, 1870-11-20
4 ,Sttfed Of His Lift - the San Prdnetsco Csas7e-
Sponttnf ef the 7opkta EeeoFL

;;rSt-aI,out five feet eight inches tn7orm, Al
hfr s:m and slgh.l Is inclined to stoop 4
eark. The regularity Of hls iea- +,
ri, ", ich azo Of the Gr ci.n type. u aS s9 h;s
,.s His beard il wo,n after the Enensn d
1cn.4ou-chop style. In dtess, he Il e1- a
s-fnrly mat: in uanpe1. rolitet unsssnu1- r,
T.: md disniae and sltosethe1 onpfe' il
minus IN boAr1rE. .u,,- IL
Ifa father wss professor in tho AleaoY n
sms1o.s enuuary, and died when Frank waa =
c1g chiid. On sccorut Of the limited means Il
= a+ssad by his widowed mother. he was II
n,b1e 10 enter college, and his curly educa, f.
In wss confined 10 such as could 70 ooeanou n51o {
oua OF the ordinary schools on me nn"et nnet u
iyer. Upon retiring from school ho vent 70 {
aw Yo,k' and there obtained employment asa =
* Wills retidiug In that city he became
member Of oue Of its military companies, !
I'd as such was engaged In quellnG me
,ktor the1tre riois, which broke out aHtans I
.s;rr ID biy pefsona1 friends and acquAlntr
nees III an+c1ots concerning hlmself. "
.fieh the extraordinary length Of hss nasai
rrxr made him rather ooutpicuous on thai
,cSasion. Az standing on duty, dressed u
~ .clote- fitting military garo' Sn:sn >. "1us h,s
,,,ee ,, ! moro than ordinary prominence, he
rss etpied by q couple OF young city Arabs,
Nd ono Of Them, struck with Harte's peeulat
mn ara1ce, e1cIaimea aloud in his hearlns,
) dho, Jim, look at that snipe TondeE
VIXEN about IT years q sge ne conesaaSo %
necupia11ly benefited By the change, His
Hmoth.r and step-fa'heI, Colonel Williams.
xfre then residing here. Accompan!ed by Dis
eMser Le arrived in this city About ss1,een
1esiv ygo, as the representative Of rev
York firm. Having little mon5y, hs 'hsssssa
through Il defecnTe title, be attcrsarla l9st.
HM Say in San Francisco was vsty btisf- ne
scon determined to Gu 10 tho mlne8, and &C.
co7dingly wrnt to Sonora, Tuoiomne County,
9.footng it " 10 that I'aso from Sacramento
Isa'og DF5 Sfess tGe hs Gpsnsa
laas 10 roAa and xrts- One Of his pupils bsing
utterly ununanxS cable, he WAS compeileM 70 ae-
uuraipiouslr cxI,sl him from school. lMa aee
rnuted the indignation Of tIe oo9s aaMaei iasnei
n explanation his conduct and the roinstate,,
ment OF the boy in school, fully determined
to enforce thoss demands through the per-
su,s,ye sgency OF csli laad, af1e! the fashion
OF those 1AwIsrs times. The sehoolmAsters
cain and reeolu.e manner reempleteiY Aaarmed
him, and cansed him TO abandon his original
muiderous intsntlon. Suecaed!ng, hoa"
parents of other children attending tho
school, he compelled Ha1ts, to close
| it mp eventually for want OF pupils Taking
l
transformed himself into the "honest minaa"
| of tho period, and ~ such wAs engaged tor
| several weeka in gll1cer mining. bns met with
| very Indifferent eucceas, the result OF his ~
| tcr bsrelr paying expenses. It was IN this
u,ining district thai he obtained the insight
scquenIly 10 faithfully and happily delineAted
| in his s.sketches.": While there he ALSO
sc:sl a. agent for We1lt, Fargo 4 Co.. and
experienced al the txouhIes which generally
tyfall foreign ta1-collec4ors Which oi6ce lle
likewise filed. From D5y Cfssk @ he fe.a1ass tas..
,e.rs Of age, lie concluded To adopt aonn per
n,anept calling By which hs could alwavs OBJ
tain i livelihood. His aister, who had mar.
lied since her arrival on the coast: re-idea
with her husband at Eureka, Au1sola' y.
Fortunately bis arrival happened 81
irc time a newspaper was being established Il
That city, and he at ooce made arrangcmonts
With The editor and proprietor for the purpose
Of learning the trade Of compoaisor, under
taking to make liEnse!f, ."geucrasIf usesni
While thus employed - "grlnters aosn, an,n, ~ ~
ccmpesirg mentally at the case and Ians
| feutpg Il erect totype. ttWanted 4 printer,
sAe first OF these secret productions attracte
!, ihc atteciion OF Ills superior, to whom It Va
rrofesseh to Esye been obtained from An 'e1
: change" It was copied By ~ the paper; :,
"youpds.r Similar productions followed
!, Int Tic deception vas tinaly discovered, nn
= lie Was requested ty the editor to write Il
r. tie partr. This be ii,mlr declined to do, b
= icG determined 10 thorouRhlr master the .
OF type-settine befors deyctng h.mse,a sa TO 81,
= = tt,it. Shortly afterwards, urgent buslne
: 6cmanflcd the presence Of tho odit
= eIac~hcre, ard, after much persuazio
y Hsrto was prevailed upon to CO
y y tuct The paper during MS aossns .s1e
. . ierred hia editorial n,a.ter to tyre witho
'e ihe aid cf manuscript-his cory c1isti1
~ only In his own prolific brain For six NEE
y hc illus flled tho editorial chair mud set I
=. owl, matter. Daring that time Al tndtsct!n
~ lie whites, and Harte yehemontlr denoune
y y the &C, OF tts perpetrators through tho G
~ nrnr n Of lin journal. Hts frarkues3 aad fe
IA Ns.pess, however, deprived l,i'n Of his poI
~ ~ !u,ity in tho neiShbnrhood, and almost le<!
