State

TIIK two outstanding library characters associated with the his¬ tory of Carolina were undoubtedly William Sidney Porter (O. Henry), and Edgar Wilson (Bill) Xye. Their paths never crossed in life, and when Xye died in February 1S96. O. Henry was then on the Houston (Texas) Post. He wrote such a tourhiug tribute to the memory of Xye that it was copied by the press through¬ out the land. Thousands of miles separated the two men in life, but when O. Henry died, they brought him back to hi. native State and he rests in Riverside cemetery in Ashe¬ ville, not н dozen miles from where rests all that is mortal of Bill Xye. Was Bom in Maine Xye was bom at Shirley. Maine in 1850. When a young man he was admitted to the bar nnd moved to Laramie, Wyoming, in search of clients and adventure, lie did not find the clients; but he found plenty of adventure. However, as he ex¬ pressed it. lie entered public life and became a justice of the peace. He said that when a man entered upon a public career that he might expect criticism; that Iw himself had been criticized, no severely on one occasion after he became a magistrate, that he remembered it for two full weeks. The Denver Hepubliean was the brightest paper in the West, and as Xye sat in his lonely and client less law office, he wrote a I a ugh -com polling story and sent it to that paper. It was published promptly, with editorial comment ; and the editor sent Xye a check, wrote him an encouraging let¬ ter and told him to write something else. Here is a model which should be followed by other editors: This incident led Xye from law into litera¬ ture. If he had continued in the law his would !«• an unrcincmbercd name among ten thousand other mediocre*, whereas in literature his became "One of the few, immortal names That were not horn to die.” He became editor of the Sentinel at Laramie, and so continued until friends who appreciated his genius, secured for him control of a new paper which he named the Boomer¬ ang. Its editorial sparkled as a diamond; it attracted wide attention, and ere long it was being quoted all over the country. Xye was pure genius, but unlike most geniuses he had a mania for hard work, and while serving as editor of the Boomerang, he published a book of clippings from his articles, labelled it “Bill Bill Nye One of the nation'* best- loved humorists, w li о spent the» hitler years of lii.s life in North Carolina anti lies buried in the mountains u lior e li e loved to room around. By J. L. SPENCER Xve and Boomerang; or the laic of a Sad Eyed Mule." This fixed his fame upon the field of national humor. Misfortune now laid a heavy hand upon him and he was stricken with spinal meningitis. For months lie hovered between life and death, and his convalescence was tedious. I tar¬ ing the period when he was slowly re¬ gaining his strength, lie authored "Forty Liars and Other Lie.." This book bad such a tremendous sale that he came east to ca.lt in on the national reputation which had come to him. Became Associated with Riley Hi* t<w»k t«* the lecture platform and became associated with the I i oosier poet, •lame. Whitcomb Riley. The two ton led the country, Riley reading from his poems, Xye giving selections from his writings; his peculiar mannerism» and behavior a (filing to the hmimr of his works. His very appearance convulsed his audience nnd laughter would sweep the audience as soon as he ap|marcd. Xye said that lie and Rilev gave a dual performance : “First I come on and talk until I am tins!; then Riley comes out and talk» until you arc tired." He wrote up one of his lectures for the press: “Some think the lec¬ turer will improve. The lecture was free, and several ame in to get warm. Those already warm did not come in. The janitor thinks if our people had liegun early enough, the lecture could have been averted.” lie said a lecturer must not only Is- able t<> talk well, but lie must he n draftsman as well — that is, he must draw well. Then he went with the .Wir York World, and here probably bis l»ost work was done. Then the Associated Press began to distribute his weekly syndicated letters, illustrated bv Mc- Dougal, an artist on the World staff, who drew a caricature of Xye a* an emaciated little 111:111. bald headed, wearing large glasses a figure which became so well known throughout the country as to need no identification. Alter Xye enme to Carolina, many letters bearing neither . . lor ad¬ dress. but carrying merely llic carica¬ ture, were delivered !<> him through the postoflioo at Arden, X. ('.. for the postal service knew both the nitui and where he lived ! И bile writing for the World lie sent in an expense account to hi. paper, some of the item* being: To rent a dress suit for use in seeing Washington (in the interest of the paper) 8 1.5" To paid for dispersing turtle soup from the lap of same I.ihi To having a fur collar put on said coat ( in the interest of the paper) . 9.00 To amount loaned a gent ( in the interest of the paper) 5.00 Six meals .. . .90 Laundry work (in tin* intercut of the paper) . .. .05 To expenses incurred in em¬ balming the liodv of a man who tried to induce me to alter the |wliey of the 1М|и>г ISO.tH! To fine paid for a. ..lulling a gent who .tepped on tin stomach twice without apologizing . 19.1 к I To paid damage for writing humorous poetry oil the jail walls in such manner that it could not l>c erased 2."" Moved to Carolina in 1886 He came to Carolina in 1 SSt!. sick Ion not discouraged, lie Isiught a hundred acres of land on a high hill overlooking the valley of the benuti- fnl French Broad, and in the heart of the hills of Henderson County hi. twelve-room “Buck Shoals Cottage" was located. He never cultivated hi. «-.tate. and such spare time a. lie had was spent in indulging hi* fancy for fine horses and in driving around the country behind a team coui|»o*cd of one white horse and one black. It was here that a goodly part of his famous work was «lone, including his mirth compelling "lli-tory of the I'nited State." and . . iiipiinioii {Continued on page eighteen) 9