The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-18
FAME and FORTUNE.
How They We're Won by a Strange
Newspaper Genius.
DRAMATIC EDITOR-CAREER OF
MARK NJ. (BRICK) POMEROY.

Early Struggles and Triumphs in Wiscon-
sin-Why He Left the Army-Success
With the La Crosse Democrats-The
Famous Lincoln Editorial, Which Made
Him Rich, Written y Subordinate.
Correspondence of N. Y. Times.)
milwaukee,, Wis, April l2.-Mark M.
{ 'Briok") Pomeroy, who is reported as
i'll at his home near New York city,
though native of New York State,
has always been looked upon as Wis
consin product. for the reason that he
came to the State SO early, and was SO
closely identified with its fortunes until
comparatively few years ago.
Mr.. Pomeroy was genius in his way,
though the part of his reputation that
resulted in his greatest successes was the
work of employees.
The name Brick" by which he was
known to the exclusion of all others,
was obtained at the time he was publish
ing paper in Horizon, this State, IN
1857. A few years before an Eastern
writer had achieved quite a vogue by
writing about various celebrities under
the name of "oharcoal sketches" Mr..
Pomeroy began writing sketches of
prominent men in Wisconsin, In the
most extrayagant vein. These he call ed
rick-dust sketches. From the first
part of the hyphenated word came his
trade mark, that later was to be known
Of tbo 30, nov
Mr.. Pomeroy came to Wisconsin in
1857, and started paper at Horizon,
called The Argus. Being a Democrat
and outspoken in his opinions, he soon
worked himself into notice kamong those
in authority, and was appointed Deputy
United States Marshal.
During the time that he held the office
he had occasion to arrest desperate
character, and, while on the road to Mil
waukee, his prisoner attacked Mr.. Pome-
roy and made his escape. Mr.. Pomero y
on his return TO Horizon, wrote an ac-
count of the affair for his paper. using
the editorial eve" in the description in
such manner that the story made one
of the richest bits of humor of the day
1t was the reduction ad absurdum of
the pompous, inflated, editorial style of
the period
Mr.. Pomeroy was an enthusiastic adj
mirer of Stephen A. Douglas, which
feeling, openly expressed at injudioi GUS
times, led to his losing his office. He
then came to Milwaukee, where he be-
came city editor and the entire local staff
of The Milwaukee Daily News. At
this period of his life Mr.. Pomeloy de-
veloped dislike for work that would
have done credit to F" Dusty Rhodesn OF
today. This, coupled with a tendency
to write risque stories whenever he wrote
any thing, led his employers to give him
notice that they would have to dispense
with his services.
On receiving this notice Mr.. Pomeroy
did some of the bes writing of any Pc
rind of his life. but the effort did not
avail to save him. and he had to hunt
new fields.
La Crosse was then coming into promi-
nenos as bustling town. and Mr.. Pome-
roy turned in that direction. He arrived
at an opportune time. What would now
be called a syndicate of Kentucky capt.
talists had purchased a large quantity of
land up the river at La Crescent, which
they expected to make the metropolis of
the river, but, as an old timer said in
discussing it, the town was located VIII en-
the river was high, and the steamboats,
could come right up to it and when the
river went down the town was about
five miles inland.
Among those interested was Gov.
Swinford, as he afterward became when
Alaska needed Governor, and Presi-
dent Cleveland had the appointing pow
er. Mr.. Swinford had started paper
at La Crescent, and when the boom fell
fat he moved the plant to La Crosse.
Mr.. Pomeroy happened along just ten,
and bought ha If interest In the paper
which WAS known as The Union and
Democrat. Mr.. Swinford was a Brock
inridge Democrat, and Mr.. Pomeroy was
a devoted disciple of Little Giant"
Douglas.
The result was that before long the
partners were fighting each other harder
than they were fighting their political
opponents. To Mr.. Swinford was given
the inside of the paper and to Mr..
Pomeroy the outside, and OH their re-
spective pages each week the rival editors
pounded away at each other in finest
style, to the intense amusement of the
readers.
Mr.. Pcmeroy, through ]. J. Nooman,
of this city, who was Douglas Demo-
orat and had hold on the paper, was
finally enabled to Gust Mr.. Swinford
who went to Upper Michigan, while MI.
Pomeroy continued the publication OF
the paper, which was after that an out
and-out Douglas paper. When Senator
Douglas died, Mr.. Pomeroy acted "a if
he had lost his nearest friend. He went
into his office, bowed his head on tn g
table, and cried like a child, refusing to
be comforted.
When the war was started, Mr.. Pome-
roy was heart and soul in favor of the
preservation of the Union. This is worth
remembering, in view of his reputation