The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

IFrom the New York TimeS1
The deaths of ohm J.. ingalls,, ex-sen-
| ator, and Noble L. Prentis Of the edito-
rial staff of the Kansas City Star, make
a notable gap in the list of men and wo-
men who, as working writers, have con
nected the name of Kansas with cur
rent American and historical literature.
Inman, Ingalls,, and Prentis have done
really good work in the presentation of
regional life. color, and action. The re-
gion in whose abundant material they
have worked so well is full of romance,
movement. indigenous racial forces, and
much of the stirring events that have
gone to mold a great series of our conti-
mental and epoch-making efforts. "Ex-
pansion," historically at least. has had
some of its sharpest birth-throes in the
community these have. with others, made
so widely known.
ingalls, went to Kansas early in 1857
and put up his single as a lawyer at
Atchison, after a brief episode on a spec
ulative townsite. He soon became more
of a force as a political writer than as a
lawyer, being early identified editorially
with the Atchison Champion. He con-
Quoted it for it's editor, Col. John Mar
tin, while the latter was in the field for
over three years with his regiment, the
Eighth Kansas. The former senator was
always more of a literary wit and sati-
rist than political thinker and orator. He
sought and carried on public activities,
the scholar and commentator He was
judge advocate general of the state in
1864, but. though admitted to the Grand
Army, was never in the United States
military service or in the field actively
with state troops.
Colonel Inman was a captain and
quartermaster in both the volunteer
and regular army, but always an artist
inc writer of fine ability. The Cranes
have issued his attractive books on
the Santa Fe" and SAL Lake. trails,
with others He died just as recogni-
tion began to come to his eliminating
powers
Noble S. Prentis was one of the clev-
crest and brightest of the OUNCE
western men who settled in Kansas
when the war closed. He was much
more than a working journalist, for he
was a humorist of original power, with
a wit that was both subtitle and genial.
A poet, too, of decided merit, and as
a historical writer, graphic. accurate,
direct, and inseefng. His loss is really
a serious one. That of Mr.. ingalls,,
~AtONSh pei OAld41 dAlCCt1IS dA4Q pOAttA-
cally significant, has no relations with
the renaissance now beginning in Kan
sas history and life from the point of
record and Characterization
D. W. Wilder. author of The Annals
of Kansas and Mrs. S. T. Robinson
are the only pioneer historical writers
left in the state who are known to any
extent beyond it's borders, and Col r.
]. Hinton is the last of the earlier writ
ers who are no longer resident and
keep UP a lively interest in its history.
The brilliant chief editor of the St.
Louis Globe-Democrat, Henry King,
was editor of the once noted Kansas
Magazine, through whose pages Ingalls,,
Prentis, Capt Steele (who as Dean
jonathan wrote some of the best
western stories ever penned), Col. In
man, and others, first became known to
the general public. The photography of
Kansas writer's recently issued by the
Cranes, as prepared by Prof. w. H.
Carruth, of the state university, con-
tains nearly 400 titles directly confined
to state matters and literature. With
the historical society's recent volume
Of Transactions there are given some
three hundred authors names, of whom
over half at least are known and of
repute.