:, " il. being molled. Upon tho return o. o. :
sa ss es'sqsa hs5i1,s ef''' otsoss 20
ao 1losmcnt In the compositors rooms
- tho Coll,, Era. weckly literary jonrn
~ 10 the Goskm Era's columns he contflbu'
~ t{,er ! il own PECULIAR manner, but Tks &c
ok detected by tho edito1-in.shiet, wno ia, 81 o. q
~ ~ fuf ycu 70 irto that other room, reterr
aio a tn tLo editorial rooms. Subsequently, he
,nne ,ne tai, ID position in tho United Ststo. Sutv
~ ~ CT GcneraIs Office, where he Eonained
" a. out ono .ear. It was ln this cstaoli.hm
,s o. that le had an opportunity Of euitiyhiins,
AUG rnfural t3str for the old MEXICAN legend
~ ~ tcre which appears it! some of his writIt
VIZ aa the archives cnntain all tho documel
,1,o Jcsu,tic correspondence, etc, OF the old n
LIZ LIZ lean regime. He was aftcrwar1s ElToI
fi,e reeition CT the Cn.ted s'a'es Aafsnals d1 y
,,ce .ce and remaiped Atfc about sl1 months.
~ AZ thu anpointmcLt Of Il d Swain, Esq, a.
~, | mrjuierdent oY the Branch l1irt, about
1n aa 4e.r 1H61. Bret uarse was made THAT ser
~ rlnn's p1iyate Secretary. which position NJ
W. cupied during Swain's term Of ohso; Du
;rsa ;rea liste1 tbc Californian, weekly, ma1sst
NV az. l.imeetf ut first. Harte WAS ono OF the
ens; et ftrn,on's regular contributors for the
r;or r;os Ard most proBperou. part Of the term Q
ns .nna eriateEce. and fur large portion Of that
fnr occupied tue editorial cha'r. i VA
tbe tl.2t paper that series Of "caeoe
,rei! mcst emin:nt no7elists OF the .
ase;, \, nere puL';sted. Theso we're afterward
a u prolrcaG in hook form. with illustration
'one H Nesyrs. Carleton / Co., publishers,
~, York, in 1S67. The artistic Tork OF tue
,ered rne-:or which tho publlshczs a!one ~ Mes as
- ~ eponsh1e-1as execnted IN euco sS cAsS
,r. .ue cep,ion whlsh it otherwise deserved.
way. rnI;Iication w.s ct little, II aus. poem
n1.e Me ttucht to tie author, but it vas neFersn
ton,s tLc chief means of introducing mlu 20
w1s netice. and ta one OF tic inunaauoae,
2 Of sn.nn seas. pn,I. pi o:her Sketches and nun
II de- Ioens iio!n f., !" Iba colnmus Of
ma ~ "a. Californian. On tie. 1ss OF July.
n1t OF a.. ton1n ~. nr>~,rnd lIonu.lv. nni
10 the nsAe1 4S ~ rI3;tnr r. Vas in
:. aud s.hsu slhrsz;ra % ia. his most popular Cali
Isl or sIS,tes in nroeo aud rhyme" Tho u
ane Eo.tirg Camp" :AaTennessee's tal
on;r1 Migs lea, e.c.-fraf appeared; ana
~, Il evtry number contains adaitionn ske's
.en .s II sim,far character ard equal merit.
thetn, l. st Gslle.n and other tales, = vosu
germs ss1sS' nn; ~ Tho Luck Of
,aman ine Camp and Other Sketches w3s gn'
'o1s"s aIoas in book form by Fields osgood . 20,
- ~ tor, in the beginning Of me EIeseha ~
nearly fepapnca!'ond ndo1, Ta M nnhj;-hnr. gaining
these .msi,cr ! xorll-gide celebrity, and plae'
notns, IN n rroraiueut position in the foremos
n !. .sah WI o. American iitfras;. Another
ys'o o.saaa vii! s'1n CO. e. rns s9s
single aha nurch.sed tie copyright Of .he
! 'ns IN @ .ns deused Novels" from the original pno
to tho &rc Iteou ~ sE.,rhA~ 'Gf California
'ox M Character Which have not previously q
inet1- IL oooK tu,.u ,o t;a merit sod n m
Is pur. ,Ast Az ~ ~ h;s ,;terarr ability, Hatte
t1xcted ! eeEment. =. 80 1nan;monsiy elected
eecord ie~ mon.oD g.; ~. ~. E.nns Soc;etv Of
,ue1allJ !tr o. tno Stiii liter. tno Tpiyerai,y
M Or ebNfit tt.5 lin "a the chsif OF r
bv tho :nfn'a tl I;,a-.+1re and Curstor Of
/ intro nt Aecfnsa ItnssnmS.n cfHcc sitn,l,,
therein nfaiy ~ n ~ prnf. Ja1nen Russell L
,erxture 70" neu II, rrvsrsity. la the State
cauu1a .he Io1nsA ~ ana of1re wss .ftixe3 q I
t the in aorS. 6 ~ .ann,h Harte. however,
will n NV pn.msnt Per ,f,hn,,ch its IL,
hat the ire spse' esitstea The seys
by these Teu'a aann.rs;on no' n With lie Overland
Try to when ne ss.'4