Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-17

close Of the war, at which time his father
purchased a plantation Read did not take
kindly to planters life, and at an early
age he started forth to experience the ups
and downs OF a wanderer. His stores and
anecdotes of the happenings in his DO
hernian life would make a large-sized vol
ume Of very interesting adventures.
Ia 1873 he worked for the Franklin (Ky.)
Patriot He attended the NeophOgin Col
lege and paid his tuition BIZ setting type on
the college magazine. Afterwards he con-
tinued his nomadic life for several years,
writing sketches TO pay his expenses. After
a sojourn al Carlyle, Ark, he became con-
nected with the Little Rock Gdzette, where
he continued from 1877 to 1881. From thence
he went to Cleveland. O., and held an edl-
itOrial position upon the Leader for period
of six months, when he became dissatis ed
and returned TO Little Rock, where in
partnership with Philo d. Benham, he
launched the AT7tdnSdtC TrGUeIer on the
waters of newspaperdom- This was in the
year 1882, and every reader OF newspapers
since that time has become intimate with
it's plantation philosophy, negro lullabys,
dialect sketches and odd colloquies. These
are all the product OF Mr.. Reads pen and
brain, and insignificant indeed is the paper
where columns do not contain quotation OF
some kind from the ATkdnsd'0 Trareler.
In 1856, Messrs. Read & Benham moved
their paper from Little Rock to Chicago,
and the success that has attended the
change has proved the wisdom Of the vent
ure. Notwithstanding his editorial cares,
Mr.. Read has found time TO write for nearly
all the prominent publications IN this coun-
try and also to write two books, ''The Back
logn and Lien Gansett,n each of which
prove him the king -delineator Of Southern
character. The aforementioned work was
recently issued by Ticllnor q Co, Boston,
and is having a rapid sale. He is the strong
est writer the South has yet produced,
which at the present time IS saying good
deal. Joel Chandler Harris, George Gable,
Miss Murfree and Miss Rivers are now on
the crest of the wave of fame; but before
long Read viii be there as well, and as he
wears a strong life preserver-force in
characterize will remain at the apex when
his colleagues shall have sunk in the trough
of the American literary sea.
Read is in every way a self-made author
and TO whatever success he at1ainS, he de-
serves it. HIS manner of invoking inspira-
ton and garnering ideas is something after
the style Of Alexander Dumas, pore Like
Il "a.
work In summer / have many time found
hIm lying in his shirt sleeves On pile of
old exchanges, with an unabridged diction-
airy for a pillow and q copy of the Boston
Courier spread above him as q protection
against flies. There he would lie and smoke
his large meerschaum ana plan quaint dia-
Iect sketches. blr Read is married to his
partner sister and has two children, boy
and girl. He has had SEQ per week Of
fered him to edit an Eastern magazine; but,
as the AThdHSdS ITdrelcr and he are INSOFAR
able, the offer was refused and Read will
remain one Of the shining literary lights of
the West, first and foremost in his line as a
Southern character delineator And so for
several years to come Chicago need not fear
the loss of the two bright literary stars in
her galaXy-Fieid and Read
BURT ARNOLD.