Bloomberg quotes O. Henry (but needs George Thompson)

[George Thompson]

Barry's web site says "George Thompson, NYU Elmer Bobst librarian and
word hunter extraordinaire, [gee, thanks] traced the expression to the
1820s. Unfortunately, his post of this citation has been lost in the
American Dialect Society archives."

Here is that passage, just so posterity will not be disappointed.
It's a pretty good joke, too, well told.
"New Yark," said Jonathan one day, as he picked his way among paving
stones, and sand banks, and heaps of bricks which were thrown upon
Broadway by the gas-works, and water works companies, and those who
were pulling down and building houses -- "New Yark," said he, and at
this moment he tumbled over a bundle of slate lying directly in his
way, capsized a lady, and singed his bran new knapt hat in the fire
where the working men were melting lead, but picked himself up with a
simple exclamation of "Gall darn it" -- "New-Yark," said he -- and
Jonathan was a frequent visitor to sell his onions and wooden dishes --
 "would be a darnation fine place, if they ever got it done."  ***
        Commercial Advertiser, June 21, 1828, p. 2, col. 2

This paragraph indicates that at least one New Yorker of the time
thought that it was a new joke:
        Verily, the editor of the Commercial was right, when he
said, "New-York would be a nation fine place, if they ever get it
done!"  New-York Mirror, November 2, 1833, p. 143, col. 3

The editor of the Commercial at that time was William Leete Stone.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Date: Sunday, January 1, 2006 4:30 pm
Subject: Bloomberg quotes O. Henry (but needs George Thompson)

> _http://www.barrypopik.com/article/1303/an-ocean-on-one-side-and-
> new-jersey-on
> -the-other_ (http://www.barrypopik.com/article
> /1303/an-ocean-on-one-side-and-new-jersey-on-the-other)
> ...
> _http://www.barrypopik.com/article/1304/in-new-york-they-ask-how-
> much-is-he-wo
> rth_
> (http://www.barrypopik.com/article/1304/in-new-york-they-ask-how-
> much-is-he-worth)
> ...
> ...
> I don't know if Fred has these two NYC quotes, the first from O.
> Henry and
> the second from Mark Twain (who did not originate it).
> ...
> Mayor Bloomberg quoted O. Henry at today's inauguration. (OT:
> Barbara Walter
> spoke about her dictionary search for the word "comptroller.")
> Maybe I
> should show Bloomberg this, from George Thompson:
> ...
> ...
> _http://www.barrypopik.com/article/206/new-york-will-be-a-nice-
> town-when-its-f
> inished_
> (http://www.barrypopik.com/article/206/new-york-will-be-a-nice-
> town-when-its-finished)
>