Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-05-18
JOHN BRISBEN WALKER.

be assigned to duty upon the plains, hav-
ing some original notions as to the man
ner in which the army should deal with
the Indians.
Today these four men are friends, hay
ing kept up the acquaintance since they
left West Point, and, strangely enough,
they arc all distinguished for successful
work not as army officers, but writers
or men having to do with the publication
of writing. They arc not in the army but
they are earning more money than they
could hope to do as army officers, some of
them receiving a yearly income larger than
the senior major general of the United
States army does in salary. These
four West Pointers, who are not now of
the army, are John Brisbcn Walker, AL
pheus S. Hardy, Colonel Richard Savage
and Captain Charles King or Charley
King, as he is known to his friends.
Mr.. Walker is perhaps better known as
the editor and publisher of one of the lead
ing magazines than as q writer, although
after he left the army he was for some
years a newspaper writer and managing
editor at one time of the now traditional
Washington Chronicle. He took hold of q
magazine that was almost moribund and
after an expenditure of some $500, 600 Sc
cured for it a circulation Of over 200, 900
copies and q rCmuncrative income. Mr..
Walker is now erecting, almost within q
stones throw of WCOlfcrt's ROOst, the
home Of Washington Irving, Il great build
ing fashioned in imitation of the senate
wing of the capitol in Washington. Here
his magazine will be made Even the cdito-
rial offices arc to be removed from New
York city to it.
Mr.. Walkers associate editor is his old
West Point chum and lifelong friend, Pro-
from West Point it was thought by his in
structors and his associates that he might
become conspicuous as an engineer, or, if
he chose teaching, as an instructor and per-
haps writer upon mathematics. He did
write one work upon one of the most diff
cult branches Of mathematics which
brought him great rcpute among mathe-
maticians. He became Il professor of math
ematics in Dartmouth college, and while
holding that post he surprised his friends
and delighted cultured public by an I'M
expected novel, "But Yet a Woman"
The surprise to his friends was caused by
the revelation that this mathematician had
also remarkable powers as a romancer and
teller Of delightful tales. The public, not
knowing of his mathematical powers, sim
ply recognized in this book the advent of q
now writer from whom almost anything
in romantic literature might reasonably
be expected. Mr.. Hardy followed this first
novel year or two later with another,
and he has written some charming poetry.
Captain King saw much service upon
the plains, rs he hoped when a student to
do, but in consequence Of i'll health he was
compelled to give up active life in the
army, and at first, perhaps more to occupy
his time than to crafty a literary ambi-
ton, he wrote stories of army life They
i1,-t o1,tf of1 LOTT no hos
received the highest praise from one of the
most famous and successful of living gen
erals, himself Il successful writer, Lord
Wolseley, who has said that Captain Kings
description Of q charge at the battle of
Gettysburg is one Of the most graphic and
perfect of battle pen pictures. Captain
Kings earnings from his stories are large
and military inen who have read his writ
ings believe that it may be his lot to write
the really great story of the civil war.
The fourth Of this group, Colonel Rich
ard Savage, has not long laid aside the
sword to take up the pen. His first story,
My Official Wife, - while it lacked per-
haps literary grace, was a thrilling tale of
adventure and intrigue and had an enor-
nous sale. 1t brought his name to the
front Of the writer's Of that sort of litera-
ture. He has since produced with rapidity
almost equal to Dumas novels of adven-
turc, which find n ready sale.
These four men arc the most distin-
guished group of litterateurs who have ever
come from West Point. Feni1rore Cooper
as an officer in the American navy OBJ
tanned many Of the incidents afterward
worked int his famous sea tales, and Cap
tain Mahan, graduate of the Naval acad-
envy, has written two very profound works,
upon tho sea power in the making Of his
tory, which have caused the ablet men Of
Europe to give him rank among tho most
brilliant writers of philosophical history.
e. ]. RDWARD9.