Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-12-11
I Bx BILLY COOMBs

Fisher sick in bed scanning the news
papers and making note of the fact
that the United States had declared
war upon Germany. Sick as he was,
he te1ephoned a few friends who,
along about midnight, assembled in
his Fifty seventh street apartment. Mr..
Fisher was propped up in bed in
brilliantly lighted room. In his hand
he held the pearl handled revolver
which had once been the comfort OF
the Mexican general, T. Adolfo Diaz
whom General Pancho Villa had exc
cuted one morning for the editlcatlon
of Mr.. Fisher.
For a couple Of hours the art and
science of warfare were discussed by
Mr.. Fisher and his friends.
Frankly" said Mr.. Fisher, America
is in. rather bad way 1t may be as
the great conmoner says, that mil
lion men will spring to arms over night,
but what of it? You, Mr.. Wheeler,
you i ask What Of it?"
Before the geltIeman thus addressed
could produce the proper answer, MIR.
Fisher, like true philosopher, prefer
ring to- answer his own questions, re-
sumed:: Suppose three million men
shall have sprung to arms as we speak.
What of it? Not one in hundred
thousand of them could shoot the arm
he spfang to with enough accuracy to
annoy the foe. This would give US
just 10 riflemen, and that is not
enough. How many of Mr.. Bryan's
springers know how to shoot? ! shall
illustrate if you, Mr. Wheeler, will
draw your chair somewhat to the left,
and you, Mr.. Lardner, move few feet
to the right. Thank you"
Mr.. Fisher raised the late, Adolfo'S
stump speaker and fired two shots
through carved cocoanut suspended
from the electrolier. The guests began
to gather their things together
"Our hardy forebears like Daniel
Boone said Mr.. Fisher, calmly, could
shoot any designated eye out of a
squirrel at 200 PAGES with flintlocks.
If you will move few feet away from
the fireplace, Mr.. Mcclellan. ,"
The revolver spoke again, removing
from the mantel six champagne glasses,
one Swiss clock and French mirror.
The telephone began to ring and Mr..
Fisher had to answer it himself, the
other contributors to the symposium
having departed, heartened doubtlessly
with the knowledge that the tradi-
tional craftsmanship of America had
not vanished.
Thus alarmingly we present Harry
Conway Fisher, inventor of the comic
strip, creator Of Mutt and Jeff, some
time honorary captain on the staff OF
General Villa, perpetual lieutenant OF
the British army and owner of so racing
horses. We could identify him more
fully, but rely upon these few distirlc-
tions for the moment.
Bud Fisher is smallish, icy-eyed
man of AZ and is one of those envied
persons for whom the world makes
way because he knows always whittier
he is going. He was born in Chicago.
Fisher pere, too was an artist, being
the master of the piano; but as a
practical man he preferred to sell
pianos rather than play them. The
Fishers remained in Chicago long
enough to see Bud through high school,
where the nimble lad ran with inter-
scholastic success on the track team
For three months Bud was an active
student in the University of Chicago.
Then the family moved to Reno, where
Bud fingered but O short time before
proceeding to San Francisco. He de-
termined then that he wanted to be
an artist and anyone acquainted ever
so slightly with Mr. Fisher will agree
that nothing short of death could have
stopped him. He called upon the art
editor of The San Francisco Examiner,
offering his services.
"Any experience" asked the editor
mo-" said Mr.. Fisher.
I'm sorry" said the editor.
"Well," sighed Mr.. Fisher, 'if you
can't give me a job could you let me
take a few good layouts-old ones, Of
course? I'd like to study them"
"That's the spirit, my boy" said the
editor. Study hard and you'll be
heard from in time. Take these"
So Mr.. Fisher, with the layouts be-
meath his arm, FASTENED to the office
of the San Francisco Chronicle, where
the art editor asked him whether he
had had any experience.
bend piercing glance upon these, !"
said Mr.. Fisher, displaying the lay
outs.
on the following day Mr.. Fisher
went to work on the Chronicle for SIS
a week.
The newspaper comics of the day
included Outcault's Buster Brown,
Schultze's Foxy Grandpa, Opper's Vel
low Kid and Tad's Judge Rumhauser
and Silk Hat Harry. These appeared
in three-co1umn layouts. The comic
strip which is read from left to right
across the entire width of the page
was Mr.. Fishers inspiration.
Even in those lean days, Mr.. Fisher
was a race track addict. Across the
bay from San Francisco at EmeryVille
horses were running daily, and Mr..
Fisher invariably could be located
among the railbirds. Between races he
made rapid and startlingly accurate
sketches of the most picturesque OF
these harried incurables These faces
consolidated and became composite IN
his mind and from them came
Augustus Mutt.
The first few of the strips of Mutt
were not sensational, but they were
fresh and funny. Augustus Mutt, hav-
ing won the heart of Mr.. young, man