The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-26
AMERICAN HUMORISTS.
Ell Perkins, In The Sun, Relates His Ideas
Respecting Bill Nye.


These editorials were iIresistibly quaint.
Every one was reading his newspaper, and
every one loved the genial writer. lie never
had but one enemy, and that was the editor
of the Democratic newspaper across the way.
This man saw nothing funny in Nye. He
wasted columns weekly calling Nye. to his
great amusement, "an idiot and a crack
Drained rattlesnake editor from Moosehead
Lake"
Bill Nye was then, al ever afterward, a
delicate and retiring man. WheH~I asked
him why the rival editor called him such
names he said:
"Rell. he is Democratic editor, and he has
to be precise in his statements. / was born
on Moosehead Lake, in Maine, ana grew up
among the Indians and rattlesnakes of the
West"
81 see you are lawyer as well as an edi-
tor" / said.
eyes, practised law about year; but"
las added, without changing a muscle. "no-
body knew much about it here; kept 1t very
quiet. have been justice of the peace in
Laramie for six years"
''Did you ever marry any onef"
"oh, yes. married my wife. and after that
/ used to marry others, and then try them
for other Offences
Noticing that the humorist had very white
teeth, remarked upon their regularity and
whiteness, and asked bim what kept them so
white.
"O that's natural, he said. "Al teeth re-
main white il they are properly taken care
Of. OF course / never drink hot drinks,
always brush my teeth every mornlng and
evening avoid all acids, and, although l am
35 years old, my teeth are a. good as ever.
"And tins is all you DO to keep your teeth
whitef" asked.
oven, yes-that il, barring the fact that l
put them in a glass of soft water nights"
The attention of the public was first called
to the humorist's Wi ings on account of his
vigorous English. HIS language was OF the
wild West order. For example: The profess
sor of rational psychology of Houlder College
wrote to the Boomerang and a'ked ths editor
the question, "Whnt is literature2'
"What is literatureY' exclaimed Eli.
pointing half contemptuously at the columns
of the Boomerang. "What is literature Cast
your eye over these locic-imbued columns,
you sun.dried savant from the remote pre-
cincts. Drink at the never-failng boomerang
springs of forgotten lore, you dropsical wart
OF a false and erroneous civil zation Read
our Address TO Sitting Bull. or our 'Ode ia
the Busted Snoot Of a Shattered Venus De
Milo.' If you want to III. up your thirsty soul
with high.pric,d literature. Don't go around
hungering for literary pie while your eyes
are closed and your capacious ears are filed
with bales of hay"
Years after Bret Harte's Truthful James
poem was written, Edgar w. Nye commenced
signing his articles "Bili Nye." Mr.. Nye
always considered the best joke ever porpe-
trated by an English newspaper was when
the London News came out ith serious
editorial saying that "Bin Nye" was a real
character. Then Mr.. Nye got out his scrap
book and read this serious editorial from the
London News:
''If ever celebrity were attained unex-
pectedly most assuredly it was that thrust
upon Bill Nye by Truthful james. 1t is just
possible, however, that the innumerabe
readers of MIR. Bret Harte's 'Heathen Chinee'
may have imagined Bill Nye and All Sin TO
be purely mythical personages. So far as the
former is concerned, any such conclusion now
appears to have been erroneous. Bill Nye is
no more a phantom than any other journal
ist, although the name of the organ which ne
runs savors more of fiction that of fact.
But there is no doubt about the matter. for
the Washington correspondent OF the New
York kribune telegraphed On the 29lh inst.
that Bill Nye had accepted post under the
Government Il o has lately hoen domiciled
in Laramie City. Wyoming Territory, and is
editor OF the Daily Boomerang. In reference
to Postnaster General Hatton's appointment
of him postmaster at Laramie City the
opponent Of All Sin writes sn extremely
humorous letter, extending his thanks, and
advising his chief of his opinion that his
appointment Is triumph of eternal truth
over error and wrong Nye continues: 1T
is one of the epochs, may say, in the nations
onward march toward political purity and
perfection. don't know when have noticed
any stride in the affairs of State which has
so thoroughly impressed me with its wisdom
In this quiet strain of banter bil Nye con.
tnues to the end OF his letter, which suggests
the opinion that whatever the official qualif-
cations of the new postmaster may be, the
inhabitants of Laramie City must have a very
readable newspaper In the Daily Boomerang"
During the preparation Of my book. Kings
of Platform and Pulpit" MIR. Nye sent me a
copy of his lecture, which appears in the
book with so other lectures by Artemus Ward
Eugene Field, Mark Twain, Nashby. Bur
dette. Josh Billings. etc.
On one occasion MIR. Nye sent mo the fol.
lowing note which gives true history of his
family:
DEAR ELI-You ask me how / came 10
adopt the nom de plume OF Bill Nye, and 1
can truthfully reply that l did not do SO
at hll.
Ny first work was done on n Territorial
paper in the Rocky Mountains some IL years
ago, and was not signed. The style. or rather
the lack OF it, provoked some comment. and
two three personal encounters Other
papers hegan 20 wonder who was responsible,
and various names were assigned by them as
the proper one, among them Henry Nye.
james Nye, Robert Nys. etc, and general
discussion arose. in which / diu not take
hand. The result was a compromise. by
which / was chriStened Bill Nye. and the
na,ne has clung 10 ne.
/ am not especially proud OF The name, for
it CONVEYS The IDEA to straneers that 1 am n
lawl-ss. prUfsnc, and dangerous man. People
W ho Judge me by the brief and bloody namo
alone, insttnctivcly shuddor and examine
their firearms. 10 suggests daring, dehauch
cry. rand defiance to tho law. Little children
IRE called In VIXEN | am known TO be al LARGE,
ana a day ot fasting IA announced by the
Governor OF the StHts. Strangors seek To en.
tertain mc by showing me the ch.ico
iuiGuities of their town. Eminent criminals