The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-23
hor how soon he could turn out another

author how soon he could turn out another
like Il.
an three or four days" said the writer.
Can you keep on writing EN- az that
rate?" the publisher asked.
Call Il once a week." the other sug-
gested
An agreement was made, and soon the
shop windows were full Of the old
Sleuth" detective series. The high mind
ed, heroic and uniformly successful detec-
tive became the hero of half the school
boys who could raise a dime to buy
copy of the series, or borrow the book
from a more fortunate mate. Some of
the cary editions appeared with gay col
ored covers, commonly representing tho
hero in the act OF thrusting a revolver In
the dsmayed countenances of gang of
ferocious robbers or rescuing beauteous in
nocence from a cave of robbers, who oblig-
ingly lighted up the scene by flashes from
Their reVolvers. In all these novels virtue
was invariably and gloriously triumphant
and vice landed In a ready grave. or az
least in state prison which desirable cul-
mination did not save the stories from the
apprehension of stern parents and forbid
ding school teachers. Prejudice of this
sort however, rather served to enhance
the popularity of The stories.
In time the Old Sleuth series came to an
end, but the author kept to his nom de
plume and turned out other stories. one
of these crystallized into the Secret Ser
vice Series" Like their predecessors,
these were brimful of adventure and adj
jectives, and the crack OF pistol shots
might have been used to punctuate the
sentences In behalf of his tales the au-
thor was wont 10 remark that they were
true enough 90 life, only the events were
rather thickened A friend once asked
him where he got all his plots.
Straight from real life, via the news
papers, said he. I'm constant reader
Of the papers, and ] remember all the
curious incidents that ] read. Then when
l come to write, the cuXous incidents go
into the story as they qfcur to me-"
One day was his recdfd 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 opin-
lon that a man couldn't do himself JUS
tice, for a story to say 10000 10 10000
words, in less than a week His writing
was done at a marvellous rate of speed
and with no less marvellous results as 70
ehrography. Nobody but an expert who
was accustomed to the "Old Sleuth" style
could get even a cue to the meaning of
his words, and he was often puzzled him
se.f 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 II was finished and
let il fall where it would. The gathering
up of these scattered leaves of thought
was the duty OF some member of the fam
lily. His wife tells of an instance where
the heroine Of one tale was plunged into
a deadly complication of intrigue and left
to perish there by the loss of a sheet,
finally to he rescued from under a neigh
boring 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 Chrsty; or, The
Fortunes Of a Minstrel" was a famous
book IN its time. He also wrote several
serious historical works. IN later years
"OId SlSdth" became a publisher
Mr. Halsey, 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 Company. When Seth Low appoint
ed 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 educational matters. But he served
for ten years and proved himself a valu-
able member OF the board and a up
builder OF the night schools and drawing
classes Mrs. Halsey, who is a sister of
Magistrate Brstow, is president of the
Colonial Daughters of the Seventeenth
Cppt1rV