Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-04-07
THE BAD BOYS DAD.
George w. Peck on His Travels In
the Wild Far West.

/ Thursdays train from the South fiileo
San Francisco with the breezy presence
of George W. Peck, of Milwaukee, o.
| Peck's Sun, and the author of the long
series of amusing pranks performed, IN
1 his mind, by the famous "Bad Boy" OF
twhom half million copies have been
sold in quicker time than any other book
Oh record. Mr.. Peck is cheerful, fresh
complexioned gentleman of about AZ
yeass, and but for the gray tinge In
his cavelessly kept moustache and I'M
perla!, he would pass for half that. He
Is as Jolly in his conversation as he is IN
his writings, and a half-hour with him is
as good as !. dose of California climate.
MIR. Peck was a printer, like all great
men, before he became publisher and
author, and his mild expressions Of
emphasis still retain flavor OF anthony
and the composing-room. "To tell you
the truth" he remarked confdentially,
after the ceremony of Standardization
between himself and an Alta reporter
was over yesterday, II came out here for
fun and to get away from the cold A
Milwaukee winter is no joke, and am
just going to camp out here till the
flowers bloom in the spring, ira la, which
will be about the middle of May in Wis
consin. You have got the finest place in
the world for a hospital out here, and it
will do as much to build up your State as
anything. Every sick man that comes
here will bring his family with him, and
you will get population that will settle
the Chinese question in short order"
Won hoa, ip1yoctinofipo, thof
already?"
'sOh, yes; 1 took four-column whack
at it in the Sun last week. My idea is
that you have got to overcome it peace
ably. Let some of your big men raise a
fund of a million or two, and then take
census of every Chinaman in the State
and his occupation. Then send East and
20 Europe and have enough working
people to fill their places come out pre-
pared for work"
The visitor congratulated Mr.. Peck on
being great humorist, and asked him if
he generally prevalent idea that the
model of his bad boy was near relative
vas true.
"No, can't say that he is, though my
on started me in that particular line. I
vas grinding out stuff regularly that I
Inspected was humorous, when my boy
old me of a good joke that had been
layed by another boy on his father.
he old gentleman was a jolly good fell
ow, so full of good nature that he could
OF help being on friendly terms with
even the girls, and his boy
'rote him a note, asking for meeting
certain street corner, and signed it
Daisy
1.-The old fellow put in an appearance
the appointed hour and place and his
IN and his chum paraded up and down !
| the vicinity and joshed him until he I
rove them away and realized that he 2
al been made victim. wrote it up a
18th trimmings and embellishments and
was copied all over the country. It I
rought me more money than anything
had ever written before, and in .
onth or two later I imagined
1other joke and published it in the =
me vein. The thing took wonderfully
ell and as people began to look for it 1
ept up the series for about year and a
iii. In that time l exhausted all the
,vlltry boy is capable of as far as nv
,perlence goes, and now when 1 feel
mpelled to write new one it is no light
SIX. l have thought of sending the boy r,
Congress, but finally concluded that Y
ould be too rough on him and the plan
Il
Mr.. Peck looked cheerful, however, as m n
thought of the Suns quadrupled cir
latlon and his book royalties, that have ia
abled him to take advantage of the
cap rates and run out West for a u
cath of fresh air. He is accompanied
Mrs. Peck and their mutual daughter CT
d all three greatly enjoyed their fort.
mt spent at Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Will ilnger about San Francisco about s
ortnlght longer, and then return home, an
y stopping at Salt Lake to study up
reform the Mormons.-S. F. Alta. =