Connecticut western news., 1900-01-25
APoor Sort of HumOr.

the rounds of the newspapers through out the country claiming that David Harum," the book that has met with such remarkable success, was not writ ten by Edward Moves Westcott, but by Rudyard Kipling. Roswell M. Field, Chicago gentleman who is more or less an ornament 10 the newspaper frater- nity, is the authority for the statement, and claims that the book in question was written by Kipling as the result of a bet that his work would sell equally as we'll under an unknown authors name.
 MT Field enjoys somewhat Of repu- tation as humorist, and his facetious- ness at times partakes of the breezy ex- aggeration of the boundless west, so that it is but charitable to assume that in this instance he is merely indulgipg his propensity for practical joking even though one cannot commend his choice of subject.
 In July, 1899. oo behalf of "The National Magazine" of Boston, went from that city to Syracuse. N. Y., for the purpose of obtaining data for an article regarding "David Harum" aud it's author, Edward Moves Westcott, who was born in Syracuse; lived there dur ing greater portion of his life, and finally died there six months before his book was published.
 During my stay in Syracuse l inter- viewed many people who had known Mr Westcott from boyhood, including his sister, his brother-in-law, and the Hon. Edward B. Judson, president of the First National Bank of Syracuse, of which institution AIT Westoott was suc- cessivsly clerk, teller and cashier. Owing to the exceptionally sad circum- stances under which the book was written, these people were fully &C., quainted with all the details of the worf |, and they did not hesitate in giving me the fullest particulars.
 The writing of David Harum" was begun by Mir. Westcott in the summer of 1895. while living at Lake Meacham, in the Adirondaeks, shortly after his retirement from business, occasioned by the total collapse of his health. He first constructed that part of the story now comprised in chapters nineteen to twenty -four-the scene between David and the Widow Cullom, followed by the Christmas dinner. Late in the fall. finding that the climate did not, as he had hoped-bent fit his health, he returned to Syracuse; and in January of the following year temporarily gave up all work and sailed for Italy, staying for some time at Naples at friends resi- dence overlooking the bay, which after wards appeared in the story as the Villa Violante.
 In the spring, with his health still unimproved, he returned home and re- sumed writing. He was very painstak- ing in composition, and consumed about fifteen months, actual time, in writing the story. being interrupted for days and weeks by physical prostration. The work was completed in 1896.
 Then followed the heart breaking period during which the fate of bis production was in doubt. In it's pages be had woven the poetic memories of a lifetime. Under the pathetic condi- tions of it's being it had grown to be a part of his lite. Confined now to his bed, utterly helpless, realizing at last that he was never again to rise-eaeh rebuff that the child of bis brain receiv- ed fell with crushing force on the au- thor, sspping his little remaining store of life at an alarming rate. As the con- viction slowly grew on him that his long months of weary toll were wasted that the thing he had wrought with the last remaining strength of heart and brain was not the fair creation he had thought 1t, his despair became pitiable. 
 But at length the reaction came. About the end of Decemb Der, 1897, afte, six well-known publishing houses had rejected the story, it was accepted by D. Appleton & Go. Its purity of tone and naturalness of expression made il an immediate favorite, and it's sales have been enormous.
 When the story had finally been ac cepted, MT Westcott's one prayer was that he might live to see it in print But it was not to be. Six months be- fore the book appeale ed he died.
 And now, for some unfathomable req son, Mir Field appears on the scene and accuses 8 number of very estimabls people of being accessory to a gigantic fraud, and traduces the memory of g man who was loved and honored by ar entire community. If as seems mos likely, MT Field has attempted to per petrats a hoax on the public, it must be conceded that he has evidenced execrably poor taste.
 M. l.. OSBORNE. 
 A '