The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-06-09
TALES OF %. HENRY
Many Weird Fictions Told Of Talent
ed Writer Who Has Passed Away

ed Writer Who Has Passed Away
20. Henry" the talented writer Of
short stories who recently died in
New York as the result of an opera
ton. did not care for publicity, AS
result of his determination to keep
himself out of the newspapers many
weird tales relative to his life before
{ he became famous came into exis-
tence. Most of these stories were re-
futed by the writer himself who as
serted that there were few spectacu-
lar incidents in his life
"A lot of yarns, he said in that in
terview, have been printed about me
and none Of them is true. II has
been said that / was once cattle
thief. The nearest / ever got to that
distinction was going down to
friends ranch 10 learn the cattle rails
Ing business. Another story is that
l have been a miner. ] never saw
mine in my life. Then there is the
yarn that | was once a tin-type artist
So far as this Is concerned, must ad-
nit that once had a tintype taken
with my arm draped gracefully over
a lady's shoulder.
"Then there Is that newspaper in
Plttsburg that printed the story that
when | first began to write blew In
to its office, looking like a tramp, Of
fered manuscripts for sale and Dor
rowed a dollar before blowing out
again. That story Is an embroidered
ft Why, | was the best dressed man
In the office, unless It was the editor,
whose shoes were a little more point
ed than mine A year after this story
was printed | saw Il. ! made a spec
,ial trip over TO Pittsburg and sent in
my card to the editor.
Sir. said / when at last I found
myself face TO face with this libeler
of my solvency, ! have come to lick
YOU
But wasn't il bully good story"
asked the editor
81 admitted that Il was and then
instead OF licking him we went out
and had luncheon together.
NO sir, all stories to the contrary
Notwithstanding. there never was a
time that / could not dig down into
r my pocket and find coin therein:
never rode a mile unless Il was in q
) Pullman"
: Then the writer reverted again to
the story Of his younger days when
r he was on the ranch In Texas He,
said he stayed there two and half
: years and when Il stopped raining
e and the pastures dried up he decided
to quit the cattle raising business, and
packing his grip, he Went to Houston
and got Job on the Houston Post
He had a column In the paper each
day and got $50 a week at first and
: then Il was raised 10 500. and finally
to S25 After being on the Post for
. q year. he bought from Brann the leo
!. noolast for $3.50.
Il bought out the whole plant
! name and ALL said O. Henry, "and
= started q ten page weekly story pa
= per. Being an editor, / OF course re.
signed from the Post. The editor did
most OF the writing and all of the H.
1 Illustrating. Meanwhile Brann had
! gone to Waco and he wrote and ask
ed me II I wouldn't let him have his
Iconoclast title back. ! didn't think
much OF Il and let him have Il, and
a accordingly renamed mine The Roll
ing stone. It rolled for about a yea
and then showed unmlstakable signs
n OF getting mosey Moss and / never
. were friends and so | said coed by tC
it.
=. 9TH a friend OF mine who had Q
. little money-wonderfu thing that
- isn't Il, o friend with a little money
suggested that | join him in trlI
to Central America. whittier he was
going with The intention Of going In
ito the fruit business. Well, Il takes
n long time and costs q lot Of none!