The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24
ELLIS, BEADLE NOVEL MAN.
TIE AUTHOR or seth JONES'
AND HIS WEST POINT LIFE.
An Interview In which Mr.. Edward 8. El,is
Talks Of the Days Of the stirring Literature
with Wholesome Lessons That He Helped
Make The Beadles and Their Methods.

article in THE SCN on the Baa die Dime Novels
OF a generation ago. which has brought out so
much pleasant reminiscent comment. was Of
special interest 10 people Mt the West Point
army post. for the reason that Mr.. Edward :.
Ellis, wk), when n young nan IN his teens.
wrote some of the most popular stories in all
the fascinating series, is not only a member Of
the military colony here. but personally one
OF the most generally popular members Of the
little reservation community. Mr.. Ellis IL not
himself in the Government service in any way.
but is closely connected with the army by
family ties ~ which in a few months will be
still further strengthened by the marriage
OF his daughter, Miriam, TO Second Lieut..
Hilman OF Indiana. who was a member Of the
class Of 1000 that was graduated from the
Academy last Wednesday. Mr.. Ellis's son,
Lieut., W. p. Ellis Of the Fourth Artillery, is a
young army officer of an excellent record in
the service, and is now detailed here "a an in
structor in the Academy.
II Is with this son that Mr., Ellis is now living
He has made his home here since the death Of a
daughter which occurred las, winter while she
was a student in Vassar College. Her loss
was a sad blow to Mr.. Ellis and made his life so
lonely in his former home that he came here
with his daughter Miriam soon after the child
he lost was buried in the army cemetery here
last Christmas time, and has lived here
ever since. Lieut.. Ellis's home. where his
father and his sister are now living with him,
II one Of the row Of pretty brick cottage. built
for officers upon the hillside that overlooks the
winding. shaded road To the cemetery, and
have in front Of them the wide, magnificent
reach Of the Hudson that stretches away north
ward to the dim. blue hills beyond Newburgh
and is framed on the east and on the west by
the grim walls of the Storm King and Crow
Nest mountains. Away down below and
creeping out from beyond tho steep descent
on the crest Of which that architectural night
mare. the hotel. stands YOU may see the wooded
extremity of Constitution Island where lives
Miss Warner, who. in collaboration with her
sister S~usan-the latter asleep these many
years over in the army cemetery wrote "Beu-
lab" The Wide. Wide World" and many other
gentle romances Of quiet American home life
that our mothers and Grandmothers in their
behounced and hoopskirted youth set great
store by. II II one Of the %auietest, most secluded
hooks on all the reservation. the place where
MIR. Ellis lives: with the Rev. Herbert Shipman.
Chaplain Of the post, for next door npighbor.
and beyond Mr., Shipmans home the beautiful
Catholic chapel that was dedicated a week ago
last Sunday.
So If the worthy foeles Of the day lament
that they cannot renew their youth with a
sight Of one Of the Beadle salmon covers"
they may know now Jus, where they may tndd
to do with the making Of that fairy land, with
Its honest, hearty, out-of-door atmosphere
and healthy balsamic forest odors. which lay
Il don't know where you would find more
than one OF, them now" said, Mr. Ellis.
drawer in his desk, and that is the tattered
specimen I have here. somewhere. Oh, here
Z is, Seth Jones was 70 when wrote
what a Ions. time ago il seemsl And I'm not
such an old fellow either-only eo!"
He might have said 50 and nobody ever
hair and short beard are only a prime-of-life
iron gray and there Is a color In his cheek, a
clear snap in his eye and a sprinsy visor IN
every movement that many a man OF 40
Yes, he continued, 7 was born ont in Ohio
in -,nls Geneva; Ash ~ ,S;. county nm IN lT4S d;d That IA,
live in Ohio long. My father moved. to New
Jersey when 1 was : years old and / lived
In that State most Of my life.
! will tell you about Seth Jones 1t seems
cute a i1nny story to me now as l recall il.
a very momento1s and serious epoch with with
me: II was in 1859 that 1t was published. The
-tE1 Be%adles.Irwin ? and r. F. together
" vim hu 'Ea aSins H neW and SH1 or ri apq noy Sse scheme al 10
cents each. IT vas not the, intention that they
should be boys bopsa merely. But they we're
s tS d r sissn f nna o nsn 20 ,%sr'U o.sp S Mni' sd DeS.
Bead ts'e ca %S"' from, ecopersios{ and maybe
them the idea Of the type Of stiry they want
ed. They both were great admhers Of Feni-
more Cooper, as, indeed. SO wal for that
matter, So II was stories OF hunting and In
dians and frontier adventure that they had in
mind and that | naturally took 20 when ! set
on. TO write a story for them.
Il had had no previous arrangement with
them. | just wrote the story when ! was 10
years old, and teaching school down in Red
Bank and sent in the manuscript. wont
say anything about how held my breath while
waited the issue Of this tremendous venture.
And il is not necessary TO tell you on what gold
tringe1 clouds scared when l received 2 letter
from them asking me to come to SEE them in
the city, Perhaps it is superfuous also to
tell you that ] went.
actly what they wanted. IL was not about
its acceptance they wanted to see me. That
was already settled. II was about making
an arrangement with me to write four books
a year for them and we very quickly struck a
bargain. have forgotten Just what they
Said me for Seth Jones-so much a page. Their
4nd even as high as $3.50, They paid Ann II;
Stephens $500. She wrote the first book. OF
the dime series which they published: Nal,
aeska or the Indian Bride of the White Hunter.
But il was with Seth Jones' that the fame
and fortune Of the Beadle series began. II
was not the merit Of the book. so pray don't
think am blowing my own horn. 1t was the
ingenious way in which II was advertised. The
bOOk happened Just 10 sui tnell. IL was eN-
aCtly the kind Of story they had in mind when
they planned the series So they had a solemn
conference the two Beadles and Adams
a. to how they should advertise II. And the
plan they hit upon was n brilliant success.
All OF n sudden all over the country there
broke out n rush OF posters, dodgers and
painted inscriptions demanding TO know who
l. Seth jones' Everywhere you went this query
met Won. II glared al YOU in staring letters
OH The sidewalks. II came Nnltering y TO you
on little dodgers thrust by the handful into
the Broadway stages. which ran in those days.
In the country the trees, the rocks and the
sides and roofs Of barns all clamored with
stentorian demands 10 know who Seth Jones
was. II got to be n catchword and q Joke of tho
dav. The theatres and the travelling shows
took II no and billed announcements that the
tdenty OF the my %sterious Seth would ne re,
vealed "a all the favored ones who attended
their entertainments. II got to be like the
absurd ne IN m Lambert" which was, 20 long
one Of the popular fooleries Of Paris. And
Just whom II had begun to he n VearineSs ana
one Of the burdens of life, when the reaction
set In and people began 10 say Damn Seth
Jones then 1t vas that a new rush OF decora-
ttons broke out all over the country. ms
was in the form Of big and little posters bearing
o photographic portrait Of q stalwart. heroic
looking hunter ot the FenimOrc Cooper type,
coon-skin cap, rife and all, And above or
words;
~ am Seth Jones'
That advertisement was the making OF the
BeadleS And, dear me, how Seth Jones dhd
sell | saw bales of thousands upon thous-
ands NJ copies OF the book made M for ship
ment 20 all parts If the country. And then
came the war and the demand for light reading
from our soldiers In the field, and the Beadles
snInped OF their novels 10 tho armies by The tens