The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-24
BY MRS. GEORGE G. BALL

There is an exciting literary war raging
in Connecticut between Mrs Virginia L.
Dunbar, Mrs. Harry Earle and one or two
local newspapers. Mrs. Dunbar is the wife
of the proprietor of the Gibson house, Gin
cinnat, and was supposed to be a woman
of unusual talents. She has written what
she said was her own work many short
stories for the press, and recently has
launched a novel upon the literary sea
only to have 1t attacked by enemies who
charge that Mrs. Dunbar is an unscrupu-
lous plagiarist. This she denies with en-
phasis; says the trouble has arisen be-
cause of her vivid and tenacious memory
etc
The following account from the Cincinna-
II Times-Star places Mrs. Dunbar in q
very unfortunate and unfavorabe light,
and evidences the supreme folly of any
man or woman attempting TO deceive the
world by tricks and chicanery If men and
women have capacity and aptitude for any
legitimate business or accomplishment, 1t
is unnecessary to resort to any form of
deception; If they have not, any effort to
impress the public with their intellectual
attachments will be fruitless and short
lived. Mrs. Dunbar apparently has been
overtaken by that Nemesis who dogs the
foot steps of every trickster and pretender
whether literary or otherwise. The Cincin-
natl exchange SAYS:
1t is only recently that Mrs Dunbar at
tracted attention a literary woman but
her rise was rapid and her future so
brilliant that she became the talk Of
Cincinnati literary circles. 1t was about
the time that Miss Cisneros, the beautiful
Cuban girl, was rescued from the Havana
prison by New York Journal reporters that
Mrs Dunbar began her career as a writer.
Mrs Dunbar was in New York when Miss
Csneros was given her public reception,
and Mrs. Dunbar attended 1t. The next day
she wrote account of the affair for the
Evening Post of this city. Mrs. Dunbar
took a great interest in the beautiful Gu
ban girl and made some effort to bring her
to Cincinnati for a public reception. This
failed owing to the fact that Miss Cisneros
decided to enter a school in Washington,
d. c. Immediately following this episode
it was announced that Mrs. Dunbar was
writing a novel founded on the Cuban
struggle, with Miss Cisneros as heroine
The book was published several weeks ago
and was praised for it's literary merits
The book. entitled "A Cuban Amazon" was
placed on the market and has met with a
ready sale. Only few days after the pub
LEGATION of the book the Evening Post of
this city printed a short story. 1t was en-
titled "a Lies Study" and was credited
10 Mrs. virginia Lyndall Dunbar, author
of "A Cuban Amazon" etc. Two other
stories credited to Mrs. Dunbar appeared
In rapid succession in the Evening Post,
and those who did read them praised the
work and the author. In fact, Mrs. Dun
bar came to be regarded as the most PROM
Using of all literary women in Cincinnati
and her friends were more than pleased
with her work and her brilliant future in
the literary field. All her work they said.
bore that smoothness of dialogue. correct
ness of dialect and study of situations and
clmaXes worthy of one of long years and
ripe experience in writing. Mrs. Dunbar,
pleased at the result of her own efforts
wore her laurels modestly and went on
writing short stories
About a week ago copy of the Evening
Post containing the story. "A LIES Study"
was by some strange chance seen by per-
son who had read the story before Who
this person is. is not known. Mrs Dunbar
says it was lady, and she has an idea of
her identity. Anyhow, some person went
to the public library and looked up the
files of magazines for the year 1862 and
found several copies of Petorson's Maya
zine-then a prominent and popular MONTH
ly publication. This seeker after facts
found not only "a LIES Study" but the
other two stories that We're published in
the Evening Post and credited to Mrs
Dunbar. The names in all three stories
were changed. of course, but the stories