The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-04-04
OF THE DEAD HUM0RIST.
SKETCH or THE LArE BILL NYE Try
ONE WHO KNEW HIM


His Rise Was Rapid - Some Of "is Best
Work - Home Life - ON the
Platform.
's" "o' p'o''e nun w 'a'' ..
i''s' D'' A'se 'e"' w ''' y''' II
was son,e ',"'e De,o'e ne oe'ai'e '"'"ou'
wa, II. wv" 'i'e"u,y '"'e'es. =" me-
iio '"' o'''ie o"''' "so"',"s ie''''o's
" P'ao''oe Jaw oour, business was
s,o" '"e'e '''e"' we" u.u "o. 'a'e 'o'
'""' ,o'' VI "'ans''ns' lucy "au ii'o,e
u,.'ous aa' 'e'' eNpe"s''e "ie'',ou,
y, oe',.ns ''ne,ei0e', WI we a''ao'.'
se" W q n'.'e "euA's popei run ny
Sp''a' uo"h''s eu''o' soou oi'i III
nay 'oiu' Inc shee' "as oai'eu .he'oe","'
ef. Nyes pay was next to nothing and he
WORKED like coolie forit, The best story
he ever g.va tho Sentinel yas n, ac.
COUNT Oh masquerade oaii' bu' you
had to know the people to appreciate
his descriptions OF them. Nye soon
lea-ned that tho pureIv local bnmorous
h., -, -. IT,.
n' "ou'o p'opao'y never au'"hce nun
The very funniest thing he ever did-iu
my judgment-was sketch of noun.
tain catastronbe. II was about n ,,i,ar
Il, -. -.
""o niaue suo'' ione ooas.ipg TRIP ON
shovel that the pan OF the homely
tool became red hot.
The best paper n, Wvominp,s canita,
. - -. a.. 80 ~,
l" .ho'e uasS was .he Nheyehhe Oh"
ana It's editor, Il. "A. Slack, was great
friend of Nye's. The latters first pro-
duc,;op IN ha diopif;ad with ;,I,s,ra
.iohs appeafeu W 'he o""' IL was
burlesque on the extravagant circus
advertisement vet in vogue. The pic.
TIRES hanna, IN know wer. all s,noL
Pr" "' '''0"
GUS
Nye was ambitious and had consider.
able confidence in himself. He submit
ted some matter to the old Denver
tribune, then by long odds the best
paper in the west. Its staf included
Gen. Field. .. IL. Rothacker, Fred
skill. "Fitz-Mac," VIII Il. Nisscher and
several other writers OF great force and
ability. They saw at once that Nye
was the real thing and his future was
insured there and then. All of this,
beginning with the Sentinel, occupied
not more than two years. The west is
swift. And l still think its more con-
sentative than the east for the simple
reason that it reaches results that are
what they should be quicker and better.
About six months after getting into
the Tribune, Nye was appointed post
master at Laramie. In the meantime
he had been made justice of the peace
and United States commissioner, but
these offices combined didn't give him
$50 month, while the mail department
job was worth the while. 1t was when
Nye decided to give up the postoffice to
become editor of the Laramie Daily
Boomerang and just at the time he pub
lished his first book, that lac wrote the
column which raised him to the peer
age. 1t was his resignation from all
service with Uncle Sam, and was add
dressed to President Arthur. Thou
sands of the readers never questioned
but that it was sent to Washington.
The touch in it l best remember was
the statement that he had left the key:of
the postoffice under the door mat. A very
prominent London newspaper took this
seriously. That OF course made It seem
still funnier.
Nye did not do well with the Boone
rang, though 1t is alive and prosperous
today. Some OF the stockholders bother
ca MN too much. The worry make
hun i'll. 1t was In visits from the Office
to his house at this time that came to
know him best. His domestic lie, theh
quite new, was almost ideal. MS wife
was woman OF good sense ana ne APP
preciated her. Ihey were great friends
and Nye thought her par excellence
from every view point. Ihey were
loving partners: hls library mciudeo
humorous WORKS ana DOCKS Oh he
day Nye MADE MS own literature cur
rent. marx lwaih had no more ueVo.eo
admirer ana student imam Nye. lhe
Giided age win which hr. clemens
Is supposed TO nave 0een assisted, was
one OF Nyes tavorlte DOCKS W course
ne was en- rapport WIN houghihg IL,
FROM wyoming ana Laramie anu the
BoOmefdngh Nye went .uirect 10 the
new YORK Wora, the american rress
Just before that' Deheve, ne uia some
WORK Tor fuch. ms gave MN his Ne"
YORK status.
rate they made money. i think the
funniest thing ne ana on the ROAD was
MS Swedish diaiect recitatioh' o'ners
make the claim, but Nye is the man
VINO brought that dialect 10 the stag
and 1t has gained reputation ana lot
tune Tor half a score OF comedians. l
heard Nye make political speech one
night, Ii was then JACK Meidrum ran
for Delegate to Congress for wyoming
and was beaten by Post, the BANKER.
Jack was butcher and statesman. Nye
opened with; II came not here to speak
, for red-headed Jack, but IN order that
you might gaze upon my beautiful sun
locks" His speech was comical In the
extreme, and reckon 1t did JACK no
harm.
a last ana careless writer was Nye;
as recollect, and the printers cursed
his copy before ne ceased dong the me
chanical work. lie was always smiling
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