The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-02-23

family settled In Wisconsin. on the banks
If the ST CroiN river. the elder NSe was
untll he reached tho age of u years he
then went to school aud received an
academic education at RIVER FANS WIS
In 1876 young Nye went to wyoming
whore he studied law and was adtl'tel TO
There. ms he said he practiced law IN y
quiet way although frequently warned
by the authorities net To dc 40. ne hau
uiontv of leisure time on his hands IN
those DAYS. which he used in writing
sunday letter for the Cheyenne sun ~
thu handsome remuneration of 81 rot
mmn. In one Of his humorous ant9hi,,
ographical sketches Mr.. Nyc says that
that sum. which amounted TO nearly ~,
a year so dwarfed his Income from n.y.
law practice that he decided 10 taAe NJ,
ncwspapcr writing as profession, hnu
accordingly he moved to Denver, whero
he obtained a position on the stan OF ihe
Denver Tribune. lie correspondent from
Denver for the Salt Lake Tribune. Later
IN n new paper was started IN Laramie.
called the Boomerang. The paper was
| he called boomerang because he, never
knew whore tho animal would lana.
81 the time Nyc edited the boomerang
II was published over a, LIVERY sllhn.
| SION on tnc door advised callers TO TWIST
| tho tail Of ths gray mule and take the
| elevator" ...,,.,.., oit over tho
| n,,rtrv and NYo's reputation as "A mum.
| orist dated from that time, He attrtu' ~
| ot,ention 10 himself by writing II huinor.
/ otrs letter TO the president of me tih'eI
states aGeH ESP ETbe tn" letter Was copied ex-
,er.ivelv. and tho London Times com
menicr upon 1t in dead earnest uiur'
I the impression that u wns ineant na lei
Ter that literature in the Unitod Sth'et
! had ceased 10 be profitable u'lu ol
| labor and remarked sagely that the Amer
! icnn people were becoming more ana i'p'e
degenerate. The editorial In the Thurdeier
created almost as much merrlment as
Nye's letter TO the president
cess. however. and Nye began wriing lot
"A syndicate Of newspapers. HIS ltt'
became familiar to the public by the nun
dreds Of carieatures OF IN. numor,5t i ,.'nn
colaborated with him In getting up inc
I'VE letters.
hBlip' Nyc. Ike most humorists. has a
I ropltatiou for almost womanly Htnllenes1
ais amlabiuty was never cioudcd' ana
his good humor has on more man one
occasion been boon to his companions
This was notably so about a year ago
when the humorist and a large party oi
Americans were wrecked In the Caribbean
Nye kept everybody In good humor and
prevented a panic among the women ny
singing humorous songs when the steamer
appeared TO be going, down. con "a,
In late years "Bili' Nye earned Suvp
a year by his writings and on the lecture
platform. He Is said 10 have acquired
Considerable property.
HIS wife was formerly Miss Fanny
Smith OF Chicago. They were married "
is77. and lived for time IN Wisconsin
Iatterly the family moved 10 Staten
Island, and year or two ago Mt. Nyt
purchased a country place near Ashrylile
X G. lie lived al Ashevlllc In winter
| yhen not otherwise engaged some OF thf
experiences of his life on this farm arr
among his qualntest and best efforts; .,,,.
OF he appearance OF "Bll Nye all ina
| is teee sgar'y TO say IL that he 'lookeh NIX
his rictures." and there is hardly IAh
woman or child who reads newspaper
| who docs not know them By hes9t
! Nv,e used 70 say that all hs breapti
was I'm hts length. He stood Wen over
feet I'm his stockings. and appeared 10 VI
rather ungainly Ia his movements