The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-10-12
HALL GAINES DOUBLE"
The British Novelist and
oDramatist Describes my
Other Me"

from EufoNt. says ildl one oi lue oo-
jects OF his visit to the United States Is
10 revolutionize the business Of book
publication ard distribution short
time ago Air. Caine was the chief guest
OF the North Lancashire Press club OF
their annual excursion to the Isle OF
Man. aud in reply 10 the toast OF his
health he made The following speech,
says the New Orleans Times Democrat:
"'rhe gentleman who has proposed
the toast or my health has said kind
and generous things about me. Jour
nalists never say anything bat kind
aud gcnerous things about me n that
sounds strange TO men like yourselves,
who are familiar with The many things
that cannot be called kind and gener-
GUS which aFe sometimes said In news
papers about the person whose name /
bear. ! would assure YOU that these
things are said about my double, not
about me.
I'VE have heard a good deal about
mems doubles Of late aud how much
the poor originals suffer from them
May an old newspaper man make bold
90 tell you that the worst doubles pub
he men suffer from are their doubles in
the newspapers Every public man
realizes this. and even a semipublic
man like myself knows a little about II.
''rhe matter is not one of national
importance bat since you have done
me the honor 20 make me tho guest cf
your press club you may be amused To
hear what Semipuhllc man has suf
fered from the double which has dog
ged him in the newspapers for fifteen
or twenty years Whether my other me
bears any resemblance TO the person
who stands before you it is for you to
say when have told my tale.
First, my other me is a shocking
story teller in both senses. He is con
stantly saying as FOR me what / have
never said aud writing In my name
what have never written. This
wouldn't matter II his words were sane
and good, but they are nearly always
Insane and silly ] have found il quite
Impossible 10 contradict him, and I
have long ceased to try. His lies go on
and on, and it is Useless TO attempt to
overtake them An American humorist
says truly that lie viii travel round
the world while the truth is pulling on
Its boots
My other me is as vain as pea
cock. Occasionally he makes parallels
between himself and Dickens, Thack
cray and Fielding. but his ego mania IS
capable of comparisons more appalling
even than that. When | first went to
America he told an astonished public
out Of my own mouth that my head
resembled Shakespeare's and my face
resembled Chrlst's Naturally | con.
cluded that nobody in his senses would
take this amazing American pleasantly
seriously, bnt 1t was repeated IN sc-
date English newspapers. aud 1t still
turns up occasionally in Journals that
are not conducted In CoIney Hatch.
MY other me Ia the newspapers is
shameless literary Barnum. who not
only writes anonymous paragraphs
about himself, but procures other peo.
pie 10 write about him. which seems 20
he an asiuine thing ia do. seeing that
they nearly always write unkindly. set
ting him up ns a sort OF Aunt sally for
any quacksalgrr to Shy at On one o.
casiOn f'4r reputable editor OF reputa |
Die weekly ioCrual in London publish |
cd under my signature an article about !
myself " which J had not written ono
sentence or one word, as it appeared |
and on another page earicaturo OF
erotesqne person, supposed to be NE,
pNStinR M envelope nj pillar box ad. |
dressed Editor aud saying - wonder !
get into the newspa
,.rrsg
"My other me Is a shocking old Shy !
lock When bought my house in the
Isle OF Man II was said In certain
Saturday paper thai | had procured IT
at a prepOsterously low price by beat
ing down to the last penny widow
who formerly owned IT, And when
the lamentable hank failure Involved
our island IN something bordering ON
bankruptcg il was alleged that took
advantage OF the necessities OF poor,
perishing farmers to buy up land on
ridiculous terms aud to Tend money at
exOrbltunt interest AS consequence
my other me Ii now said to be rolling
In riches and. according TO his own ac-
count, TO hold not only the greater part
of the land In the Isle OF Man but the
whole of seven smaller islands as we'll
"On the other hand, my other me Is
a sentimental idiot in financial affairs.
aud il has been announced in many
newspapers ihnt when a farm that had
been owned by a witch doctor came 70
the hammer he held up his end AT the
auction 20 the sum OF $1,000, Just he
cause he was Interested In witches aud
fairies
MY other me is a blatant Old Blue
beard In addition to his faults and
failures OF dusy in domestic relations
his opinions on sex questions are utter
ly outrageous IL has been said, Tor
example that he holds all women 10 hC
inferior TO men and 70 believe that the
mother who gives birth TO girl as hei
| first child Is a disgraced woman. SanS
leaders OF the woman's movement have
combated these views as rational prop
| Ositions
Finally. my other me Is an mpostoi
and a thief Although his books are 81
devoid Of merit, be steals the plots OF
them from poor people who write let