Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-01-06

for two years, where he acquired the art AMI
mystery Of typography. Arriving at years of
discretion, and having travelled all over this
country, he passed five years abroad, frequent
ing courts and revelling with students, but all
the while becoming more averse to his profess
sion, and the more pleased with a connection
which he formed with the Boston Alas, as its
European correspondent. Returning to this
country in 1871, he married in Georgetown,
which was the birthplace of his mother, and
where he had first began to visit in 1928, when
John Quincy Adams was President. He wrote
his first letters for publication from Washington
in 1888, 80, and 40; but did not become a regu-
lar Washington correspondent until his return
fri m France in 1917, since when he has
contributed vast amount of metropoli-
tan news, by mail and by telegraph.
After the dissolution of the Boston Alias he be-
came the regular correspondent of the Boston
Journal, and his communications over the sigma
ture of Perley" during the past nearly twenty
years have added much to the deserved popu-
larity of that paper. He also, before losing the
sight of an eye few years since, used to cor
respond with the New York Commercial Adrer-
riser and the New Orleans Times, while his con-
tributions have long appeared in Harper's
Weekly. Major Poore has also written several
books, among them "Tbe Rise and Fall of Louis
Philippe, ""The First Campaigns OF Napoleon
.,"anda score or more of novelties which orig
inally appeared in GleasoR's Pictorial and were
afterwards publishedin more permanent form
AS clerk OF the printing records of the Senate,
ne edits the Congressional Directory" the
annual "a bridgement of Executive Documents,
and the "Lawa OF the United States in a very
acceptable manner. 1t is no secret, however
that his great work is to be his own Personal
"Reminiscences" which are based on his private
journals and his printed correspondence, and
which will give some curious accounts OF what
he must have seen and heard here, behind the
curtain Of the congressional stage.
MRS. sOUTHwoRTH.
The career of Mrs. Southworth, the novelist
has been a remarkable one, made up of bitter
trials, hardships and triumphs She was born
in this city, December Goth, 1872 is consequently
80 years old, and though cheerful and cour-
ageOus says she would not be a day Younger IL
she could. Her father was Charles Lecompte
hewitt, at one time -four merchant in Alexan
dria, and her mother was native of st. Mary's
county, Maryland. OF her unhappy marriage,
and her subsequent career as Deserted
Wife," it is unnecessary here to speak further
than to say that the history is every way credit
able to her. 1t was at this time, when she was
struggling to support herself and two little chill
dren on the pittance of $40 per month as school
teacher, and by sewing nights, that she made
her first venture for publication, a little story
called 1.-The Irish Emigrant," which she
sent to the Saturday TiSitor, a weekly
paper then published in Baltimore. 1t
was published, with a request for "more y
and thus encouraged, she wrote for the Pisitor
1.-The Wife's Victory" in April, 1916. A few
weeks after, the paper stopped, and the sub
scription list was bought by DIR. Gamaliel Bal.
ley, who had started the National Era in Wash
ington, an anti-slavery paper, and in which
Mrs. Stoves "Uncle Toms Cabin" first ap-
peared. Mrs. Southworth's story was trans
ferred to the Era, with the subscription list of
the TisitOr, and OH her visiting the Era Office TO
get copy, she made the acquaintance of DR.
Bailey. He was very kind, and warmly encour
aged her to continue her literary work. She
wrote several stories for the Era in the summer
OF 1siG, and then finding other duties pressing
anu pen-wOrk not remunerative, she wrote no
more until near Christmas. Although her sto-
ries were copied into many papers, showing
their popularity, yet she could not afford to
write for glory alone, and she stopped, disheart-
ened. The Era was not well established and
DIR. Bailey, though liberal-hearted man, was
not able to pay her for her work; the schoo
fund, on which her miserable salary of $50 per
month depended, gave out at this time, and
neceS-
saries of lie for herself and little ones
| One dreary day in December, 1916, while she
was writing. after school. hours, in the cold
| shool- broom, waiting for the girl to bring her
| Oyer-shOes and umbrella, a carriage drove up to
| the door, DIR. Bailey entered in haste and asked
her to write Christmas story for the Era at the
| same time putting a sum Of money into her
hsndf-a very large sum to her in those gloomy
| days. When he went away she felt that her for
tune was made. Her anti-slavery doctrines
| though born a slaveholder-had made her un-
| popular with the patrons of the school, and
| somewhat so with the Board Of Trustees The
| situation, wearing and unremunerative at best,
was also precarOus i'm its tenure, and the visit OF
DIR. Bailey promised both freedom and congenial
occupation. She wrote at this time story for the
| Era called Temptation" which ran through
| several numbers. After this her abolition prin-
ciples got her into hot-water again; she felt it
hefduty to free negro in dispute, and this in
| VOWED her in some difficulties so that she was
| hindered from writing for some months. In the
meantime, John q. Whittier, the Quaker poet.
| wrote to DIR. Bailey inquiring why Mrs. South
| worth did not write for the Era. DIR. b. com
| municated this fact to Mrs. Southworth, and
| she was again raised from the depression
caused by her difficulties and discourage
| ments, by the praise of an author of the
standing of Whittier. She felt like going on
| again, and then commenced the novel " Retri-
| button" which made her known to the world
She began, intending to complete it In two or
three numbers. but it expanded under her hand,
| and grew in popularity as it progressed. Several
of the literary people OF the north wrote to Dr.
| Bailey, and called his attention to its great
| merits. At that time serial novels were not re-
1 published In book form; but, encouraged by the
good opinion of competent critics, Mrs. South
worth sent" Retribution" to the Harper's after
ithad appeared in weekly chapters in the Era,
| though with no great hope of success, as they
had never before published a novel under these
circumstances. The Harpers gave it to their
reader, Henry j. Raymond, (afterward the
founder of the New York Times, } who pronounc.
ed favorable opinion upon it. but advised an
alteration in one of the chapters, which Mrs
Southworth could not, at the time, understand
| 1t was in the scene where Juliet escapes from a
too ardent lover by setting her teeth into his
hand. Raymond advised that it might be mod
fled or left out; but Mrs. South worth, strong in
| her convictions of what vas effective i'm the