Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-08

spoken of by her. This book was
written in the winter of 1857, when the
health Of the authOress was very bad,
a sister was dying Of consumption and
all her surroundings We're depressing
| to the last degree. With all these cir
CumStances the brightest and gayest
Of her stories, as she herself acknOwl-
| edged came to her. To use her OWE
words. the facts of the evolution of the
story:
81 happened to see in a New York pa
per snort paragraph in which it was
stated that 4 little. nine-year-old girl.
dressed in boys clothing. and selling
newspapers. had been arrested. She was
homeless and friendless and was sent to
some asylum in Westminster county.
| newspaper item was the seed which
| dropped in my mind and terminated
| there. When the time came Tor me to
write of it I had TO make an origin for
| Capitola. l remembered an incident that
| had. in The days of my childhood, oc-
Cured just across the Benning bridge
| An cid monthly nurse had been met one
night by two masked men. who blind
| folded her and took her up to Il house
| Still blindfolded. she was conducted to a
room, where Il few hours later child
refused TO make away with the child. al
though bribes We're offered her The
young MOI ItE WIS also ODSlltldtt ltT lUP
preservation of her infant Finally the
mother. being discarded by her family.
! brought up her child. VINO was Wei
known in Washington and did we'll Thai
was the reality upon which the birth Of
! Cdpitola was founded. Nearly every adj
venture. of Capitola came from real life
Her bright rcjoinders TO Old Hurricane
We're taken from many scenes between
my sister and her old uncle in Missis-
sippi. Her adventure with Black Don
ala was taken from somewhat similar
adv n which nf
| Maryland and colored ruffian, who, in
| 1872. was the terror Of the ncighborhood.
| Her duel and its cause was also founded
upon fact. Capit"ia' encounter in the
woods and the rusc by which she. es-
capped was also taken from the adven-
lures and escape of Il Maryland girl. The
| COurt-martial, its causes and scenes, oc-
| cllrred during the Mexican war. TIL"
| character of Old hurricane might be
! seen Ii one out of every ten of the Old
planters Of Maryland or Virginia: Lib
| eral kindly at heart. but oVerbearinS
and clustering in manner.
| in her own estimation. while the Hid
den Hand was regarded with much IA.
| "Ishmael.' a story that is partly true.
The character Ishmael was a portrait Of
| a well-kn"wn man who became famous:
and who was at first Woefuily poor and
| forsaken The description was 50 Well
drawn that the individual was recog-
nized. and though the authoress never
| told whom she had in mind. many peu-
pie wrote TO her in regard to the person.
| Up to \ few years ago. when Mrs.
| Southworth ceased her incessant labors.
dUced as many novels as the years she
had lived. She then had total of %
novels. II of which were published in
| book form. and the remainder as serials
in the Ledger. Al the present time there
are Two unpublished manuscripts Of hers
at Prospect cottage. One was completed
carnate F'iend,' The other. was more
recently completed. the authoress being
able To work hut a short time each day
| is AN Angel CnawareS.
Many of her books have been success
fully dramatized. and The Hidden
| Hand was played in three London the
atrcs al the same time with profitable re-
| suits.
The authoress had her own habits, and
adhered strictly to them. Ordinarily she
| labOrcd five days each week from noon
| to midnight, scarcely taking time to eat.
1t was always a real joy to her to look
forward to the two holidays of the week
I-Saturday and Sunday. For the past six
| or seven years her working periods
changed considerably. on account of her
| increasing age
the poet, and it was claimed that she was
| the one to suggest to him the story of
Barbara Freitche. This claim has been
| disputed by some but be il as it may,
Mrs. Southworth had among her effects
the following letter from the poet, dated:
Amesbury. . Mo. s, 1863.
My Dear Mrs. Southworth:
l heartily thank thee for thy very kind
letter ana its Enclosed message Itt
ought 10 have fallen into better hands;
| but | have just written off a little ballad
Of Barbara Fretchie." which will APP
pear III the next Atlantic. II it is good
! for anything, thee deserve all the credit
Of it. / wish | could accept thy kind IN
vitation to thy pleasant cottage home.
but am too much of an invalid to under
;ake the journey. l thank thee none the
| loss however for asking | shall r.,
| wise With best wishes for thy health
! JOHN G. WHITTIER.
Mrs. Southworth met Whittier i'll 1871
| and an acquaintance began which lasted
until the death Of the poet. In 1873 Mrs.
Southworth made trip TO Amesbury and
| called upon the aged poet, and with some
| friends was entertained at lunch.
Harriet Beecher Stowe. the author of
II ncie. Toms cabin was also an init
views of both coincided on the slavery
question. and this common tie bound
,r'.ir Irienuship an the ilrmer:
1t was while THE Hidden Hand was
| being published in the Ledger that Mrs.
| Southworth took a trip to England, be-
ing invited by the publisher of the Lon
don Journal. who was anxious to secure
| the exclusive English sale of her books
| as well as to arrange to secure an inter-
national copyright. When she reached
London Mrs. Southworth found that
English metropolis as in America, and
| there We're Capitola boats. Capitola race
horses Capitola hats for ladies and 9TH
er Capitola fads. While in England she
| was the guest Of Lady Byron. an init
| mate and dear friend. 1t is needless to
| add that 50 far as effecting an interna-
tional copyright the trip was failure.
| Nearly. if not ALL of the novels written
by her have been translated into foreign
| tongues.
Mrs. southworth's individuality was