New-York tribune., 1910-06-06
0. HENR, WRITER, DEAD
ronts,ed from frst page

I'll on veIlovcopy paper. but for the
life of hin, + couldn't remember the
,,side, ,sp,e of the humorists first
uif. ,-to All. before he came to New
vor,, ,oo,,i,e him little daughter.
Thi, a,r,b+e,z name is Margaret Por-
far She ;s NV eighteen years old and
successful sort story writer herself.
A few wear ago the writer married
Miss Sarah Cseman. of AsheYilie, n =,
who was dow South, or rather speed
;pe North then her husband died.
Mrs. Porter frived in the city late yes
terday afterpon and is now staying a'
the home ofAIr Griffith's mother. Mrs.
Griffith of No. 19 East 41st street.
The reasonble desire of Mr.. Porter to
ebar. none # Q. Henry's fame has
brought intoexistence a vast quantity
of n Henrvlegend. The legend runs
that he has cen tramp, tintype artist.
hook agent. nny-a-liner. prospector.
coypuncher. .rtist and druggist.
Desils Of His Life.
As msttr of record, he went to
Texas while Jill a boy and spent nearly
three wears N the ranch OF Lee Hall.
the ranger. In 1894, to further an in
born literaryBmbition, he went TO Work
on THE Helston Post Two years
later he boust Brann's 'Iconoclast" for
$3.50 I,aterstill he gave the title back
+o Rrapn an called his own paper 1.-The
Rolling Ston.
IF lived ory short time, however,
and then tseditor and owner embarked
for Central america with q friend. who
intended 70 lecome interested in banana
raising, but lid not.
Most Of my time there said Q.
Henry, "I Knocked around among the
refugees an, consuls."
Back to Ixss he came. and for two
weeks after nis arrival he tended a soda
water fountiin in q drug store. On this
incident is founded the myth that he
was once a druggist.
THAT wa. a rotten two weeks" said
he in one # the very few interviews
ever had With him. They made me
draw soda water, and I gave up
"A lot o stories have been printed
about me, and none of them is true" he
went on in this same interview It's
been said tfat was once cattle thief
The nearest ever got to that distinction
was going 1own on a friends ranch to
learn cattle raising. Another story is
that l have been a miner. I never saw a
mine in M life. Then, there's the old
yarn that was a tintype artist. So far
as this is concerned, must admit that
once had tintype taken with my arm
draped gracefully over a lady's shoulder
can Embroidered Fib."
Then there is that Internal newspa-
per over in Pittsburg which printed the
story that when I first began to write
blew into its Office looking like Z. tramp
offered manuscripts for sale, and, be-
fore blowing out again, borrowed q dol
lar. That story is an embroidered fib
Why, I was the best dressed man in the
office. unless II was the editor. whose
shoes were little more pointed thar
mine''
After the drug store experience Q
y
TO New York His wandering influenced
his work Texas gives the setting fo- the
volume Of short stories called THE Hear
o the West" Central America, Is the
scene of "Cabbages and Kings THE
Four Million The Voice of the City
and The Trimmed Lamp" are stories o.
New York City THE Gentle Crater
oct
year he wrote his only novel Roads o.
Destiny" Mr.. Page called it an elon-
gated short story.
Mr.. Hall, who when editor Of Aims
iee's' told Q. Henry that If he would
come TO New York he would pay him
annum said yesterday that the hu-
morist's regular price a the time of
his death was % cents a. word. He was
careless about money. though, the ed
itor added. and frequently they would
give him e check for 81 600 and tell
him to write them a story. This means
that Q. Henry was among the four or
five highest paid writer's of his time.
Fond OF Pitching Coins.
He had a brass bowl in his room,
said Mr.. Hall, Into which he used to
pitch coins for the fun of the game
He would get over on the other side Of
the room and see how many coins he
could land in the vessel. This gave
him so much enjoyment that the bowl
was kept pretty full, and whenever ne
xoI4 +to mood IF funds he would helm
himself from IT
Mr.. Page said that his publishing
house paid o. Henry stiff royalties. sc
that his yearly income, he thought must
have been a very comfortable one. But
often. the publisher said, the man would
leave his money at the office, not know
ing what TO do with it, or apparently
not caring what became of it.
What advice would you give to young
writers?" O. Henry was once asked.
''I'n give you the whole secret of short
story writing he replied. Here it is;
Rule Write stories that please your
self. There is no Rule =.
He worked constantly almost UP to the
day of his death. Recently he had spent
nine months in Asheville. at his wife's
home. working on a new play. Since his
return TO New York he had complained
of i'll health. and coincidentally he also
announced his determination TO try
writing in q serious vein. But he hid
the medicines the doctors prescribed
and only last Friday DR.. Charles r. Han
cock of No. 12S East Saith street. was