The Vault at Pfaff'sJames Willard Morris famously wrote under the pseudonyms K. N. Pepper and Jacques Maurice. Not much is known about Morris’ early life. Morris was introduced to the Pfaffian circle in 1859 as the editor of the Picayune. Thomas Butler Gunn chronicled Morris’ early acquaintanceships with Bob Gun, Frank Henry Temple Bellew, and Gunn himself. Morris later took over Gunn’s old room in the Bleecker Street Boarding House and met Nathaniel Graham Shepherd. According to the Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Morris’ first appearance in Pfaff’s came in the company of this group. Morris was respected for his character and gentlemanly qualities. However, Gunn and Bob Gun often struggled to support Morris’ writing to the point that Bob Gun eventually ended Morris’ tenure as Picayune editor. Gunn subsequently attempted to help Morris find new work, including by introducing him to Jesse Haney. This plan backfired after Morris, supposedly, began overstepping and taking advantage of Gunn’s connections within the newspaper industry.
Morris became acquainted with Mortimer Thomson, Fanny Fern, and Arthur Ledger. He met additional Pfaffians through the parties held at the Bleecker Street Boarding House. Bowman and Morris met through becoming roommates at Bleecker Street, though Morris was not keen on the arrangement. Boweryem and Morris also got to know each other through boarding house events, and Boweryem would later become a collaborator for Morris. Bob Gun and Frank Cahill formed close friendships with Morris during the Bleecker Street era. Morris often drank with Cahill and got up to drunken antics with him. Of the Pfaffian crowd, Thomas Nast and Frederick Rondel were two that Morris did not get along with. Morris did not like the character of the former, and he was not convinced that the latter belonged amongst the Bohemians.
Gunn sporadically commented on Morris’ character throughout the four years that Morris was present in the Pfaffian circle: “Just the same impracticable person as ever, weakly envious of others presumed success; affecting that provoking amiability that comes from essential feebleness of character; wishing he could do this and that; going through the motions of intelligent appreciation of literary rot [...] Morris bored me. He has been living on his parents as he did on Mrs. Bryant’s dupes, for a season; doing a very small amount of literary piddlings in Vanity Fair” (vol. 21, p. 66). Morris worked with Frank Wood in the process. Morris also continued to seek advice from Gunn throughout his [Morris’] writing career. Gunn acknowledged that he was hard on Morris, but Morris always ultimately appreciated the critiques. Morris was among the Pfaffians who regularly visited the Edwards’ family famed home at 745 Broadway.