Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-11-08
The Story of HIS Own Life.

@N@s ~ W."
Hill Nye was once approached for
II sketch of his career, Unwilling Ia
trust 10 the tender maereies of u b.
~ssgraph.sr for a faithful presentation
OF his noble deeds. Nye wrote. him
>eif, III. following autobiography:
Edgar Wilson Sye was born in
Maine In 1861. August Is. but at two
years o. age he took his parents by
The hanl. and. telling them that Pts
cataQai< cauuty vas no ptes for
them. he boldly struck out fUf
- Croix eouuty, Wisconsin,
Ahrr" The hardy young pioneer soon
made Il home far his parents. The
llrst Wa he drove the indians out Of
the ut. croix Valley. and suggested TO
the Northwestern railroad that Ii
would l,a n good idea la build TO 1t.
paul as soon as tho company could
get d grant which would pay them
several times the cost of cht'StTtic'
ton. The following year he adopted
trousers. and made our hundred and
seventy five dollars from the sale OF
wolf sCalps, He also cleared twenty
~..Ien acres NJ land and raised some
watvr melons. In 1864 h. established
and endowed "A district school In
Pleasant Valley. IL was at this time
that he began to turn his attention
10 the abolition If slavery In the
south and 10 white articles for IL"
l,r,.sS signed NeritAs,' in which he ad-
IOcattd the war of 1859 or az soon rs
Tho q .rnm"nt could get around III
II
In 1865 h. graduated from III" farm
and began thu. study of The Law. He
did not advance very rapidly In that
profession. failing several times in his
examination aud giving bonds fer his
appearance at thu. next term OF court.
He was. however. IA close student OF
political economy. and studied per
Sonal economy al the same tim" till
Sltf lHntlu It' fEhAIu NV 'A w.
il day and his relatives easily.
MIR. Nye now began to look for a
new country tn build up and foster.
aud az Wisconsin had grown TO he SO
thickly settled In III" northwestern
part Of the tat that neightmrs were
frequently found as near as five miles
apart. he broke. ltnst' from all re-
Straint and took "migrant rates for
Cheyenne. Here he engaged board at
the Interocean hotel. and began 10
look about him for u position In n
bank. Not succeeding In this he tried
the law and journalism. He did not
succeed In getting a job for some
time, but finally hired as associate
editor and janitur of III" l.arlmi Sen.
tintl.'
'By-and-by h. had won every heart
by his gentle, patient poverty and his
delightful parsimon"y with regard to
fact1. With IL hectic imagination,
and an order ON IA restaurant which
advertised in the paper, he scarcely
cared through the ~liEtlon3 day Wh"th-
or school kept or not,
Thus he ro>" 10 justice Of the
peace. and finally to an income which
Is reported very large 10 everybody
hui the assessor.
He Ia the father Of several very
beautiful children by his first wife,
who Is still living. She is "a Chicago
girl. and loves her husband far more
than he deserves. He IL pleasant tn
the outside world. but a perfect brute
at home. He early learned that In
order to win the love of his wife he
should be erratic and kick the stove
over on the children when he came
home. He therefore asserts himself
in this way, and III" family love and
respect him, being awcd by his great
ness and gentle barharism.
He eats plain food with both hands,
conversing all tn" time pleasantly
with anyone who may be visiting at
the house. If his children do not
behave he kicks them from beneath
the table till they oar with pain, as
he chats with the guests with a
bright and ever-flowing stream of
bons mots which please and delight
those who visit him to that degree
that they almost forget that they have
had hardly anything to eat.
In conclusion, Mr.. Nye Is In every
respect a lovely character"