The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-28


castle or gretesque
comment appended Perhaps it Is for this
very reason, because he never made an ef-
| fort to make us laugh, that his humor has
been for the most part so natural AS Tar
back as 1856 he began writiR these hunaor-
Gus comments, and they have from that
| day to this received wide recognition. In
an old scrapbook find several samples OF
Mr.. Williams work. They are taken at
random, and he has written many better,
but they serve to illustrate his peculiar
style Of humor:
A news item says that a mule in Colusa coun-
ty, Cal, was struck by lightning and para
lyzed, but recovered after twenty-fotE hours,
and was as frisKy as ever" 1t was not stated
what became of the lightning but It Is inferred
that 1t is still lingering in tho hospital.
Several Indians who went on the war path
recently were overtaken by four white men
and killed It is feared that cur government
| had not provided the unfortunate Indians with
the latest improved rifles.
A lecturer has chosen for his subject, -How
to Rise in the World" Texas horse thieves
who get caught have solved this problem.
at concert in st. Petersburg few weeks
ago there were 159 drums and twenty flour pi-
amos played by women. Last week ground was
broken for a new insane asylum In that city.
The way Mr.. Williams came to be a
humorist is extremely interesting. He
was born near Philadelphia, and when he
was sixteen years old moved to Norristown,
and started in to learn the printers trade.
This was in 1857 His first literary effort,
he tells US, grew out of some Of the thrill
ing tales which, in common with most
L. h. hal1 Of 1v-i1,
''The serial stories of a well known writer, "
he says, published in an equally well
known story paper, formed a portion of
my mental pabulum. These stories, albeit
rocking with exaggeration and improba-
bilities, were extremely fascinating to the
youthful mind. In order to learn whether
the hero had rescued the beautiful, golden
haired Ethelinda from the clutches of the
chief of the robber band, would hasten to
procure copy of the paper on my way to
the officein the morning, and, concealing it
under my case would now and then
surreptitiously draw it out and satisfy my
curiosity. l would read a few dozen lines
of The Lord of Uno; or, The Old Cobbler's
Secret and then set four or five lines of
an editorial on Bleeding Kansas; or, Down
With the Rum Demon and thus alter
mated until 1 reached the exasperating
Continued in our next
This style of MISUNDERSTANDING alled
on my taste. The hero's feat of cutting a
CORY swath through band of armed rob-
bers and escaping without a scratch, and
finally discovering that he was the son of a
king instead of the offspring of poor but
respectable shoemaker, became monoto-
nous, and almost my first literary effort
was travesty on one of these sensational
and improbable stories. My hero encoun-
tered enough dangers in week to make
an ordinary mans hair turn white several
times night; but he was made of stern
stuff, and being perforated with bullets
and frightfully hacked by the hired tools
of his unprincipled rival didn't cause him
to swerve from the path of duty. When
he was seized by the hirelings of his schem-
ing uncle and buried alive the outlook did
appear gloomy, but an earthquake inconti-
nently and OPPORTUNITY came along, split
open the ground, and my hero erswled out
and walked home as good as new, but his
clothes somewhat soiled. This bsiresque
was printed in New York weekly paper,
and the editor encouraged me to continue
my neutrality-suspicious."
1t was about this time that Mr. Williams
began to be funny, and he was unconscious
~ melted to write by his employer. But
here are his own words:
During the first year of my apprentice
ship the editor Of the paper on which l was
employed wrote and printed couple Of
articles in imitation of a well known
humorist, since deceased, using the latter's
pen name. did not regard the imitation
as a brilliant 50 ccess, and concluded to try
my hand at the business The result for
warded anonymously to the editor, and had
the satisfaction OF putting take OF the
effort in type Ny article was also praised
editorially. The authorship soon leaked
out in the Office, and permitted myself TO
be persuaded to continue the limitations,
adding, however, 'Jr. to the nom de plume.
Being young and inexperienced in journal
hstic ways, faxed to see the injustice of
borrowing the style and name OF another
writer, and, besides, did not suppose the
contributions woeld be seen outside of the
local paper in which they originally ap-
peared. They were quite extensively
copied, however, and frequently with the
afix Jr.' omitted, thus fastening the
authorship on the creator Of the character
and damaging his reputation, no doubt. At
ceased to be an imitator. AS / peFer re-
ceiyed any pay for the articles, perhaps
was not guilty Of very serious shense."
After Mr.. Williams had served year of
apprenticeship ne took charge OF the Once
and remained there until 1864. when the
paper vas consolidated with the Norris
town Herald. and went On the latter paper.
where ne staid until 1866. removing then
to Wilmington, Del, where he superin-
tended the mechanical part Of the Daily
Commercial, and it WIS here that be began
writing the paragraphs that have EAsde
him so widely known In iSal hereCurned
to the NcrTisto~n Herald and i1trodaesd
the column OF photographic Hnxnog,S
which from that time was regular ieataxe
of the paper. NJ. Williams has firmly re-
fused all offers 70 lecture, ard says tAAt lis
matter will never be Published IA book
form # he can hep il The writer Is in
sebted 70 the J. B. Upp4neott Co. for
some OF tee extracts in the foregoing
TON MASON.
Her Mite