The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-08

He dropped off for a few hours one day
last week on his way from Frisco to talk
over old tiniec. ami I fell that / should
subject justice. There are so many
singular sides TO his character-so much in
him that | have not seen in other mem
that the task Of showing him to others in
the lights and shades which his quaint
personality unfolds, l am conscious Is
freighted with difficulty.
1t seems | have known him all my life
although the merit OF discovering him be-
duce a newspaper man as she does Il poet.
| then was he born for the profession Of
journalism. paraplrasing Buffers well
known couplet:
For him to write no more difficile
| Than for blackbird It's to whistle
| in harness. For some time after coming
to this country he floundered around doing
a variety OF things. At one time he was
In the Texss Rangers. chasing Cortinn
through the "chapnrral" down by the X o
Grande." Many a thrilling story has h.
toll me- filled with adventures which over
took him during this p ase OF his career
~ tHbtllt1 tlIHt ne Deiu Il CUSTOM 0VuHc
position in one of the seaport cit along
the gulf coast. 1t was during this pc iod
| think h. married woman OF Spanish
blood. once | asked his wife. who was IS
gracious as sne was beautiful what ever
induced a woman OF her taste, refinement
and charm 20 fall in love with man whose
tongue was handicapped by a brogue as
thick as a brick
"Ah. me hpy." OLrary answered for her:
- tod ,,-a ,uif. In, t.r
Diyil Dit did she know till the knot was
led hard and fast hit that | wa de-
cayed grande av ould SPAN"
This sounded probable, for, although Bill
O'Leary speaks Irish with a slight English
accent, he has mastered Spanish. italian
and French, and convorses in each Of them
as readily az he does in his mother tongue.
Once | asked him II h al no. fin tn
thorough knowledge Of Greek and Latin
thai he acquired at Trinity college of vast
assistance to him in money making way.
Me diploma" he said, has never been
pecunarily advantageous to me. In FAC
there's not 8, brickl tyer In Chicago who
can make more in day with his trowol
than can with me diploma. still, class-
cal educa Ion is a 70 ne thing for mon
to take to bed with him. No matter how
much noise tn ,y're making on the prem
? lses, whin a mon knows half dozen dif-
feront languages it's cowld noight whin
he cant manage to fall ashlesp in some
won or the other av thin"
. Is II OIeary never was built for a Top
OF the fitness o. things he knows qu'{e .
good deal; of the illness OF clothes nothing
. whatever. railroad manager just return
ed from a recent trip into Mexico once
made him 4 present OF one Of those un-
lat ~ tr hnl 81, hat 90
worn south of the Rio Grande II mad
around It silver gilt snake BY way OIL
, a band and for tn, first TIM In my ex'
perience of Bill, | noticed that whenever he
hid on that hat he strutte1 as Il he Eel
like he was dressed up. One day
said:
y in the name Ct decency. OLeary, why
do YOU 20 around frightening horses and
children with that court house cupola OF
. Novr head"
= ME frind said he. tits naythus as
Q logh: as feather, as cool as an dice chs
nor rs quick In the cit rs a pocket in
shirt; still there's hushe' = conf r l.
e this same c2ubcou. The sh7ake on II
n outside makes a mon look intimila' an
5 think nv the room IN ~ Why mon car
j. walk all over Chicago wild brick Wis,
II dozen av om--in that hat wldout attraoin
the Taste bit ay at enion."
20 There was one article o. his wardrobe
c about whiah 0Leary was particular. Tha
t was lis handkerchief 1t mattered not wha
the fabric was, so the color was red, While
? at work he would sli with his coat
u and vest split up he back chewing vicious
V ly on one corner OF this gore hued article
II Whenever by chance or des gn that fie s.,
reminder of Englund's flag got away IRON
Blil's teeth he stopped writing. L. seemed
to serve as the lever that made his brali
~ and fingers work In unison.
= There are some people still alive who
Z believe that Bill OLeary nevSr had tho
slightest amount OF business sense either
natural or acquired. Some years ago
L was walking one morninG hurriedly along
, Dearborn street, in Chicago, when a real
y estate agent whom | knew stopped me
i ana said.
DO You know anything about one Will
r liam O'Leary?"
II ought to-" | said "for he has bean
working on the desk next to mine for d
a couple of years
h Is he very smart man."
:. lie is considered one OF the best all.
g round reporters and most attractive writ
ers in this or any other country. He Is the
swtftsst stenographer in Chicago He has
II n university education, has travelled all
N over the United States. Mexico Canada
and Europe reads and writes In two dead
languages, convorses in half dozen Twins
&c ones and can fill any position with credit
on the staff of n newspaper except that o
financial editor"
u Il am mighty glad to know he know.
= so MUCH said the real estate man. ''bu
e there's enc thing Pm certain about: h.
d hasn't got sense enough to know how /,
rent a house"
10 circus once came 10 the city in which
l. o'Leary lived and he wrote II up in hi
> peculiar way, describing in his quaint
Il humorous style the several animals oe.
longing TO the menagerie, He managed I,
Introduce some odd catchy verses here al,
there into his story,
d How in the world" | asked him, "di,
l. you Get the inspiration TO perpetrat,
poetry in describing a lot of Gagged VIII
. animals"