New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-03-18
Ell PERKI 6B ON Bill 3 I'VE,



IN n hich 10 Rscaa Z Lii Z IL ssfiing
dV1iisit q Laramie.
first met Edgar wilson Nye y year,
ago, while passing through Laramie,
Wyo. Nj. Nye was then practicing law,
and making his first reputation IS 4 hu-
lmorist through editorials and paragraphs
in his weekly boomerang. These edi-
torials were irresistibly quaint. Every
one was reading his newspaper, and every
one loved the genial writer. He never
had but one enemy, and that was the
editor Of the Demo cratic newspaper across
the way. This man saw nothing funny
IN Nye. He wasted columns weekly
calling Nye, to his great amusement, ian
idiot and a crack Drained rattlesnake
editor from Moosehead Lake
Bill Nyewas then, as ever afterward,
a delicate and retiring man. When
asked him why the rival editor called
him such names, he said:
well, he is Democratic editor, and
has to be precise in his statements. ]
was born on Moosehead Lake, IN Maine,
and grew up among the Indians and rat
tlesnakes of the West,''
Il see you are lawyer as well as an
editor said.
'Yes, I practiced law about a year,
but he added, without changing a
muscle, ..nobody knew much about it
here; i kept it very quiet. I have been
a justice of the peace in Laramie for six
years.
'sDid you ever marry anyone2''
"Oh, yes, married my wife, and after
that | used to marry others and then try
them for other offenses.''
Noticing that the humorist had very
white teeth, remarked upon their regu-
larity and whiteness, and asked him what
kept them so white.
sob, that's NATURAL he said. Gall
teeth remain white if they are properly
taken care of. OF course, never drink
not drinks, always brush my teeth every
and evening, avoid all acids,
md, although I am IS years old, my
;eeth are as good as ever"
s'And this is all you do to keep your
;eeth white?" asked.
swell, yes-that is, barring the fact
hat | put them in glass Of soft water
,ights.''
Years after Bret Harte's Truthful
James poem was written, Edgar w. Nye
signing his articles ssBill
Nye.' Mr.. Nye always considered the
pest joke ever perpetrated by an English
Was when the London .News"
came out with a serious editorial saying
hat "Bill'' Nye' was a real character.
In rcfcince to Acting Postmaster Gen
'ral Hatton's appointment of him as a
postmaster at Laramie City, the oppo-
lent Of All Sin writes an extremely hu-
norous letter, ''extending" his thanks,
md advising his chief of his opinion that
lis appointment is triumph of eternal
ruth over error and wrong" Nye con-
inues: "Itis one of the epochs, I may
ay, in the nations onward march toward
political purity and perfection. I don't
know when I have noticed any stride in
The affairs of state which has so thor
oughlv impressed me with its wisdom
In politics Bill Nye was Republican,
out he never let his political creed show
Itself in his writings. In fact, Democrats
Ire the largest readers IF his books.
On the occasion of my visit to Laramie
MIR. Nye introduced me to my Laramie
audience. His introduction was like this :
"Ladies and Gentlemen: am glad
that it has devolved upon me tonight to
announce that We are to have an interest
ing lecture on lying by one Of the most
distinguished there was a pause, for
Mr.. Nye's infection indicated that he
had finished, and the audience roared
with delight, SC that it was some time
before the sentence was concluded) Ice
turers from the East #
Mr.. Me- continued: s.We have our or
binary country liars in Laramie but Mr..
Perkins comes from the metropolis.
Our every day liars have fine record.
We are proud Of them, but the uncul-
tured liars of the prairie cannot be ex-.
pected to cope with the gifted and more
polished prevaricators from the cultured
East. Ladies and gentlemen, permit
me to introduce to you Eliar Perkins,
Ladies and gentlemen, I said in re-
ply, Il feel justly dattered by your Lara
*