Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-07
A LITERARY SURPRISE.
A Feminine Author Discovered Under a
Male ELECTROMAGNETIC Egbert
Craddock is Miss AIurfree.

titles since the time when George Eliot
was supposed to be man has been
that of Charles Egbert 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,
therefore, made that ''Mr. Craddock
was woman and had been the cause
OF great surprise to DR.. Holmes anG
Mr.. HoWells on meeting her at dinner
at Mr.. Aldrich's, caused thorough
sensation in literary circles.
The development of this author is q
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 pseudonym, but
no one can have suspected that the
master of a style so strikingly mascu-
line as that i'll these mountain tales
was not a man. The secret has, until
now, been well guarded, and publishers
and editors have in their dealings, adj
dressed the author. as Mr.. NJ. n. Muir
free, or M. n. Murfree, ESQ.,, the OBJ
serving editor choosing the latter form,
taking it for granted that one who had
SO accurate knowledge of legal meth
DDS as is shown in the stories, must be
lawyer. Charles Egbert Craddock
had been a favorite contributor to The
atlantic for several years. Mr.. How
ellis, when editor, was quick to see the
striking quality of the stories. The
first one printed was 1.-The Dancin'
Party at Harrison's Cove" When
Mr.. Aldrich became editor. he remem-
bered this story, and his first act was
to write to the author, asking for furth-
er contributions, meanwhile printing,
as soon as possible, two stories which
had been on hand some little time, IN
used in consequence of a press of other
matter. Mr. Aldrich used to muse
considerably over the personality of the
author, and he once wrote asking how
the latter could have become so init
mate with the strange, quaint life of
the mountaineers. He received q
pleasant reply of several pages, which,
however, did not throw much light
upon the author personally. The
manuscript of MIR" Craddock certain
~ had nothing feminine about it. It
was almost startlingly vigorous, with
large bold characters, every letter as
plain as print, and strjkingly thick,
black lines Mr. Aldrich told Miss
Murfree that he used to suppose that
she wrote with one of those dip
brushes which the mountaineers use in
their habit of clipping snuff" So
liberal was the author in the use of
ink that last fall, when Mr.. Aldrich
was about to write to ask for the pow
erful novel, 1.-The Prophet of the Great
Smoky Mountains" now running in
The atlantic, he remarked: 81 wonder
if Craddock has laid in his winters
ink yet, so that I can get serial out
of him?" with the idea that Mr.. Grad
dock must get his ink in large quaint
ties, just as other people get their coal
or flour. 1t was owing to Mr.. Aldrich's
urgent representation that the collec-
ton of stories, ''In the Tennessee
Mountains, was published, the pub
fishers hesitating under the impression
that there was no market for short
stories collected in book form. His
judgment was justified, for the book is
now in its ninth thousand.
One day recently as Mr.. Aldrich was
in the editorial room of the atlantic
Monthly, word was brought that a lady
wished to see him. He went down and
met a pleasant young lady, who re-
marked that she was Charles Egbert
Craddock Mr. Aldrich could hardly
have been more astounded had the roof
fallen in, and be turned and ran sever
al steps under the pressure of the
shock, before he recovered his usually
imperturbable presence of mind. He
would have been better prepared to
find under that name strapping six
foot Tennesseean than the delicate
looking lady before him. He now says
that he is inclined to doubt the sex Of
all other atlantic contributors whom
he has not met; there are certain
things in George Eliot's writings
which, now that one knows, one can
clearly see could have been written
only by woman; but in the writings
of Charles Egbert Craddock there is
not the slightest trace of feminine
influence.
DR.. Holmes and Mr.. Howells were
equally astonished at meeting Mr..
Craddock in Miss Murfree. Mr.. How
ellis had written that lie could not come,
owing to another engagement, though
he wanted very much to meet Grad
dock, but he was persuaded to come
at the urgent request of Mr.. Aldrich.
On his way he called at a prominent
publishers, who said: Tell Craddock
to drop round to see us. -
1t will hardly be violation Of priv
acy to say that the evening was de-
lightful one to all; that the chief guest
was addressed as they by the host,
IN recognition of the duality of Miss
Murfree and Charles Egbert Craddock,
while the hostess could not lose the
latter from her mind, and compromised
with ''Miss Craddock.'
Miss Murfree was born at Murfrees-
boro, Tenn, and is the daughter of a
prominent lawyer, who has written
works. regarded as authority in the
courts. Murfreesboro is the location