Andrew Carpenter Wheeler (July 4, 1835 – March 10, 1903), best known by the pen name Nym Crinkle, was a 19th-century American newspaper writer, author, and drama critic. He was one of the most prolific critics of his day, known for his pungent and fierce criticism.Wright, Thomas K. ''Nym Crinkle: Gadfly Critic and Male Chauvinist'', in ''Educational Theatre Journal'', Vol. 24, No. 4 (Dec., 1972), pp. 370-382

Biography

Early life

Wheeler was born on John Street in Lower Manhattan (

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) in 1835, and attended College of the City of New York. His journalism career started with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' in 1857, before going west for a time. He joined the ''

Milwaukee Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currentl ...

'', and left to become a war correspondent during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. After a stint in Chicago, he then returned to New York for the remainder of his career.

Critic

After returning to New York, he first wrote under the name "Trinculo" on general topics and as a drama critic for the '' New York Leader''. He later moved to the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...

'', where he adopted and popularized the "Nym Crinkle" name. He then moved to the ''Sun'' and then back to the ''World'' (in 1883), while also contributing to magazines. He also briefly was an editor at the '' New York Star'' in 1879, and then founded a paper in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

, called the ''Sunnyside Press'', which lasted less than a year. He worked into the 1890s before retiring. He also used the pseudonym "Feuilleton," and briefly published a journal called ''Nym Crinkle's Feuilleton''. As a drama critic, Wheeler was considered to be merciless. Theatre historian Thomas K. Wright wrote in 1972 that Wheeler's criticism was contradictory and his view of a work could change over time, perhaps because he enjoyed "polemics." Wright also concluded that Wheeler was "preoccupied, near obsessed, with masculinity," and "regarded his age as a decadent, effeminate time." Wright particularly favored

Edwin Forrest Edwin Forrest (March 9, 1806December 12, 1872) was a prominent nineteenth-century American Shakespearean actor. His feud with the British actor William Macready was the cause of the deadly Astor Place Riot of 1849. Early life Forrest was born i ...

, who once upbraided Wheeler for suggesting in a column that Forrest should retire before his powers declined. Wheeler disliked the celebrated Edwin Booth.

Other works

Wheeler also wrote a number of plays, including one called ''The Twins'' (1876) with Steele MacKaye, which was not a success. And he collaborated with Edward Alfriend in ''The Great Diamond Robbery'' (1895). Wheeler was also rumored to have written with (or for)

Joseph Arthur Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years through ...

the popular (but decidedly low-brow) hit plays '' The Still Alarm'' (1887)A Talk with the Metropolitan Critics
''Werner's Magazine'', p. 167 (March 1895)(5 December 1891)
Warring Dramatists: Two Men Who Claim to Have Had A Hand in Writing the Same Plays
''San Bernardino Daily Courier''Notes
''New York Amusement Gazette'', p. 5 (September 5, 1887) (this theatre publication issued just after the debut of the ''Still Alarm'' reports matter-of-factly A.C. Wheeler and Joseph Arthur are the authors and "have written a play which will make a lot of money") and ''

Blue Jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and pate ...

'' (1890). These credits were the subject of some controversy at the time. Arthur reportedly credited Wheeler as his collaborator on ''The Still Alarm'' on its opening night,(31 August 1887)
Amusements - "The Still Alarm"
''

'' and he is formally credited as a co-writer of the 1926 silent film version. Whether Wheeler had a hand in writing ''Blue Jeans'' is murkier; he formally denied writing it, but also later claimed his denial was untrue. Writer

Edward Eggleston Edward Eggleston (December 10, 1837 – September 3, 1902) was an American historian and novelist. Biography Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. The author George Cary Eggleston was his brother. A ...

also asserted that ''Blue Jeans story was largely stolen from one of his own novels.(11 October 1891)
Gossip of the Stage
''Indianapolis Journal'' ("Eddie's Squib says "A.C. Wheeler, the author of "The Still Alarm" and "Blue Jeans," has made another success. This time it is "Jack Royal of the 92d." Out in this part of the country there is a popular impression that Joseph Arthur wrote both "The Still Alarm" and "Blue Jeans.")(21 July 1891)
Bits from the Boards
''Daily Leader'' (Gloversville, New York) (paragraph regarding claim of author

that his novel ''Roxy'' was stolen for writing ''Blue Jeans'') Other Wheeler works included ''The Toltec Cup'',(October 1890)
The Toltec Cup (review)
''Book News'' ''The Chronicles of Milwaukee'' (a history of Milwaukee published early in his career), ''Easter in a Hospital Bed'', and ''The Primrose Path of Dalliance.''

