The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-21
Where Walter Barr Found the Ma
teriaI for His story.


Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal
VINCENNES, Ind, Aug. 20.-This city
takes an interest in "Shacklett," running
serially in the Journal, second only to its
interest in Alice of Old Vincennes But
IL is a different kind of interest. involving
the author as much as the story.
Walter Barr was reared in Lawrence
county, Illinois, just across the Wabash
from here. and Vincennes has been for
thirty years the city in which his family
deals with merchants. His father, DR.
j. c. Barr, for many years the
leading physician of Lawrence county,
prominent in local Republican politics and
interested in church work. Walter Barr
was eleven years old when his family
moved out from Ohio and settled on a
farm a dozen miles from this city Hun
dreds of people here know him intima tely,
but they are chiefly business and profess
sional men, for he never was a part of the
social life of the city. Lawrence county,
Illinois, is so thoroughly tributary 10 Vim
cennes that the people there are considered
a part Of the clientele of this city.
Down here the author is best known as
DR.. @. Walter Barr. After his residence
around Indianapolis for a number of years
he went East to a medical school and then
returned TO Lawrence county 10 practice
medicine. He spent six or seven years at
that and then was called to Iowa to take a
chair IN an old medical college there. He
was successful enough a practitioner, but
never seemed wrapped up in his profession,
and that he later torsook it for more con-
genial work causes no surprise here.
In Lawrence county he was pretty active
In politics. About fifteen years ago there
was hight on in the Republican party
Ths4Ea hi nta Id
Judge Philip w. Barnes and the friends of
the latter, and this fight is remembered yet
Tor its Visor and peppery qualitieS-it re-
sembled somewhat a fight between Indians
and FilipinOs, if the two classes of bar
barians could be imagined TO engage in
warfare. DR.. Barr in the Cullom-Tan-
ner organization, and position on the
board OF pension surgeons at Lawrenceville
when that position was very profitable, may
be taken as an indication of the apprecia-
ton of his political work by his chiefs. He
was resourceful in his methods, ana it is
remembered that he came out once as a
candidate for county surveyor; just what
the ultimate object was he avoided saying
al the time, and only he and perhaps Noel
Shacklett himself can tell. At any rate the
object was accomplished. for the candidacy
was dropped as suddenly il began at a
county convention at which, by the location
OF the balance of power, Senator Cullom's
aspirations were at stake; at that same
convention DR.. Bars side won secured the
election of delegates to the national con-
famous fight, and the appointment of DIR.
Barr 10 sinecure which paid we'll followed
soon after. II all of that story could be
known II might read like chapter of
"Shacklett"
About year ago Walter Barr came down
mere from Iowa to read the proofs and put
the finishing touches on his novel for
which the Journal has secured the serial
rights. lie spent a couple of months at
the home or his parents and visited Vim
cennes, where his many friends welcomed
him after a long absence He did not
deny TO one of these friends that the
hrst chapters Of 'Shacklett were laid
| Just across the river from Vincennes but
said that the strong murder scene and
| trial In the book was not the celebra ed
Lawrence county murder case which the
people thought they recognized. His de-
NAL that Lawyer Fletcher had for an orig
| inal former judge and celebrated crini-
naI lawyer OF adjacent Illinois with near
| relatives IN this city weakened somewha I
under the reservations of everybody that
| the portrait is drawn so lifelike as TO be
! recognizable TO one who runs. The picture
/ of the county seat early in the novel Is,
/ like photograph of Lawrencevi0e at the
/ TINE OF the early part of the story, thirty
years ago, and is recognized in all its de-
| Ialls oy Nlncennes people OF that period.
ne county seat Is only nine miles away
/ ana Is really suburb of Nincennes
| something OF the versatility of the man.
| ana his methods OF attacking things as
they appear, Is shown in some work he
did when boy about seventeen, perhaps a
/ little older. Allison prairie extends from
the opposite bank of the Wabash almost
/ 10 LaWrenceVllle, and when the drainage
| OF its marshes was decided upon the com
| mlssloners went 10 Jesse Il. Benefiel coun-
/ " surveyor then and still alive, TO do the
| englneerlng. The contract was in the name
/ or Benenel, but Walter Barr did all the
/ real engineering work, the county surveyor
/ running the lines by compass The nov
! eHst told a friend here last summer how
! IL happened.
Surveyor Benefel came to him one even
/ ing and asked whether ne knew civil en-
| gineerlng. Walter Barr. home on vacation
! from school, where he had taken all the
| mathematics prizes, thought the surveyor
/ had some problem 10 work out on paDer
| and answered yes Then came the promo
| sluon that the two take the contract 70
| do the engineering of drainage twent--
i've square miles OF perfectly level sandy
| prairie, where the conditions were as diff.
| hcult as possible. The schoolboy at once
| accepted the proposition. He sent rush
order 10 his professor Of mathematics for