James 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.

William Levison was a publisher most well known for his contributions to the New York Picayune and Nick-Nax. Records of Mr. Levison’s early life were preserved in the Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries. Mr. Levison was born in New Jersey and reportedly left his family to pursue comedy work in Philadelphia. However, he eventually left this profession due to a spinal illness. He later met his wife, Mary A. Levison, and entered the newspaper industry. Thomas Butler Gunn first spoke with Mr. Levison in 1852. However, Gunn would not become a collaborator of Mr.

Mary A. Levison, also known as Mrs. Levison and “Levison’s widow” in the Gunn Diaries, was born in Philadelphia in 1828. She married William H. Levison, the New York publisher and proprietor of the Picayune. According to Thomas Butler Gunn’s diaries, Mrs. Levison’s introduction to the Pfaffian circle came in 1853 when Gunn met with Mrs. and Mr. Levison about completing an assignment for the Picayune. Much of Mary Levison’s involvement in the Pfaffian scene was in relation to said newspaper.

Arthur Ledger was a fleeting but interesting figure in the Bohemian circle. Ledger was first introduced by Bob Gun in 1859 as a London detective and Bob Gun’s employer. Thomas Butler Gunn initially regarded the man as “pugilistic” due to Ledger’s attempted fight with George Arnold in front of Bob Gun and Frank Wood. Ledger soon began boarding in the Bleecker Street house, and his room was often the gathering place for many Bohemian men. Gunn often came home to parties consisting of Ledger, Nathaniel Graham Shepherd, Frank Cahill, Bob Gun, and James Willard Morris.

Larason, otherwise known as Larrison and potentially identified as William J. Larason, was famed for his connection to Nick-Nax during his Pfaffian era. Larason was the brother-in-law of Mary A. Levison, wife of Nick-Nax proprietor William Levison, and Frank Cahill’s replacement for the editorship in 1860. Larason boarded with Jesse Haney at a house on 16th Street. He accompanied Haney on a Fort Lee excursion with Thomas Butler Gunn, Richard (Dick) Bolton, and Charles Damoreau. Larason was also later acquainted with George Boweryem.