Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-08-27
THE KENTUCKY MUNCHAUSEN
Joseph MulhattOn, the Legitimate
Successor of AnAniss, Returns
to His
First Love from a Trip to Texas
-.-SOme OF His Latest
"NOVels.7
Courier Journal, Is.

Courier Journal, Is.
Mr.. Joseph Mulhatton is in town,
and Courier-J ournal reporter who
talked to him last night found him as
good natured as ever. The famous
prevaricator is a rather small man,
good looking, with beard and mus
tache, dancing blue eyes, quick, cat
like motions, and one of the most
rapid takers one could find in a days
walk. The words seem to be gurgling
In his throat and chasing each other
out, hot foot. He dresses very we'll,
and altogether presents very tidy ap-
pearance.
Yes, sir, l have started a new
branch in journalism; something that
is an innovation and success. / call
It nOvelistic journalism. Dickens and
Thackeray wrote novel in volume,
and considered themselves fortunate
when 100000 people read it in FIVE
years. L write a novel of a thousand
words that is read by more than a
million people ten hours after it has
left my hand. Why, what could
be mere attractive to a liter
ary manP Nobody is hurt BY
my little novels; nobody's morals
are corrupted, and all are entertained
and sometimes intructed. | have se>
lected all sorts of subjects for these
stories; many of them have travelled
over the world and have been won>
dered at in twenty nations. l am just
thirty years old and am famous. There
is not man in this country who can
read and write and who has read the
newspapers, that doesn't know Of Joe
Mulhatton. Ihave fooled every paper
of prominence in the United States,
and some of my scientific stories have
been discussed by the learned societies
Of Europe"
When did you begin your career
of mendacity2" interrupted the re-
porter.
II have been writing my novels for
ten years now. | started on the Pitts
burg Leader,and fooled them for three
or four years. | wrote stories of mar
velous oil wells, of romantic highway
robberies, and things of that kind.
then got to sending my novels to
other prominent journals. l started
the story of John Wilkes Booth
being seen in several places, and
wrote SO circumstAntially that many
believed it. started. as a joke, the
report that President Lincoln's bones
would be exhibited at the Centennial.
The press of the country took it up
and for weeks it was q national
question. | don't know how many Of
these stories | wrote in the East. The
biggest thing | wrote in this part Of
the country was the Big Olifty fight,
where q drummer wrestled with two
highwaymen on a bridge and finally
threw them overheard. My cave
story at Glasgow Junction went all
over the world; you doubtless remem-
Der that. l found a cave there larger
than Mammoth Cave, with navigable
rivers, mummies 1000 years old, and q
hundred other marvellous things, The
Leitchfeld story, about the finding Of
Masonic emblems that had been
buried for thousand of years, showing
a prehistoric race of Masons, caused
great excitement. | am prouder of my
Glasgow cave story than any of the
others. 1t showed more invention and
more imagination.
What was the basis OF such q
marvellous lie2"
you mean such a we'll imagined
novel" interrupted Mr.. Mulhatton
With SMILE. why, there is never
any foundation to my stories. There.
in lies my power. Almost anybody
could write a story with the founda.
tion to build on; it requires genius tC
construct novel without any founda.
tion in fact whatever, to evolve it all
out Of your own mind as a spider
draws the web from its own body.
wrote that thing about the finding Of
cave at Gallatin, where the jewels
and gold of the james brothers were
found, When Frank James read it
he turned to a jailer and said. III
bet that story was written by Joe
Mulhatton.' "
Whist has been your success il
Texas9"
Very fine. | suppose you read my
meteor story. The Fort Worth Ga,
zette received the day after it wal
published ia telegraps frem all part
of the world; some were from st Pc
tersburg; some from London; also
Edinburgh. When l visited For
Worth afterward they gave me fine
banquet. The Texans enjoyed my
novels immensely. Some os my storie!
have never been contradicted, especi.
ally that one about the finding of five
skeletons under a tree where the peo.
pie had been killed by lightning. They
are talking of running me for Congress
down there. Tom Ochiltree, who used
to be friendly with me before, hardly
speaks to me now. He says the meteor
story laid him cold. he will never
amount to anything again as liar"
THAT last balloon story which is
going the rounds, of a man hanging by
two fingers while he was dragged four
miles, reads like you wrote it"
NO." replied the Jules Verne Of
American newspapers, with sigh Of
regret at such q good lie having es.
capped him, II didn't write it, but
whoever did was a good one. / could
not have done the work better my.
self"