The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-24
DEATH OF "OLD SLEUTH"
INCIDENTS IN LIFE OF PRINCE OF
DETECTIVE STORY WRITER'S.
He Could Write Complete story I'm a
Day and Big Novel i'm "A Week
Turned Out $50 Books.
Brooklyn Eagle.

Harlan p HalSey, the "Old Seuth'' of the
famous dime novel detective series. died sud-
denly on Friday evening at his home, Ill
McDonough street. Brooklyn. He was
sixty-one years old. His death, which was
caused by cerebral hemorrhage, was unex-
pected, as he had not been suffering from
any serious illness. Mr.. Halsey leaves a
widow daughter and two sons, who were
i'll the publishing business with him.
Thousands of men and boys who have
rever heard of Harlan p. Halsey will return
in memory to many thrilling tale of fiction
at learning that "Old Sleuth is dead The
widespread fame of 'Old Sleuth' was the
fruit of untiring industry. 1t is doubtful if
any American writer has been more prolific
than that author e. p. Roe, one of the
few whose earnings from his literary work
were greater than those of "Old Sleuth''
welded far less ready and tireess pen,
for the estimated number of the detective
story writer's novels is between 800 and $50.
1t is said that he has earned nearly 100000
in this way, and that George Munro, the
publisher, paid him a salary of $40, 600 year
for his work
"Old Sleuth" didn't come into being until
Mr. Halsey was an experienced writer. His
ana piracy for the weekly papers forty
years ago. He also wrote poems which
were published IN the daily papers. When
boy of sixteen Halsey wrote novel, of
which in later years he could only remem-
Der that it was about three hundred pages
long and abounded in long and heroic
speeches, and that he published it himself
Although he carly made living by his pen
i was rot until he appeared as odd Sleuth
of Bay Ridge" that he laid the founda-
tons of his fame and fortune. The book
achieved reputation and George Munro
asked the author how soon he could turn out
another like it.
In three or four days" said the writer.
Can you keep on writing EN- at that
rdte? the publisher asked
call it once week." the other suggested
An agreement was made; and soon the
detective series. The high-minded heroic
and uniformly successful detective became
the hero of half the schoolboys who could
raise dime to buy copy of the series, or
borrow the book from a more fortunate
mate. Some of the early editions appeared
with gay-colored covers, commonly repre-
senting the hero in the act of thrusting a
revolver in the dismayed countenance of
gang of ferocious robbers or rescuing beau
teouS innocence from cave of robbers, who
oblgingy lighted up the scene by flashes
from their revolvers. In all these novels
umphant and vice landed in a ready grave
or at least in state prison, which desirable
elimination did not save the stories from
the apprehension of stern parents and for
bidding school teachers Prejudice of this
sort however, rather served to enhance the
popularity of the stories.
In time. the Old Sleuth series carle to an
end, but the author kept to his nom lie plume
and turned out other stories. One of these
cryStalliZed into the Secret Service Series.
Like their predecessors, these were brimful
of adventure and adjectves, and the crack
Of pistol shots might have been used to
pupctuate the sentences. In behalf of his
tales the author was wont to remark that
they were true enough to life. only the events
were rather thickened "A friend once asked
him where he got all his plots.
Straight from real life, via the neNVspa-
pers," said he; I'm a constant reader of
| the and I remember all the QuFiOuS
incidents that / read. Then when l come TO
write, the curious incidents go into the story
One day was his record for the writing of
| a complete tale, and he would often say that
the strain was such as no man of wisdom
should repeat. 1t was his opinion that
man couldn't do himself justice, for a story
of say 10000 to 100000 words, in less than a
week His writing was done at a marvellous
rate of speed and with no less marvellous
results as to chirography. Nobody but an
expert who was accustomed to the "Oid
meaning of his words, and he was often puZ-
zled himself when some word was referred
to him for solution His habit was to push
the sheet of paper on which he was writing
off the table as soon as it was finished and
let it fall where it would. The gathering up
of these scattered leaves of thoNght was the
duty of some member of the family. His
wife tells of an instance where the heroine
of one tale was plunged into a deadly COM
plicaton of intrigue and left to perish there
by the loss of a sheet finally to be rescued
from under a neighboring bookcase, where
she had fiuttered just at the crisis OF the
adventure.
Besides his detective stories, the author
wrote of stage matters in an equally dash
ing vein, and George Christy; or, The For
tunes of a Minstrel was a famous book in
its time. He also wrote several serious his
torical works. In later years "Old Sleuth"
became publisher
Mr.. Hasey in Brooklyn was well known
as a financier of ability. He was one of the
principal organizers of the Hamilton Trust
Company and the Kings County Trust Com
pany. When Seth Low appointed him to
the Board of Education in 1885, there was
much amusement and some comment that
"Old Sleuth," against whom so many school
masters are Illuminated, should become
identified so prominently with educa tional
matters. But he served for ten years and
proved himself a valuable member of the
board and an upbuilder of the night schools
and drawing classes. Mrs. Halsey who is a
sister of Magistrate Bristow, is president of
the Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth
Century,