Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-28
A LITERARY SURPRISE.
a Feminine Author Discovered Under "A
Male observation-disclosures Egbert
Craddock Is Miss Murfree.

One of the best yelled literary iden-
titles since the time when George Eliot
was supposed to be 4 man has been
that of Charles Egbcrt Craddock, the
writer of the beautiful and powerful
stories of Tennessee mountain life that
have appeared in The atlantic for sew
eral years past. The announcement,
I therefore, made that "Mr. Craddock
was a woman and had been the cause
of a great surprise to DR.. Holmes and
Mr. Howells on meeting her at dinner
at Mr.. Aldrichs, caused q thorough
sensation in literary circles.
The Development of this author is a
1 proof. not only of the wealth of liter
airy material that lies hidden through
out the United States, in obscure re-
gions. but also that the conditions there
existing may produce the genius to
utilize them. 1t has been known,
though not generally, that Charles Egg
bert Craddock was a pseudonym, but
no one can have suspected that the
master of style so strikingly mascu-
line as that in these mountain tales
was not man. The secret has, until
now, been we'll guarded, and publishers
and editors have in their dealings, adj
dressed the author rs Mr. NJ. N. Muir
free, or NJ N. Murfree, Esq, the OBJ
4 serving editor choosing the latter form.
taking it for granted that one who had
B so accurate knowledge of legal meth
4 DDS as is shown in the stories, must be
4 lawyer Charles Egbert Craddock
q had been favorite contributor to The
y atlantic for several years Mr.. How
4 ellis, when editor, was quick to see the
d striking quality of the stories. The
n first one printed was "The Dancin'
a Party at Harrison's Cove" When
D Mr.. Aldrich became editor, he remem-
81 bered this story, and his first act was
"a to write 10 the author, asking for furth-
81 er contributions, meanwhile printing
"a as soon rs possible, two stories which
81 had been on hand some little time, I'M
II used in consequence of press Of other
a matter. Mr.. Aldrich used to muse
" considerably over the personality of the
ID author, and he once wrote asking how
III the latter could have become so inti-
"a nate with the strange, quaint life OF
ID the mountainous. He received a
~ pleasant reply of several pages, which,
VI however, did not throw much light
"a upon the author personally. The
n manuscript of "Mr." Craddock certain
A ly had nothing feminine about it. 1t
" was almost startlingly vigorous, with
N large bold characters, every letter as
VI plain as print, and strikingly thick,
8 black lines Mr.. Aldrich told Miss
ii Murfree that he used to suppose that
81 he wrote with one of those dip"
81 brushes which the mountaineers use IN
u their habit of dipping snuff 80
" liberal was the author in the use OF
n ink that last fall, when Mr.. Aldrich
VI was about to write to ask for the pow
q "rful novel, 'The Prophet OF the Great
81 smoky Mountains, now running IN
N The atlantic, he remarked: 81 wonder
IN II Craddock has laid in his winter s
q INK yet, so that can get serial out
" OF him?h with the idea that Mr.. Grad
N dock must get hissfnk in large quanti-
NJ ties, just as other people get their coal
N or flour. 1t was owing to MIR. Aldrich S
" urgent representation that the collec-
sx ton Of stories, "In the Tennessee
"a Mountains, was published, the pub
81 shers hesitating under the impression
N that there was no market for short
m stories collected in book form. His
N Judgment was justified, for the book IS
" now in its ninth thousand.
@ Oac day recently as Mr.. Aldrich was
u n the editorial room OF the Atlantic
Monthly, word was brought that lady
y wished to see him. He went down and
\ met pleasant young Lady, who re-