New-York tribune., 1911-02-12
The Bowery Is
Mourning for
Owen Kildare
THEIR OWN KIPLING
Incidents in the Life of Hit
crate Newsboy Who Be-
came an Author.

r,udare. "the Bowery Kipling,"
,,.d the other day. furnished moralists
Nno a,sss cause for marvelling that one
VIZ" rarc from so lowly and brutal an
"Ho ia achieve so much. But many
0Ils,a aao,es Of bis career go TO show that
ore he must have inherited a strain
- sner sentiment thst'made My Mamie
pose'' a possibility.
~, he natbetic childhood he once wrote:
'.rhere was none so orphaned as l. Those
..ore orphans had al least memories.
had not even these
seldom in his life UP to this time had
- one ever said kind word 10 him. One
,.v xben a strange woman patted him on
~, cheek he almost cried with the JOY
Of
oWth light pat on my cheek and one
i -, ,,o. sunniest smiles ever shed on me,
:. ssvs Of the incident, "she put penny
a. NV hand She was gone before real
90 "a ,,bat had happened. Somehow felt
.sot were she to come back l could have
ia n her: Say. lady haven't got
~ - Give. but I'll give you all me poip-
80 mo pennles and me knife If you'n do
that agen.
IL rever eujoyed possession OF real
= - shoes TIN he was seven years old.
"a ,,ben on a cold December night a
- f-iend gave him a pair, he was over
e,hol,ed with pride and delight. His emo
cons were shortlived. however. HIS drunk
en- foster father returned home seeking
r,fsns Of getting more liquor. He saw the
,hoss and cf they came. The boy was
,L.,.d into the street But there was Mary
.,.N,,l,y the foster mother. who when his
-, r,otbcr lav dying. had refused to let
So, co to an institution. lie felt sure
-. would rescue the shoes, though 1t
,o1d nrobably cost her beating. About
midnight he crcpt back. and, sure enough
-, rore the shoes on the doorstep.
,bou, this time the boy achieved an am
100, IN become a seller OF newspapers.
"a, certainly from any conscious leaning
,orsrd Journalism. for he didn't know one
,,,,.r from another. He had the shoes,
syt he lacked tho capital. One evening he
vas IN Park Row warming himself IN the
s,san which came up from the pressrooms
=, the newspaper buildings. While he shiv-'
cred in the dim light boy, little older
,ssn himself. approached.
Coin 10 sell popers?' the boy asked.
yep" was the reply.
Got any money:
Nope"
Here's cints to stake ye. Ye're IN our
gang"
7, wss his FIRST capital as nevsboy, and
Sic new found friend was the late Little
gim' sullivan
Put the incident that opened up the Irst
s7sat romance Of his life developed ai'ei
bs md reached mans estate and become
rsnounced as a pugiist. lie was 'bouncer
q, ,hA dance hall and dive of "Fatty
17vnn" an cx-convlct, at NO. 81 Boiiu
,,rs., a, this time. skinny" Mccarthy
or e4nert bundle suatcher," was one OF
~, chief friends and admirers. One day
in these times. when Skinny was more
drunk than usual, aud they were all out
sds the saloon loahng and insulting tne
vemsn who passed, his attention was at
irsc,ed ty hearing a woman say:
And YOU are men.
He took in instantly what had happenea,
tu, the look on the slender girls face neI'
him and stirred him. as he could not uh-
osrs,and. IN another moment ne hau
knocked skinny down and cleared eoou
three yards around the girl.
"I had better walk with you niue
ways" he said gruffiy, and as they "alNe'.
she drew from him his name ana much 0i
his life. lie saw her TO her door anu
learned that She vas a school teacher III
the pelshborhoc5. She talked TO him anou,
leading A better life. and. though he hoo'eu
at what he called "prating, what she s",u
started chain Of thought which, on ms
return 70 the Bowery. he could not oreaH.
Without her knowing II he "ouid ioi''"
her abou; the East Side TO see tha' sie
was not irsuted again. one day slo"' 'i,9
bolder. he put himself in her way ana "e",
rish fell 10 the street when she stopP''
Instantly. saying:
How % you DO. Mr. hildare'
Fron that dav ne vas her slave more
than ever. one night at her ooo' S"'
asked him 10 go 10 a church ENTERTAIN
ment. at the same time giving MN ca'u'
when is it, he asked.
81 don't remember" she replied, Dut inc
card shows
Instantly be- face was crimson. He'H0'
he held the card upside down or just "h''
happened he never knew. but she hau
seen that big man that he vas ne ""
unable TO read line. From that nigiit oi'
Re began 70 study under her onec'ioH'
starting Ike a chiid Of Elk al the alphaOe''
tl he was master Of the prose that Haue
him sought for bv the magazines Ano
young woman was his Mamie Rose WHO
died jus, bcfore they we're to be married
Il was the merest accident that fnahy
made Kildare a writer After the death oil
his hanc6 he became utterly despondent'
gave up his work and was fast Ial'i's
back into his old dissolute ways one "'sn''
while cold hungry and Indifferent 10 Hle
In general, he was sitting on park oeio"
when his eye caught sight OF a prize oher
for love story or a bit OF old newspaper
diSarded by a passeIb by. That gave nm an
hea. He found q stub OF pencil anu
some wrapping paper. and with them pro-
oaced the story Of his life in MY Mamie
nose" which was an instantaneous sue
cess
His second romance was OF the nature or
awhrlwind While correcting and revising
Ny Mamie Rose" he met Miss Leita Rus-
seii Bogartus a newspaper writer, VINO
gave him some assistance. He saw her
why once more before their marriage. lHls
sH who wrote for newspapers vas IN ti'e
De'xshires when she received telegram
ron him: y am coming for you. nope
''@t you will not be angry. have never
Deeh denied anything" She. not knowing
sHa' he meant. met him at the railroad
''~'ion Under his insistence the carriage
'@ driven to the house of clergyman
s1o they were married
nhen Lis mind began 20 trouble him. two
lhree years ago, something OF the old
oe tighter spirit seemed to revive again
nm. While THE Regeneration, the
aS founded on my Mamie Rose was
is staged by Arnold DAILY, Mr.. kildare
--A.e1 r....L-. tLaa Mr Da-N lal