The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-05-18

New York, May 17-(Special )-Stranger
than any scene of fiction pictured by the
pen of Paul Leicester Ford, was that in
which he was an actor. How tragic was
the death of ths author of Janice Mere
dith and THE Hon. Peter Sterling!" In
his library surrounded with comforts that
fall to the lot of few authors; at his desk
where he cudgeled his brains to invent
scenes of dramatic strength, yet fearful
of sensation and melodrama, he fell the
victim of his brothers hate and revenge;
while, the brother without a word of re-
/ gret or repentance, turned the pistol
against his own heart, crying Now see
how l diet Few melo-dramatic writer's
| few authors of sensational novels would
have dared a scene so tragic as the one
enacted in the authors study. Crippled
from BIRTH, the power denied to the body
flowed to the BRAIN so that Ford stood
among men Intellectually strong, making
his mark as a novelist and historian. The
murderer, his brother, attained promi-
| nence and distinction as an athlete.
They presented together physical oppo-
sites. Between them doomed up the shad-
ow of a deceased fathers will which dis
inherited the athlete. No special reason
| author would not give the athlete that
portion of the estate he had inherited
to which the latter believed he was right
ly entitled. Angered by his brothers re-
! fusal morose from brooding over the
wrong he believed done him, he with
| murderous intent pressed the revolver
against the crippled form of his brother.
| A shot, moan and Paul Leicester Fords
| career approached its last chapter; sec
ond shot and his brother, Malcolm fell
| beside him.. Their blood, the blood of the
same father and mother flowed on the
hard wood floor into a common pool.
In the literary and artistic life of the
city, the works of Paul Leicester Ford
had made him figure. His work, 1.-THE
Many Sided Franklin" made its appear
ance in the pages of the Century This,
of course, made him a figure in that So
cial and aesthetic armament which swirls
around and recognizes the sad, soulful
eyed Richard Watson Glider, as its sun.
He was also one hidden to partake of
the epicurean feasts set by Richard Mans
field; and one privileged to cross the
rapier of his wit with the glittering steel
/ of Richard himself George Vanderbilt,
| whose millions have been as a bushel set
over the light of his artistic and literary
! genius, called him friend, and bade him
welcome to Biltmore where they drank
| tea and preached to each other the doc
trine of a mission to men. The theatre,
too knew him well as a regular first
nighter as a critic and as a playwright.
| His place was assured. He was recog
nized as one who stood honor crowned
on the threshold of greater fame. The
brother, poor. struggling to live, sepa-
rated from wife and child, felt no envy,
no jealousy. He wanted his birthright.
| He believed himself cheated out of it.
He sought his remedy at law, but the
facts were against him. He sought, as
he believed justice from his brother, who
had a mission to humanity and was
denied. He became a creature with.
hate to satisfy, he became a criminal.
To hands stained with murder he added
that of suicide, and so closed the story
of the author and the athlete.
In the death of Michael Corrigan, the
City of New York loses a good man and
an influential citizen, the Roman Catho-
! lie Church, a prince who did much to ex-
tend the scope of it's ecclesiastical bene-
ficiaries and a priest who did much to
elevate, ennoble and help the people of
the arch diocese. Archbishop Corrigan
was held in high esteem by thousands