The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-03-27
A STORY OF DAVENPORT.
How tic Cartoonist Once Cnrfca-
tured the Wrong Hfnn.


tured the Wrong Hinn.
Some years ago. said Il San Fran.
cisco man recently, Homer Davenport,
the cartoonist, then employed in San
Francisco, was called up on the tele.
phone by his paper and told to go to
the Academy Of Sciences that evening
and draw caricatures Of the Camera
club, which was to hold It's annual re-
ception there. The telephone worked
badly, and Davenport got only so much
or the message as told him to go to the
Academy Of Sciences, but he supposed
that was sufficient and let it go US it
stood.
THE owner OF the paper took great
Interest in the Camera club and wished
to make great spread Mt its annual
meeting. - reporter had been detailed
Tor this assignment and told to connect
with Davenport. He waited about; but,
no Davenport turning up, lie went back
to the Office and wrote his story Of the
meeting and turned it in, supposing
that In the crowd he had missed DAY.
enport and that anyway the latter was
amply able to take care of Ills end Of
1t. The Camera club article appeared
IN the paper the following morning
without solitary illustration, nut II
lecture. on geology had profusion Of
caricatures from Homer Davcrport's
facilc pencil.
The contrctemps came about in this
way: Davenport duly arrived ut the
Academy of Sciences as per the tcle-
phonic instructions, hut as he did not
know what he was there for he follow
ed the crowd. This crowd was attend
Ing a lecture OH geology by Professor
Joseph lie COnte Of the University of
California. the great authority OIL the
subject and man whose reputation is
worldwide. DR.. lie Conte. 1t might in
cidcniuiiy be stated, is Il man Of the
greatest dignity in both character and
bearing. The reception Of the Camera
club was held in the same building, but
on the top floor.
Davenport yawncd through an hour
Of glaciers. stratified rock, mOrains and
sundry other things. in which lie took
little interest, and then, discovering
that only DR.. lie Conte was to speak,
concluded he had sufficient material for
the matter and departed. AS was his
custom, he drew his sketches Mt home
and sent them to his paper by mcsscn-
ger. They took up the Darwininn the.
ory and represented the venerable Dr.
LIE Conte In the guise OF an ape and
swinging from tree by the tail. He
was placed in the stone age and, clad
only In benrskin and smile, was
represented rs knocking about rocks
with geological hammer. A peculiar.
ly happy thought was cnricature of
the professor as the Cardiff giant.
There were six or seven Of them in all.
Davenport did not require the .. X.
OF the editor for his sketches. What
ever he drew was published as of
course; consequently the caricatures
Of LIE Conte were duly printed. and the
make up man naturally put them in
the geological lecture. Tie constcrna-
tion Of the editor when that issue of
the paper came out can we'll be imag.
ined. Here was one Of the first citi-
zens Of the state. and one with whom
the paper in question particularly de.
sired to stand we'll, held UP to ridicule
and for no apparent reason.
"After cudgeling his brains as to
what was best to do in the matter the
editor cut out the report, caricatures
and NIL, and sent it to DR.. e Conte, to.
gether with q polite note, IN which he
said that he trusted his paper had re.
ported Ills lecture with accuracy, and
If such was not the case the columns
Of the paper were open to the doctor
to make any correction he saw fit; that
he (the editor) would he glad to receive
DR.. LIE Conte's Impressions Of the arti.
Gle in question.
"In reply DR.. LIE Conte advised the
editor TINT he had never been so accu.
rately reported eand ignored the car.
toons entirely. His friends say he never
even looked at them. The relief to the
editor was 30 great he took day off.
But even if DR.. LIE Conte did net look
ut the paper other people did, and that
edition sold at premium, IL San Fran.
cisco before the day was out."-New
York Tribune