The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-09
A TILT BETWEEN N ovnLIsTss
How Maj. Calhoun Finished Story
Which Ned Buntline" Had Begun.
lCnntn.t.rLf 19aaN

How Maj. Calhoun Finished a Story
Which Med Buntline" Had Begun.
tCopyrtgbt 1892
New York, Sept. 7.Maj. Calhoun, one
Of the most prolific of modern blood-and-
thunder story WRITER'S and Louis Neumann,
who is the author Of three composite no ovels
adapted from the German, Spanish and
Italian, and averaging a million words
apiece, were comparing experiences few
days ago
II once had a rather exciting passage
with the late Ned Butline,n said the major
"He was writing q story for a weekly paper
on which we were bo h frequently engaged,
when he took a sudden vacation. 1t was a
way he had and nobody thought anything
about it; but in this case the publishers
were in dilemma, as they had but single
instalment ahead. I was sent for and told
to read the chapters already printed, and
then to set to work and iiulsh up the story
in one or two installments.
swell, | read the part that ha d appeared
and it was u job. ! soon discovered that
there was an enormous number Of charac-
ters in the story-more than | could very
well handle; for Judson was man who
could keep track Of large number Of per-
sons all at once. This multiplicity of char
acters puzzled me- Finally, | resolved TO
get rid of some of them, and | adopted Il
them on board an excursion steamer and
then exploded her boilers, sending them to
kingdom come. With the rest | worked
out a plot to O. climax and wound up the
story in fairly good shape.
"YJu may imagine Judson's wrath when,
on returning t. the Office two weeks later,
he had learned what had been done. | ex-
planned that had acted under orders, Of
course; but he couldn't be paoified; and
was very mad man, indeed He cared
nothing, he said, about the finishing of the
story, it was the brutal way Of killing off
his characters that he objected to-the
wholesale annihilation, wkicn he declared
to be inartistic. By-and-by he saw the
thing in its proper light, and we had .many
a good joke over it,"
THAT reminds me-" said Neumann, "of
q somewhat similar incident that occurred
in Paris. A highly sensational story was
running in one of the daily papers, and the
chief had few in,tallments on hand when
tie brilliant young author took it iuto his
head to 20 off and get married. Then he
set out on a wedding tour, which was to
last a week. The installments were soon
used up, and another member of the staff
was directed to wind up the story. He sent
the heroine TO watery grave in the river
Seine; he poisoned the hero, slew the able
who was the sole witness to- the marriage,
and closed the tale in a most tragic and
narrowing manner. 1t was a dark and
weird success, you may believe At the end
of the week the author showed up. He had
with him several installments which he
rendered to mis- chief.
"'Your story is finished, N. - said
the editor.
"'Pardon me- returned the undaunted
the continuation, ana there is more
to come. Indeed, the best part of it is
here
"'Tchut,' exclaimed the chief; 'Why
insist! / say it IS finished. n. - had
to do it ia your absence
"'I am aware that he wrots several
chapters said the unblusbing romancsr;
but if you will kindly read this manuscript,
l am sure you viii agree with me that | am
right
"The manuscript was passed over, and to
the chiefs surprise, 1t was q remarkably
dramatic sequel to the story. The heroine,
instead Of being drowned, was rescued by
some fishermen on the river below Paris;
the hero was saved by q medical friend
who applied fae stomach pump in time. and
the able recovered from bis wounds and
was on hand to bless the nuptials Of the
"My friend said the composite novelist,
as he turned to the contemplation of q
Portuguese book on snorthorn cattle, which
he was trauslating for a Mexican ranchero,
there is no obstacle that true genius cannot
overcome