El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-10

Joe Mulhatton. perhaps the most
noted writer of newspaper fakes in
America. is in the territorial insane
asylum at this point, writes a Phoenix
correspondent, a hopeless maniac. He
believes he has killed a man and that
horde of avengers are on his trail
Though at times helpless, he tears his
clothing from hi mand has to have
constant attention.
He was committee from Kelvin,
Plual county. where he has lived the
last three years. He was instrumental
lately in selling a valuable mine in
Mineral Creek district and received
several thousand dollars as an ad-
vance payment on his share of the pro-
ceedS. He spent several hundred dol
lars, but the rest of the coin cannot
be found. His dementia is attributed
to the excitement of the financial
transaction, though alcohol may have
had something to do with the case.
Mulhatton has been in Arizona about
six years, and has been dabbling in
| mines all the time. He established a
| mining exchange at Florence, and has
| done a little newspaper work.
During his Arizona residence his
| fertile imagination played its usual
| tricks, and the plots of some of his
| most notable inventions have been laid
In the southwest
Joseph Mulhatton was born in Allie
gheny, Pa, 50 years ago. At least that
| is what he says, but, considering his
| reputation as gorgeous and orna-
| mental prevaricator, even this state
| ment must be taken with caution. AS
| a unique, ornate and bewildering liar
he has a reputation extending from
| Maine to Texas. and even extending
across the Atlantic to England and
France, for the newspapers of those
countries have been sadly taken in by
| the Mulhatton stories.
Even in his youth he displayed re-
markable aptitude in the line of pic
tureSque prevarication. He evolved
from his fertile Imagination a number
of thrilling stories that found their
were widely copied. AS he grew older
and gained a little experience, he
branched out along more pretentious
lines, and framed up an assortment of
glittering newspaper fakes that
brought special writer's and sedate
scientists Scurrying across the ocean
to investigate alleged marvellous phe-
nomena which Mulhatton claimed to
have discovered in remote parts of the
country. but which he really discov-
cred during his idle moments in some
hotel corridor.
Nominally, he was a travelling man,
but lying on a tremendous scale was
his speciality. Perhaps his most nota-
BILE work was the story of the meteor,
supposed to have fallen in Texas. I'm
der his vivid Imagination and facile
pen this meteor landed in Brown coun-
ty, covered an acre of ground, destroy
ed all the ranches for miles around
by reason of the sulphurous fumes it
gave off and was still sizzling it's way
| into the earth when he gave the story
to the newspapers. That glittering in
vention sent a train load of newSpa-
| per reporters and scientists into the
mesquite bushes of Texas. They new
er located the meteor, but the railroads
and boarding houses and ranchers with
horses and guides to let did a thriving
| business for several weeks.
His story of a wonderful cave in
Pike county. Kentucky, was also a
highly decorated work of art. 1t ap-
peared in a Louisville paper, and set
people on two continents talking oil