Gelett Burgess, author of “Purple Cow” verses, dies at age 85 in Carmel, Calif. The editors of the Williams College humor magazine chose Purple Cow for the title of their publication in October 1907. Burgess’s sequel to the rhyme that brought him more fame than all his other works combined: “Ah, yes I wrote the ‘Purple Cow’– I’m sorry, now I wrote it! But I can tell you, anyhow, I’ll kill you if you quote it.”