The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-29

OF Sitting dur.ns ~ tl.ats"
a storm and list
eninG TO the pat r. = ''''
tering Of the rain. The room is filled
Wish l~sy lounges and ch~lls, Common
book shelves. Il large writing desk. and a
cabinet containing specimens OF HUDSON
river birds. Mr. lloe's latest hobby was
to collect birds and TO study their songs.
He endeavorcd especially to make an
exact list of the time. to the fraction OF
second. at which each bird began TO sing
in the early dawn. Il Ike 10 get my
facts from nature" he said. mot from
other mems books.
~
Mr. Roe was fond of entertaining his
friends. and he nearly Away had grouped
around him a coteric of men prominent
in the field of letters Not long before
his death he extended an invitation to
the Authors club Of New York to visit
him at his country seat and the meeting
was memorable one. Nearly all those
who accepted the invitation Travelled to
Cornwall by water, and they were 10y no
means bad lot, taking them together.
There was Edmund Clarence Stedman,
for example, the most popular writer OF
writer's, the youngest man, by all ODDS,
for his age-fullcr of the exhilaration Of
youth than most of his Juniors 10y twenty
wears; Julian Hawthorne. in Il flannel
shirt. with "A soft red tennis cap on his
handsome head, by far the most pictur-
csque figure of alt; Richard Henry Stod-
dard, the venerable poet. eXGbcrant with
health and good nature; and score moro
of writer's Of all ages, whose names are
known the world over Roe Himself was
In the best Of spirits.
l.. p. Roe was a man Ot SoMeTh9t
striking presence. lie was Ct medium
height powerfully built. with ~ grayoly
pleasant and intelligent face; Lis dark
hair was brushed carclcss.y back from a
high forehead. and his beard and mus
tache were long and black; bis eyes were
of a kindly gray. and his manner was
that of a man who had spcut The greater
part Cf his life III the atmosphere OF
home The authors were entertained Law
ishly and had glorious time, and they
all united in singing the praises of the
ami4b!e novelist
~
Roe was one of the authors who made
money" Ills income from books was
ampler than the income of any other man
of letters, obtained from the same source,
in America. 1t is estimated that he had
something like 1000 600 readers in the
United States alone, and his works were
translated into many languages.
The novel. Barriers Burned Away"
was his first attempt in the field Of
authorship. On the day OF the break
i.- our of the great Chicago fire he was
in New Iorl. city. where lie had been in
viled 70 preach 20 church temporarily
without q pastor Regarding his sudden
trip 10 Chicago he says:
Il cannot account for it, lat the i'm
pulse 20 go 10 the stricken city at once
seemed 10 oycrpower me- packed my
yalisc and started westward. had no
clear purpose, no definite plan, beyond
that Of seeing humanity at time when
it appealed 50 powerfully TO ones sym
pathy and interest hoped eventually
to write about the scenes witnessed; but
what or how should write il | did not
know, nor was by amy means certain
that could produce anything that people
would care to read. Iii brief. my feelings
were profoundly moved, and | simply
obeyed an impulse to 80 ana see what
would come ont OF ii.
lie arrived IL iuc Sftic VI thr SiC"
confederation while the ruins we're yet
smoking, and every hour deepcned the
impressions of the great disaster upon his
mind. He spent days, and many nights
also. picking lis way through the debris
encumbering the streets, while trying to
reproduce in imagination the scenes and
events Of the great fire The idea of writ
ing novel on the subject suddenly Oc-
Cured to him. and barrier Burned
Away" began to take shadowy outline
in his mind.
He then began to write the siory-chap-
ters of il in the cars and on steamboats,,
wherever be happened to be-. Tie story
was first published as serial in The New
York Evangelist, and in 1872 ii was pub
lshed in book lo,m at $40 par volume.
ID TO the time OF Mr.. Roe's death the sale
had reached 1870 0Oc copies, and IL is said
that the demand Increases all the time. =