of the
/ other passengers thought him such. and
/ paid no attention to him until all the
Others were cared for. Then thew took
| him in charge and sent him to the hos
/ pital at Cincinnati. His eyes were al
| most put out. and it was not thought
4 that he would live.
! He recovered, however, and threaten
| ing the steamboat company with a suit,
/ succeeded in extracting $4,000 from it
/ Half of this sum went to his lawyer.
| With the remainder in his pocket he
/ went back to his home in Lansing. His
/ first journalistic work after his return to
/ Michigan was done on newspaper pub
| lished at Pontiac One day the editor
went away, leaving Lewis in charge,
and not enough copy to fiji out the
1 paper. Lewis made enough copy to fill
it himself-composing an article giving
/ full account of his adventures on the
Mississippi. 1t was headed, How it
feels TO Be Blown Up" And Lewis
/ composed it in a humorous vein, setting
/ it up as he went along The article
was copied widely, and, among other
papers, in the Detroit Free Press. He
/ was engaged by the editor of that paper
as reporter, and was placed in charge
| of the local, criminal, and fire depart
ments of the journal 1t was while pur-
/ suing his duties as reporter that he was
| struck with an inspiration which laid
| the foundation for great future popuE
Iarity. While noting the daily occur
renee of incidents, tragic and amusing,
which grew out of the criminal record,
! he conceived the idea of originating
/ his, Hour at the Central Station"
series of incidents which contained
vastly more humorous originality than
truth and veracity. "Bijah JOY, a real
parsonage. was selected as the central
/ figure. around which strange kaleido-
scope of exaggerated humanity was
daily set in motion. to the unbounded
amusement of the laughterloving
public.
A trouble soon arose in the Free Press
camp. however. through the zeal of the
rising young journalist, which babe fair
TO end disastrouslv for all concerned.
In originating his series of criminal
| sketches, Lewis at first used the real
names of parties who were summoned
| before the magistrate, clothing them
with exaggerated fictitious raiment,
which, while highly amusing to out,
! siders, somewhat lacked the necessary
humorous element for the appreciation
of those most vitally interested in the
matter. and the result was a vigorous
| and concerted kick For time it is
I said to have required the services of
several accomplished peace-makers to
/ satisfy the mob who daily besieged the
offices of the newly -oreated humorous
| journal. After a time the novelty OF
! this sort of thing is alleged to have worn
of with those most interested, and
| Lewiston. as he was now known. M
4 Quad'-was requested, as his magma
| ton was evidently unbounded, to carry
/ it far enough to cover the matter of cog
nOmens. as well as incidents. This
smoothed matters over, and the Hour
at the Central Station" became one of
! the features of the paper.
1 As time rolled ON, the Hour at the
\ Central Station" began to lose IFS fresh
I ness as a literary ana journalistic now
I city. and the inventive brain of its au-
/ thor was set 10 work to think out
/ worthy successor that would admit of
! new and striking features without en-
I tirely ignoring the general plan of
/ humor which had been originally de-
/ cided upon. The now famous Lime
/ Kiln Club was the eventual result of
these cogitations, style of humor which
admits of that dry philosophy for the
production of which M. Quad" has
1 long been noted. These articles have
now been running once q week without
! cessation for several years.
In addition to his humorous produov
I tons Lewis is the author of occasional
bits of tender pathos-quaint scenes
/ from the fearful and tragic side of life
which, in the estimation of many of
[ his admirers, take rank above his
/ lighter work. Under his earlier con-
tracts with the Free Press be was not
restricted in regard TO writing for out
side publications. and as his pen is q
wonderfully prolific one. he produced
much that was published in various
parts of the country. for the most part
anonymously. Among these produc-
/ tions may be mentioned a series OF
/ s'Black Hill Sketches for the Cinein-
I natl Enquirer, weird and fanciful pic
/ lures of backwoods life which were said
/ TO have been exceedingly popular; par
/ agraphs humorous and otherwise for the
/ Fittsburg Dispatch. New York Telegram.
/ New York SCAR. and 3 series of humor-
Gus sketches and stories foF BaLlog's
I MAGAZINE. All these contributions,
with the single exception of those pub
lished By RqliotI, appeared anony-
mously.