The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-10-29
STORIES OF AMBROSE BIERCE
~ SONE UiTS VAN or WI'S-
TFRI tND CONTR tDICTIONS.

Modest About Hls War Record DE.
nOunced Dogs. cared for Cur way
tn NuFderrr's Heart \ believer IN
Hard worn 4 Characteristic RetOrt
Ambrose BiNrce. whose collected works
were recently issued 10y the Neale Pub
fishing Company ~ Washing on. was for
years the acknow edged head ~ the
California literary colony and decidedly
tie most interesting character In some
respects h" was a man 81 myst e-y and
contradictions
Although h" wrote many stories ~ the
civil war. stories. by tho way which gained
him prompt recognition and hi gh praise
in England before American readers gave
him tho~" tributes. none hIt a few ~ his
Intimate friends know that he had served
In IN" war as an officer 81 engineers With
distinction HIswar STORIES were written
with such imper-onslity that his reader
supposed he had read up on his facts and
then treated them with his Vivid magma
tion
BIe-ce vas little more than a schoolboy
when he enlisted in an OHIO regiment. hat
hL knowledge 81 .n glneering gained in his
studies 10 pr"par" himself for tn. pro-
fesslon soon brought him advancement
IN the Engineering Corps
On" time when some Of his writings IN
th" San Francisco iroondm had brought
HIM INTO warm dispute with an officer
of IN" california National Guard Bi~rcn
conducted rho controversy On his side
without 50 much as a reference To the
Tact that b" had served a. AN officer
through the war, although his Antagonist
IN IN" CONTROVERSY emphasized the fact
hat mere writer 81 paragraphs and
stories could not be expected To- have such
snovledge ~ army matters involved in
IN" discussion a. was Possessed Nv an
officer II the National Guard Bi.rc.
himself thoroughly enjoyed The si'uation.
and ~ hen one II his intimate friends asked
whv n" did not reveal the source. If his
krowl"dg" II army aNalrs he smiled a. no
reple
oh. like - have the other fellow in d.
controversy snrsy ~ az much as do II
ne knew with what authority | spoke. u
might make him unhappy. a. u Is. he's
having lovely tiru"
~ intervals for several wears Rierca
mad" bitter enemies II dog lovers bv his
yitroic attacks designed 70 show that a
man Who would 40 much a. tolerate
minded and various othsr rhings wholly
Inattrac'lve 20 the readers who cared
for dog- Bier"A did tins writing m very
serious mood and succeeded IN giving
m" impression that the only creature ne
held IN greater dl-e-i e"m than a dog
lover vas any kind ~ dog
He vas living then IN a suburb of San
Francisco. - which on sunday. n wa.
tho custom ~ hIs admirers 10 90 a. n a
literary shrine. One such visitor wait
ing On th. inn ve-lnda for Bie-,a 20 an
pear remarked the prr.enc" 81 n -craEgly
cur dog which m no way added - the
atiraciiS on.~s ~ the pretty place The
visitor asked The landlord whv such a
homsly creature was tolerated., and the
landlord replied
oh. 'he homalas. Irtia wretch sneak ed
up her" trying 20 find some food and
B"rC" fed u and TOOK such a great liking
10 - ihl' b" Von' allow ~ 20 b" driven
away II isn't very pretty Ia he sure
hu' HerCe he's very fond ~ a. and a. he b
bring. lots ~ custom here Ne have 10
stand for N" dog N order 20 keep BIc-cs
A. another titn" during his San Fran b.
CISCO career Herce lived ~ the lovely
supurDan town 81 san Rafael IN Marin
county. north II the Golden Gate In
IN" same county ~aS the bIR prison ~
san Quentin. and the SHERIFF ~ the county
had - execute NOR" men than any ~ her
SherIf IN California. because the murder
habit was strong among IN" inmates ~ .
hat prison
That -h"rlr was Bret Harte type ~
sherin. tall. powerful. fearless chan
With whom Bierc- becam. very chummy
There ~ famous trout stream not far
from San Rafael and several lonely
fishermen had been found murdered and
robbed The sheriff made n sensa tionai
capture 81 q halfhr~ed Indian. who was
convicted ~ on" 81 those murders
Bierc" believed after a study ~ th.
ha lfbreed that he was guilty ~ several
such murders and through his friendhsip
with the sheriff he was admitted To the
mans cell. made n friend Of
him and visited him daily 4 few DAYS
before the man Was n he hanged rumors
came IN the San Francisco newspapers
that the haIfbreed had made n confes-
sion but the reporters could not verify
them The present writer was sent nv
a San Francisco newspaper to report the
execution and went 20 San Rafael the
evening before.
He called on Bierce. and when the
author learned that the reporter was
there on the story ~ the execution no
drew from HE desk a dozen pages Of
beautifully written and pre-
pared with eNactns-s for the printer
Tho copy wac headed A Go a. You ,
Pleas" Murderer and was the story II ,
SIX murders the halfbreed had com
several ~ them years before. Z
RELOCATED &" the liSt - unSolvabls my.-
,ertss ~ crime
\ told my friend Salvador 1.-THE half ,
breed that ] would not publish his inter
rating nHTraiiv" until he had Joined the ,
ma Jprliy, biIt YOU ar" ~ liberty 20 take
~" f'Cta and lnclud" them m your story
NJ ~" execution. sad Bi.rcp
Naturally tn Reporter took ADVANTAGE
N M" "n"r scrr"d = SCOOP and was az
cursed ~ having obtained the confession /
bN visiting Salvador disRi Used as q priest
bi"rc"" was urged again and again Z
- tell how h" had obtainsd tho story
from Salvador, the story which third h