Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-03-21


Tor while, and in 1869, became civ III.
llvr oil newspaper published In Virvihia
Slty, Nevada. While thus engaged hls
sharp pen put a man named Willis. con.
nected with another paper In the town
10 hunting up his Mississippi tlvpr
record, and the publication Of some un.
pleasant facts pertaining TO the war. FOR
this Marx challenged Willis 20 mortal
combat, which was declined. ana fron,
the complications that followed two o,b.
er challenges ensued. The three chsi.
lrnges all passed the same day. aud for A
, time 1t looked as though Six Mile Canon
was to be deluged with blood. but no
meeting occurred. Soon after this Mark
went 70 san francisco IN the capacity Of
reporter on the Morning Call With his
subsequent career as lecturer, and
the author OF THE lnnoceats Abroad, Vi
anu other books the pubic IS
better acquainted. After he had acquired
Tame ~ home, he went TO England to lee.
tNrei because, as he explained In one OF
MS lectures there, Sin view Of the libersl.
lty Of England, who had sent to America
all the lecturers she could spare, he had
ielt II no more than right that he ,hs,; a
return the compliment In introducing
himself to his first London audience he
said he should ask permission TO intro
duce TO them "Mr Mark Twain, gen
ueman whose varied learning, historical
accuracy, yeneration for the truth and
devotion to science were only eqnaled hy
his personal comeliness, his graceful
graudeur Of character and native sweet
ness OF disposition MIR. Clemens is a
laborlous writer, and produces book after
book with acceptance hy Ie lders on both
sides OF the Atlantic. His home, an ele-
CANT one, is at Hartford, Conn. Mr..
Clemens Is In demand rs an after-dinner
speaker, upon which occasion he Is In.
variably happy In his efforts.
Eugene Field and "Bob" Burdette are
both well-known to newspaper readers at
the time. The former has etrned fame
both as humorist aud a poet while en-.
ployed on the daily press Of Chicago, ST.
Louis, Kansas City, Denver and other
parts Of the West. In eccentric and gro
tesque verse he has few equals The pc.
culiar genius Of Bob Burdette, which
touches every key OF the human heart.
| from jolity to pathos, cane into vogue
ten or twelve years ago, His lecture on
"The Rise and Fall of the MustSche,"
has also furnished amusement for audi
ences In various parts OF the country
Most OF the writings of Geo. w Peck,
another fun-maker OF the present day,
have originally appeared In his own
newspaper, Pecks Sun, and from them
several popular books have been com
piled OF these volumes "Peck's Bad
| Boy Is at once the best aud worst known.
I It's comic situations formed material for a
play that met with greats ucc, 81 From
the village of Henderson, j, ffcrSQn
county, N. Y, when he was only two
years old, George W Peck followed his
parents 10 Cold Spring, Wis. At the lat
ter place he outgrew his roundabou's and
! boyisn pranks, When he was sixteen
years old somewhere about 1856 or 1866
he became country printer at White
water, Wis Tine year 1868 found Ser
geant Peck In cavalry boots aud army
clothes on horse branded "U. S." His
patriotic service, mainly IN Louisiana, Is
| the history OF many thousands, earnest
and brave, like himself After his term
! Of enlistment had run through and out ht
returned to newspaper toll in Wisconsin
| lie is a ready writer in exaggcratlve
facetious vein, and has made consider
able money. At home they call him {
/
writer Is no barnacle on our national lit
erature, although the critics have severel!
handled those books which were mos
profitable 10 the author.
Col "Pat" Donan whose name is sc
often seen In the newspapers these days
is native of Mississippi and is not al
freshman as the cognomen would lndl
cate. His real front name is said TO b.
al In hua fVfaH ID
Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri
, and several other states, and has lalel.
been brought into special prominence
through his championship Of the cominl
state OF Dakota. His imaginary farm a
DEVILS lake is the subject OF some tal
stories anent the wonderful soil and eli
mate of that region. 81 was standlni
Z one day. he relates, "looking upon tn
7 placld waters OF DEVILS lake from th
: 250-foot observatory on my farm.
: nearly os | could count, there were | ,l03i
! PIC frogs sporting about on the surface
. The thermometer suddenly dropped 3
! the ground, $50 feet below. The frog
2 that a twinkliDg OF star preViousl
D were singing selection from Wagner
: Der Meistersinger were caught by Tn
] necks In the ice, and frozen with the
. mouths open. This was In July. fe'
/, minutes later the thermometer arose
4 its own accord and hung itself on Its ma
!, ut the top OF the observatory, and IN
5 frogs went on with the next note OF the
e song" Col. Donan beganh his journalist
n career in 1866, as correspondent OF Ne
a York journal now defunct. He was VIZ
; lent champion Of the Southern poop
and bitter against carpet-bagism. Late
he established the Caucasian at Lexlni
ton, Mo, which his biographer, Mr., WI
Hosea Ballou, says, twas quoted all oy'
the world and attained a circulation
rs 600 copies weekly Col Donap, sin'
1871, has edited numerous papers 10 Nor
Carolina, Virginia, Dakota and MINI
sots. He lifted the Deadwood Phone
and Fargo Argus into worldwide prom
nence. For several years he has retii'
from editorial work and confined INNS
10 correspondence for many papers, iirl
ing, railroading, mining and loye-makin
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