New-York tribune., 1908-07-04
UNCLE REMUS" DEAD
Noted 4uthor and Journalist Er
pires at His Georgia Home.
rBy r.I.rraph 70 IRE tribune ]

HdiisN anu dulnOr. Is DEAD. SCfFOuuueU pS tlle
members Of his family his end came at o'clock
tonight He had been sinking for hours and
took a turn for the worse about o'clock
Uncle Remus," as he was afectionately
known. had been suffering from cirrhosis of the
liver with complications that affected his heart
He had been feeling poorly for over month.
but his illness was not serious until about ten
days ago. Wednesday night it took a critical
turn, and all day Friday he was unconscious.
No funeral arrangements have as yet been
made He leaves wife and six chiIdren-J- c.
Harris. jr-. Julian, Lucian. Evelyn. Mildred and
Mrs Lillian Wagner
Joel Chandler Harris. best known as Uncle
Remus. from the quaint negro character in whose
mouth he put much OF the wit and wisdom with
which he enriched literature. an editor and
author Long connected with The Atlanta Consti-
tution.' he had been of late years editor OF The
Uncle Rernus Magazine" His Uncle Rernus: His
Songs and His Sayings which appeared N 1880
was followed by several other books of the same
sort and by volumes OF short stories depicting
Georgia scenes before, during and after the war.
and more recently by the shrewd and humorous OBJ
servations Of Mr.. Billy Sanders Of Shady Dale"
Mr.. Harris was born ct Eatonton. Ga. on Decem-
Der 9, 1S4S. His mother taught him read. and by
the time he six years old he had found his
way into the world of literature by the way OF
The Vicar of Wakefield" After experience in
district school and few terms at the academy in
his native town he went away from home. at the
age of twelve, to his own living He got a
chance TO learn be printer in the office OF The
Countryman. weekly newspaper published
the plantation of Joseph A Turner nine miles from
Eatonton- The editor and owner desirous Of
getting a bright boy to learn the business, and
when young Harris sought the place he secured IT,
In later years he was accustomed to say that a
corn of his feet came from kicking the
press in The Countrynan' office
But besides the experience he gained In the work
of getting out the paper the youth had oppor-
tunity TO make wide acquaintance with literature
in Mr. Turner's library. and he learned from the
negroes on the plantation the folklore Of which
he made so much use later. While al the case he
put IN type his own articles In 1854 Mr. Turner
and his family fed at the approach OF General
Sherrnans army, and young Harris had difficulty
IN preserving the Office Il ruin. When the
closed Georgia in such a OF distress that
he had to seek work elsewhere, and he went
New Orleans. where he secured place The
Crescent Monthly" Later he removed 10 Savannah
and worked The News under ". T Thoup-
son. author Of Major Jones's Courtship." In that
city he married Miss Esse La Rose. Canadian
girl. in 1873. He studied law in addition to his
editorial work. and for short time practsed in
Forsyth Ga
In 1876 owing 70 the yellow fever in Savannah.
Mr.. Harris took his family to Atlanta where he
found a place the editorial staff OF The Con-
stftution, beginning a connection with that
paper which lasted for quarter Of a century.
becoming in 1890 its editor. II IN the columns
Of The Constitution that he first contributed the
folklore tales Of the negroes. he had heard
them on the Turner plantation. He wrote the first
story IN which he introduced Uncle Renus and
the little boy for the Sunday issue OF The Con-
stitution' and received so many personal inquiries
and letters about IL that he another for the
following Sunday and kept up the series for
considerable time. and after their appearance IN
book form followed the first volume with other
essays In fiction.
and widespread appreciation and its fame
extended to the North and IT reprinted IN
England The author nad discussed Afro-Arnert-
can folklore in the Introduction to the volume
and this attracted the attention Of many philoio-
gtsts and students Of the subject who wrote 70
him about IL. The London Spectator said OF
Uncle Remus ''It deserves TO be placed on d level
with 'Reineke Fuchs for its quaint humor with
out reference to the chronological interest" The
author, in speaking of his creations. said Uncle
Rennus was not an Individual but composite
plantation darky. just the little boy was an
average boy. He secured his folk tales from a
wide variety Of sources. In 1888 the second Uncle
Remus book appeared. Nights with Uncle Re
mus Essays the short story field OF fiction
by Mr. Harris were gathered in book form in
1884 under the title 'Mingo and Other Sketches
IN which the patriarcha relation of master and
slave set forth. OF like character
Free joe and Other Georgia Sketches Gss0,
Daddy Jake. the Runaway QSSa). and "Balaam
and His Master QS9D.
Uncle Rernus and His Friends appeared in
1892, Told by Uncle Renus' in 1904 and Uncle
Ren1us and Brer Rabbit in 1907. In the intervals
between these Uncle Renus books Stories Of
Georgia and Aaron in the Wild Woods ap-
peared In 1897. Georgia from the Invasion of
De Soto to Recent Times in 1889 and Tales of
the Home Folks in the same year. The volume
OF short stories. Chronicles of Aunt Mfnervy
Ann appeared IN 1883 and the stories. "On the
Wings of Occasion" in 1900 larger work Of
fiction. Gabriel Toliver." appeared in 1905 Other
The Making Of a Statesman" "WaIIy Wander
over and "A Little Union Scout" Mr. Harris
also wrote life of Henry ". Grady. whom he
succeeded editor of THE Constitution
The New International Encyclopedia" says Of
Mr. Harris: mo one has more successfully por-
trayed the humorous side Of negro character and
imagination, but 1t would be injustice him to
think tia he has not also given an admirable
picture of Georgia life general, especially OF
the thrifty as well Of the thriftless rural in
habttants"
OF his own career, Mr.. Harris wrote few years
ago:
This was the accidental beginning Of a career
that has been accidental throughout. 1t
accident that 1 went to The CountryInan
accident that I wrote Uncle Renus'' and acci-
dent that the stories put forth under that name
struck the popular fancy In some respects these
accidents are pleasing. but in others they
barrassing. For instance. people persist in con-
sidering me literary man. when I am a journalist
and nothing else. I have no literary training, and
know nothing at all Of what IS termed literary
art I have no opportunity to nourish any serious
literary ambitions. and the probability is that II
such an opportunity had presented itself would
have refused 10 take advantage of il
COLONEL BENJAMIN =. WALLACE.