The Topeka state journal., 1902-05-06

England for wears. Most of his time
was spent in the country and when in
London he was almost secluded. having
few visitors to his rooms at Lancaster
Gate and only going to the houses of
limited nun ber of very intimate friends.
Several months ago, when a false re-
port of his death was circulated in
America a representative of the AssO-
Harte then appeared to be perfectly
we'll. He laughed heartily and quoted
Mark Twain's old saying about the re-
port being greatly. exaggera ted. Except
for a little cold, said Mr.. Harte. |
have no ailments or complaints. While
I am getting to be a pretty old man
pointing to his snow white hair-there
is life in the old dog yet" and thereup-
on he lit a cigar so large that it would
have done credit to any of his Poker
fat" friends. He was hoping, he said,
to do more work. but confessed that he
was growing lazy.
Mr. Harte had been suffering from
sWelled tonsils since December last, but
he did not consider the attack to be
serious. A week ago he went to visit
friends at Camberley and was preesnt
at lunch as usual yesterday He sud
denly became i'll in the afternoon, went
to bed and died in a few hours. His
end was peaceful
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Francis Bret Harte was born in Al
bany, New York August 25. 1889 His
father was a teacher in the Albany fe
male seminary, and was a scholar of
ripe culture who died leaving his family
with but little means.
After an ordinary school education,
the son went in 1854 to California with
his mother. From San Francisco ne
walked to Sonora and there opened q
school: but this proved unsuccessful.
and he turned his energies to mining.
Fortune was not there and he became
a compositor in a printing office begin
ming his literary career by composing
his first articles in type while working
a the case. During the absence of the
editor he conducted the journal for 4
short tine but his articles were not in
sympathy with the mining population
and his editorial experiences termina-
ted abruptly. He drifted back to San
Francisco and in 1857 became a cOmpos-
itor in the office OF the Golden Era.
The experience of his frontier life had
been impressive. and his literary talents
soon put to profita bic use the vivid
scenes of the past three years Clever
sketches contributed at first anony
mouslv attracted the attention of the
editor and Harte was invited to join
the corps of writers.
Soon after he became associated in
the management of The Californian "
a literary weekly, short-lived but of in
terest as containing his Condensed
Novels" "
In 1864 Harte was appointed secre-
ta4v Of the T. S branch mint having
appointments and filled this office for
six years. during which time he wrote
for San Francisco journals John Burns
of Gettysburg, " The Pliocene Skull "
,.The Society upon the Stanislau.' and
other poems which were widely copied
and universally admired. In July, 1865,
the publication of THE Overland
Monthly was begun, with Mr.. Harte
as the organizer and editor The sec
ond issue contained The Luck OF
Roaring Camp" a story of mining life
which marked the beginning of his
higher and more artistic work. It was
the first of those sketches of American
border experience of which he was the
pioneer writer and in which he origi-
mated the peculiar pseudo dialect of
western mining life
s-The Outcasts of Poker Flat" a re-
alistic story was considered by many
as his best production. 1t esta blished
his reputation. and was followed III
quick succession by "Miggles,' Ten
neeseess Partner and The IeyH OF Red
of his magazine were by him. In Sep
tenber, 1870. appeared his Plain Ian
guage from Truthful James, fpoDularfy
known as THE Heather Chinee"). a
satire against the hue and cry that the
Chinese were shiftless and weak
minded.
Harte received the appointment of
professor of recent literature in the
University Of California in 1870, but in
the spring of 1871 resigned that chair
and also his editorial appointment and
settled in New York. An effort was
made to found a literary periodical un-
der his management in Chicago, but
this failed. and he became a regular
contributor to the Atlantic Monthly
s-zld lectured on The Argonauts Of
appointed Z. S. consul to Crefelds Ger