Later career and death

Late in his life, when he had substantially departed the critic's field, Wheeler adopted the new pen name "J.P.M." or "J.P. Mowbray", adopted from the name of his second wife, Jennie Pearl Mowbray, whom he married in 1892 following the death of his first wife in 1889. That pseudonym appeared on letters he originally published in the '' Evening Post'', and later in book form as ''A Journey to Nature'' (1901). He published a total of four books under that name, and J.P.M.'s real identity was the subject of some speculation but not known until after Wheeler's death.The Lounger
''The Critic'' (November 1901) (publishing a rumor that Wheeler was Mowbray, but this does not come up again in publications until his obituaries confirm his authorship) Wheeler died of apoplexy on March 10, 1903, at his home in

Monsey, New York Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The ...

, and was buried in the churchyard of the

Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow ( nl, Oude Nederlandse Kerk van Sleepy Hollow), listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Dutch Reformed Church (Sleepy Hollow), is a 17th-century stone church located on Albany Post Road ( U.S. R ...

. He was survived by his second wife, and three children.(11 March 1903)
Death of Andrew C. Wheeler
''

''Wheeler, Andrew Carpenter (1835-1903)
The Vault at Pfaff's, Retrieved 28 November 2018 Bordman, Gerald and Thomas S. Hischak
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre 3d ed.
p. 657 (2004)(10 March 1903)
Nym Crinkle Passes Away
''New York Evening World''(11 March 1903)
Andrew C. Wheeler ("Nym Crinkle")
'' New York Tribune''(12 March 1903)
The Nom De Plume of "Nym Crinkle"
'' New York Tribune'' (letter to editor from Alpha Child asserts that he was the original "Nym Crinkle" at the ''Milwaukee Sentinel'' and gave it up to Wheeler)(11 March 1903)
Nym Crinkle Dead - Andrew C. Wheeler, Dramatic Critic, Aged 70 - "J.P.M." His Last Pen Name
''The Sun''The Encyclopedia Americana
p. 631 (1905)The Lounger
''The Critic'', p. 307 (April 1903)Rosenthal, Lewis
Chronicles of Gotham by Crinkle
''The Republic'', pp. 301-02 (June 28, 1885)

Bibliography

Plays

* ''The Twins'' (1876) with Steele MacKaye. Starred

Lester Wallack John Johnstone Wallack (January 1, 1820, New York City – September 6, 1888, Stamford, Connecticut), was an American actor-manager and son of James William Wallack and Susan Johnstone. He used the stage name John Lester until October 5, 1858, w ...

, but only ran 10 days. * ''Big Pony, or The Gentlemanly Savage'' (1877) with Edward J. Darling. Starred

Nat Goodwin Nathaniel Carl "Nat" Goodwin (July 25, 1857 – January 31, 1919) was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. Life and career While clerk in a large shop Goodwin studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the How ...

, but was not a success. * ''Jack Royal of the 92nd'' (1891). Starred Harry Lacy, who made his career in ''The Still Alarm''. * ''The Great Diamond Robbery'' (1895) with Edward Alfriend. Starred Fanny Janauschek.(21 September 1895)
Plays and Players
''

The Illustrated American ''The Illustrated American'' was a weekly American periodical published from 1890 until 1900. It primarily covered current events (with illustrations), but also contained other miscellaneous content and some fiction.

'', pp. 356-59

Short Stories

*'Eight Minutes of Three. A detective story' (1895) (as Nym Crynkle) in ''The Illustrated London News'', Summer Number 1895, pp.31-38.

Books

* ''The Chronicles of Milwaukee'' (1861) (as A.C. Wheeler, non-fiction, history of Milwaukee) * ''Iron Trail'' (1876) (as Wheeler / Crinkle) * ''The Toltec Cup'' (novel) ( Lew Vanderpoole Publishing Co., 1890) (as Wheeler / Crinkle) * ''The Primrose Path of Dalliance'' (1892) (as Wheeler / Crinkle) * ''A Journey to Nature'' (1901) (as J.P. Mowbray) * ''The Making of a Country Home'' (1902) (as J.P. Mowbray) * ''Tangled Up in Beulah Land'' (1902) (as J.P. Mowbray) * ''The Conquering of Kate'' (1903) (as J.P. Mowbray)