Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1890-01-09
Nye's Brilliant Career.

Bill Nye was recently approached
for "A sketch OF his career. Unwilling
to trust to the tender mercies OF "A bi-
ographer for faithful presentation of
his noble deeds, the king of humorists
issues the following autobiography:
Edgar Wilson Nye was born in
Maine IN 1850, Aug. -, but at two
years OF age he took his parent by the
hand, and, telling them that Pisca-
taquis county was no place for them,
he boldly struck out for st. Croix
county, Wis, where the hardy young
pioneer soon made a home for his par
ents. The first year he drove the In
dians out of the st. Croix valley, and
suggested To the Northwestern rail
road that it would he good idea to
build to st. Paul as soon as the com.
pany could get II grant which would
pay them two or three times the cost
of construction. The following year
he adopted trousers, and made Sl75
from the sale OF wolf scalps. lie also
cleared twenty-seven acres of land and
raised some watermelons In lS5lhe
established and endowed u district
school IN Pleasant Valley. 1t was at
this time that he began to turn his at
tention to the abolition of slavery in
the south and to write art icles for the
press signed 'Nerltas,' in which he adj
vocated the war of $50 or as soona as
the government could get around toit.
''In 1855 he graduated from the
farm and began the study of law lie
did not advance very rapidly in this
profession, failn. several times i'm his
examination and giving bonds for his
appearance ut the next term OF court
lie was, however, a close student OF
political economy, and studied per-
sonal economy ut the same time till I
he found he could live on 10 cents n
day and his relatives easily.
''Mr. Nye now began to look for a 1
new country to build up and foster.
and rs Wisconsin had grown to he so |
thickly settled in the northwestern
part OF the state that neighbors were
often found as near as five miles apart,
he broke loose from all restraint and
took emigrant rates for CHEYENNE.
Wyo. Here he engaged board in the
Interocean hotel and began to look
about him for position IN a bank.
Not succeeding in this, he tried the law
and journalism. He did not succeed
IN getting a job for some time. but
finally hired as associate editor and
Janltor OF the Laramie Sentinel The
salary was small but his latitude great.
and he was permitted to write any
thing that he thought would please
people, whether it was news or not.
"By and 10y he had won every heart
ny his gentle, patient poverty and his
delightful parslmony with regard to
facts. With "a hectic Imagination and
an order on restaurant, which adj
vertised in the paper, he scarce cared
during the livelong day whether school
kept or not.
Thus he rose to Justice of the peace,
and finally to an income which is re-
ported very large to everybody but
the assessor.
He is the father of several very
beautiful children by his first wife, who |
Is still living. She is a Chicago girl,
and loves her husband far more than /
he deserves. He is pleasant to the !
outside world, but a perfect brute in
his home. He early learned that in
order to win the love of his wife he
should be erratic and kick the stove
over on the children when he came
home. He therefore asserts himself in
this way. and the family love and re- .
spect him, being awed by his greatness !
and gentle barbarism.
''He eats plain food with both hands, ,
all the time pleasantly with i,
any one who may be visiting at the
house. Ii his children do not behave
he kicks them from beneath the table
till they roar with pain, as he chats
on with the guests with bright and
Dverflowing stream OF bon mots, which :,
please and delight those who visit him
to that degree that they almost forget
hat they have had hardly anything
20 eat.
''ln conclusion, Mr.. Nye is in every
'espect a lovely character lie feared q
hat injustice might be done him, how
,ver, in this biographical sketch, and h
so he has written it himself