Evening star., 1895-10-24
HIS OWN BIOGRAPHER.
Bill Nye Writes n Sketch of His
Career, MOdestly Yet Truthfully.

b1ll Nye " rites n Sketch OF H10
Career, MOdestly Yet Truthfully.
According to statement made by Bill
Nye, who writes funny pieces for the
newspapers, more or less interest has been
manifested by the public in the details of
his life. Apprehensive that some biography
might be constructed which would distort
the truth of history, Mr.. Nye has written
his own biography, which is as follows:
Edgar Wilson Nye was born in Maine in
1880 August 2i but at two years Of age he
took his parents by the hand, and telling
them that Piscata luis county was no place
for them, he boldly struck out for St. Croix
county, Wisconsin, where the hardy young
pioneer soon made home for his parents.
The first year he drove the Indians out of
fhe st. Croix valley and suggested to the
Northwestern railroad that 1t would be a
good idea to build to st. Paul as soon as
the company could get a grant which
would pay them two or three times the
cost of construction. The following year
he adopted trousers and made $175 from the
sale of wolf scalps. He also cleared twen-
ty-seven acres of land and raised some
wetermelons. In 1854 he established and
endowed district school in Pleasant VAL
ley. 1t was at this time that he began to
turn his attention to the abolition of slav-
cry in the south, and to write articles for
the press. sigr ed "veritas." in which he ad-
vocated the war of 1860. or as soon as the
government could get round to 1T.
I'm 1854 he graduated from the farm and
began the study of law. He did not ad-
vance very rapidly in this profession. fail
ing several times in his examinations and
giving bonds for his appearance at the next
term of court. He was, however. a close
student of political economy, and studied
personal economy at the same time, till he
found that he could easily live on ten cents
day and his relatives.
Too Thickly Settled.
''Mr. Nye now began to look about him
for 1,,x;1l
and as Wisconsin had grown to be SO thick
ly settled in the northwestern part of the
state that reighbors were frequently found
as near as five miles apart. he broke loose
from all restraintsand took emigrant rates
for Cheyenne, Wyoming Here he engaged
board at the Inter-Ocean Hotel, and began
to look about him for a position In a bank
Not succeeding in this, he tried the law
and Journalism. He did not succeed In get
ting job for some time, but finally hired
as associate editor and janitor of the Lara
mie Boomerang The salary was small, but
his latitude great. and he was permitted to
write anything that he thought would
please the PEOPLE, whether it was news or
not.
by and by he had won every heart by
his gentle, patient poverty and his delight
full parsimony with regard to facts. With a
hectic Imagination and an order on a res
taurant which advertised in the paper, he
scarcely cared through the livelong day
whether school kept or not.
Thus he rose to justice of the peace and
finally to an income which is reported very
large to everybody but the assessor.
His Home Life.
HE is the father of several very beauti-
full children by his first wife, who is still
living. She is Chicago girl and loves her
husband far more than he deserves. He is
pleasant to the outside world, but a per-
feet 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 respect him, being
awed by his greatness and gentle bar
barism.
He eats plain food with both bands con-
versing all the time pleasantly with any
one who may be visiting at the house. If
the children do not behave he kicks them
from beneath the table till they roar with
pain. as he chats on with the guests with q
bright and overf1owing stream OF bon mots,
which please and delight those who visit
MIN to that degree that they almost forget
that tLey have had hardly anything to
eat
In confusion. Mr.. Nye is in every re-
spect lovely character. He feared that
injustice might be done him, however. in
this biographical sketch, so he has written
II himself"