New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-03-11
"CHARLES EG8ERT ORADDOOK."
MISS MURFREE AND HER HISTORY
From The 81. Louis Globe Democrat

The 81 Louis GtOOc-DeWOcINb
Miss Murfree is described by friend as not
tall not beautiful in form or face yet "dh5
attractive in conversation. Paralysis IN chiu1 h
scer that she could In any Of the wild
sports of children, while reading habit was @ @
Vented Kind of play all her OWL Her f21dSeS Sn iSr
works of fiction was marked sae ptad IN her
imaginaton with mother. Gather, ana an the nousenoe
Invested with the an originally
vivid IMAGINATION and Aer observation grew wonderfully
acute There was much In the tennessee country
a. Which she spent greater portion of her life and all
those quickly drawn suggestions that copose o IiS
in Tenn and lived there until after the war;
when her family removed to Murireesporo, wnore they
ven until three years when they came 10
ST. Louis. william L. Murfree, father OF lhe YOUNG
author successful lawyer IN Nasnvie Pol 20 on9
the city His wife, Priscilla Dickerson; was the
daughter of Colonel Dckers9 whose t6e
region. from chamber wnaoh VI .n t mJ
s piekerson was an heress, and not to nconsid
erabe fortune, which, with that OF Mr. Muiiee a u,
ISL ,,sfyoes that the family live in the old
DicEerson mansion. They were to stay there only "a
ep barren of amusement, and out OF that bar
reness the first OF tue stories now sno
collective title OF In the Tennessee Mountains WAS
evolved: The Dancin Party at Harrisons Cove"
IL had been the custom daring the summer ioh,ns .
enecay Conducive health. for the family to go into
the mountains of Eastern Iennessee, anu h ~ T If the
peculiar types found there that the material aIterMai
uucOnsclOusJy ghthercu. 1>oho VI ~
however, until about six years ago, when, bsNiins
,scviosy for her amusement, written little taies
Miss Muriiee undertook to write story With tne lntcn
non of offering Ii for publication. Tne DanclD fu
sas the outcome OF this endeavor ana was read Wnen
competed TO the family for criticism The praise they
which magazine the story, or rather study was pup,
iished aA-Playing OF Old sledge at the settlement
cbe Star In the Valley Romance OF Sunrise Rock,
= riectoneerlpg on Big Iniun Mounting" :" over on
Tvother Mounting" and The Harnt tnat Walks chi.
howeev follow ed in the magazine the last ghost
story OF peculiar power beng possibly the most success
fu The quaint titles OF most OF these stories AIDED IN
the impression created not little. 49,
In addition the work upon wnich Miss Mutt :
remit alton Is based, she has contributed 70 me foM
Ti,oin she has wonderful amount OF sympathy Qld
Daddy's Window" ghost story printed IN tnat
YerIodca was the best OF those; but anotHer wnlch
6ever reached the printer thought to excel IT, Inc
manuscript OF Borrowing Hammer" was s., iost IN
n1nio and no trace OF It has ever been discovered
EsThe Prophet of Great Smoky Mountains serial,
n now running In The Atlantic 1t was written In a
fnucn shorter time than the first novel; ana on COM
mission @Down the Rayine," serial Is now an
mi. William L. Mnrfree jr, brother Of the lady says
Of her She has stndiousy ayoidea araw itg
Tortraits though 1t has been said Where the battle
vas Fought contains several that have been rec0g-
Hfzed so unwilling has she been TO seem 20 nave asne
she unreal mas been infused Ser pictures OF people
Sre OF types and whore IL 10 thought an
Individual has been drawn, II IL because thae person
6ossesses In largo degree tbs recufanes o. NE GLASS
Ar Aldrch and her PUBLISHERS knew thaS ~. Sss9gooS
H Sss m ss ~as man. fSs nom as S
Writing and ehrography, all contributed TO is inpres-
otUu. The name ives assumed g well t0r cioak ~
tage Of failure ~ to secure tne aoveoUge snhs sn