Though he maintained his innocence and was exonerated at a court hearing, the embezzlement charge was later reestablished by the bank examiner, and Porter was requested to stand trial in Austin. Panicking, Porter chose to flee the country, and went to Honduras. He hoped to send for his wife and child to join him in Honduras, but his wife became gravely ill with tuberculosis, and he returned to the United States, knowing he would be arrested. His wife died, and Porter was sentenced to five years in the Ohio State Penitentiary. While in prison, he began writing short stories under several different pen names, and used his talents to champion the unfortunate people he met in his new circumstances.
Every house has a drama in it.
Though well-paid for his writing, he never seemed to have enough money. This problem was due partly to his generosity to strangers, and partly to his own expensive tastes. His drinking became heavy, and he died at the age of 48 from diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far.