Eli Perkins is a name well known to Americans. In fact he is so well
known that sundry newspaper writers, who should feel heartily ashamed
of themselves for so doing, have classed Eli Perkins with Gath, Private
Dalzell, George Francis Train, and other equally noted characters. The
same sundry newspaper writers have stated at various times that Eli
Perkins was the greatest liar in all America. This is a base falsehood,
and an attack upon the name of a honorable gentleman. A liar, indeed!
If the humorists of America are to be thus defiled simply because they
exaggerate good stories, solely for the purpose of displaying their
wit, why the occupation of humorist is valueless.
Melville D. Landon, better known as Eli Perkins, is not only a
humorist, but is author, lecturer, and journalist as well. He was born
in Eaton, Madison county, New York, in the year 1840. His freshman year
was passed at Madison university, and in 1861 he graduated from Union
college under Dr. Nott, and two years later he received the honorary
degree of Master of Arts. He entered journalism soon after this, and
after several years of hard work he went to Europe and Asia, returning
in 1868.
Eli Perkins was by nature a humorist, yet he devoted himself at first
entirely to serious writings. In 1871 he issued his first book from the
press of George W. Carleton, New York. It was a large volume of over
six hundred pages, and was a detailed history of the Franco-Prussian
war. It was a book solemn as the grave, yet full of thrilling
description. It commanded a large and ready sale.
An old friend tells the following interesting anecdote of Mr. Landon at
this time: “In 1872, at the age of thirty-three, a great change came
over Mr. Landon. It was then for the first time that he unchecked his
pen, and allowed fun and humor to creep unobstructed into his writings.
The occasion was a series of letters written from Saratoga, since
republished in Saratoga in 1901. These letters were written for the
New York Commercial Advertiser, at the instance of Hugh J. Hastings, a
veteran, fun-loving journalist. The Commercial was then almost a dead
newspaper. It was never seen on the news-stands, and was only taken
in a few old families, who still stuck to the paper because of its
antiquity, it having been established in 1794.
“Perkins appeared one day at the leading news-stand in Saratoga, and
marching up with great pride, informed the newsman that he was going to
write for the Commercial.
“‘For the Co-- what?” asked the man.
“‘For the Co-mercial--the Commercial Advertiser.”
“‘Never heard of it, sir,” replied the newsman.
“‘Well, I am going to write for it, and I want you to order it.”
“‘No use, can’t sell it sir, and----’
“‘But I’ll buy it--buy all you have left,” expostulated Eli.
“‘All right,’ said the newsman, ‘then I’ll order five copies.’
“Every day after that these letters were published in the Commercial
under the signature of Eli Perkins. They set Saratoga on fire. The
demand for them was immense. On the street cars in New York, and on the
balconies in Saratoga, people were reading the letters and asking ‘Who
is Eli Perkins?’ In four weeks after the humorist commenced writing six
hundred copies of the Commercial were sold in Saratoga alone.
“In a word, the articles made Eli Perkins famous. They were widely read
and copied, and many of them were reproduced in France and Spain.
Perkins and Mark Twain were the only humorists at that time since the
death of Artemus Ward, and it was no wonder that there was a demand for
their writings.”
A few years later the Saratoga letters were gathered together,
illustrated by Arthur Lumley, and republished in a large volume by
Sheldon & Co., of New York. Still later Mr. Landon issued another
book--a volume of humorous sketches--entitled Eli Perkins at Large.
This production had, and yet has, an immense sale. In 1872, he entered
the lecture field, and for eight or ten years he has convulsed hundreds
of audiences in every part of the country, North, East, South, and
West. He has also kept up his literary work, and has been corresponding
regularly for the Chicago Tribune. His letters to this well known
journal have been widely copied and are noted for their sparkling wit
and rollicking humor.