The New York Daily News, like all other first-class journals, possesses
its paragrapher. In the person of Henry Clay Lukens, the News has for
many years had a valuable contributor, and one of the best humorous
writers in America. Under the name of Erratic Enrique, he has written
early and late, noon, morning, and night, and, in fact, about all the
time.
Lukens is of Dutch ancestry. He was born in Germantown, near
Philadelphia, on the 18th day of August, 1838. His first newspaper
enterprise was a monthly publication issued in his native city, during
the winter of 1857. For this paper, George Alfred Townsend wrote some
of his first articles. Lukens worked at his journalistic profession for
many years in different States in the Union.
In 1874 he went to South America, where he remained as a traveling
correspondent for nearly two years. While there he wrote interesting
letters to the Danbury News and the St. John (New Brunswick) Torch,
under the quaint pseudonym of Erratic Enrique. He also wrote for
various other American journals under the same name.
It was not until March, 1877, that Henry Clay Lukens settled down to
steady work on a daily newspaper. He then associated himself with
the sprightly little News, with which paper he has ever since been
connected. He originated a column of humor called Pith and Point, which
has brought both the paper and himself into prominence. It is said he
has not missed a week’s labor since his first day’s connection with the
News. He is one of the few hard-worked city journalists.
Early in 1881, he began a series of articles, entitled Sanctum
Sketches, in Hubbard’s Advertiser, of New Haven, Connecticut. In this
series of articles he produced the biographies of six or eight well
known paragraphers. He is also a regular contributor to several weekly
and monthly periodicals.
Lukens is quite inclined to poetry, and at times jingles some very
clever and witty rhymes. The following is from his pen: