Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-06-21
Quoted In All Quarters.

But the; Boomerang, though dead.
had: made its mark. 1t was sheet
of modest appearance making no par
ticular specially of news, but bubbling
full OF Bill Nye. Stray copies tloated
into eastern newspaper Offices. "A gem
tleman who was connected editOrially
with Rochester newspaper In the
Boomerang days told me recently that
he picked up q copy Of the Boomerang
on his desk one day just out, Of curios-
ity, because 1t looked SO lonesome and
was SO far away from home. The
next thing he did was to put the
Boomerang on his regular exchange
list, after sending large section of
1t, scissored out, to the composing
room. The Boomerang was quoted
east and west, north and south, and
1t was evident that new humorist
had arisen.
Bill Nye wrote book about his
Boomerang experience while he rusti-
Gated In Wisconsin. Offers from big
eastern papers began pouring in, but
Nye was shy. Finally the New York
World induced him to go to the me-
tropolis and take a Job as a regular
contributor. incidentally he was in
great demand as a lecturer. His plat
form tours with James Whitcomb
Riley are recalled as events in the
lyceum world. Nye declined to live in
New York city, but took house in the
rural districts Of Staten Island, where
his children could play with the goats.
for he had married and multiplied.
Nye wrote for the World from 1885,
until 1889, when his services were Sc
cured by the American Press Associa-
ton. From that time until his death.
more than seven years later, he fur
nished weekly letter Of about two
columns, whether he was sick or well,
at home or on the road, missing Only
one week. He wrote his matter, we
are informed, with lead pencil on
all sorts Of paper, frequently on the
homely stationery of some small ho-
tel at which he stopped while chasing
q lyceum engagement. Much Of his
work during the last three years Of his
life was done at his farm home near
Asheville, N. c., where he built q hand
some residence near the George w.
! Vanderbilt estate. 1t was there, on
Washington's birthday, 1896, that the
humorist died.
Nye's weekly salary from the Amer
lean Press Association was the largest
ever paid to a syndicate writer up to
that period. 1t figured up about 12H1a
cents a word. Thus the Boomerang
came back to him fter many days.
It Is said that from his writing and
his platform work he earned at one
time about s40,0 900 a year.
Nye dissiked being lionized. About
fifteen years ago he wrote play, tsThe
Cadi which was to be produced In
New York. He was In the city on
business connected with the play.
.ssNye came into the Office one day.
says Dexter Marshall, who at that
time was managing editor for the
American Press Association, ..and look
ed around in bashfuI, hesitating man
ner. He said that he had to be In
town for the day and he didn't want
to attract attention. Couldn't we hide
him somewhere behind screen, for
instance? / fixed up corner In the
Office and screened it Off. Nye sat
down there, with books and papers,
and spent the day
Had to Laugh or Burst.
The Nye brand Of humor was some
thing new under the sun. Artemus
Ward, Petroleum ". Nasty and Josh
Billings had won wide recognition, but
each OF them relied to some extent
upon distorted spelling to attract at
tention. Nye always spelled correctly
and used good grammar. His exag-
geration was linguistic rather than or
Geographic. He could string hifalutin
adjectives like chain lightning. making
the humblest, commonest object In our
everyday life take on glamour 30 much
out OF proportion to Its real Importance
that the exaggeration was ludicrous.
The reader simply had to laugh Of
burst.
What was the funniest thing you
ever wrotei' Bill Nye was asked
shortly before ne crossed the great
divide. I'll;
THE funniest thing was borrowed