New-York tribune., 1912-04-14
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR APRIL IA. 1912
HOW DEPEW GETS HIS STORIES
THROUGHOUT the last three or four

THROUGHOUT the last three or four
L decades, or since a great many thou-
sand Jokes ago, Chauncey Mitchell Depew
has been touted as the champion producer
of funny stories
Now that he has retired from the United
States Senate he ought to be able to obtain
employment at good wages running Man
| About Town column in some good news
naper. providing a shower OF new stores
Zach dav. Few men have told more original
stories than Depew When he makes an
after dinner speech, as he's done frequently
in the fftv-four years he has been before the
public. he is almost certain to tell two or
three stories about funny incidents that have
ostensiblv come under his observation,
stories that have never before been told.
| One would think, from the number OF
these stories he keeps turning up, that Mr.
Depew couldn't step out OF his front door
without humping right into some uproariouS
happening, or else that his friends are people
who meet with all sorts OF strange exper-
fences and keep him supplied. Yet the
average person goes months at time WITH
out seeing or hearing anything funny enough
TO be worth telling. One naturally wonders
then where it is that Mr.. Depew hears his
new stories If he has some friends that ne
shakes down for stories every so often, just
as one would an apple tree, such friends OF
his ought to be searched out and cultivated.
I used to frame up daily column OF stores
for big Western newspaper; but without
ever getting to be a Chauncey Depew, and
so | decided to hunt up the famous story.
teller from over New York way and see II
he wouldn't tip off his system.
I found out that Mr.. Depew didn't hear
any more stories than anybody else; but he
sees a lot of incidents, apparently trivial,
and casual remarks, which, with proper en-
belshment, may be twisted into good little
anccdotal warns. He doesn't depend on the
funny columns of the newspapers, or the
Departments Of exhumcd antiques in the
backs of monthly magazines for his story
hints. He gets them all just by noticing
things and listening to the talk OF people
he's with. His brain, in consequence OF long
practice. automatically acts as sort OF
anecdotal cistcrn for anything that will serve
as the germ for a story. Then he Il work up
the story" as he puts it, until in the final
telling. it is a finished work of art.
TELL Chaunccy Depcw story OF some
personal experience, and by the time ne
Uses il at a banquet, or some place, one would
NOT recognize ones own story. lie has added
a point, a "crackcr" at the cnd or, II it had
point in the first place, he may nave
| elaborated on the characters, given the story
setting. supplied atmosphere, some extra
touches of humor, proppcd up It's 'piauSl
biitv. and-aS Dooley sayS-thcre you are!
A good story, says Mr.. Dcpcw, is an evolu-
ton. Sometimes in a series OF campaign
speeches he'll tell a story several times. At
each telling he'll introduce new atmosphere.
or eliminate some phrase that has missed
fire with previous audience. At the close
of the campaign the story would differ from
its original self even as a real and musical
comedy miimaid differ one from the other
in symmetry and piquancy.
The knack Of gathering in stories from
casual incidents is a hobby with former
Senator Depcw, and he keeps picking them
up. whether he has supply on hand or not.
Years ago, when he was president OF the
New York Central Railroad, and was meet
ing people all day long, he made it point,
merely 10 exercise his mind, to frame up
enough good stories to carry through the
dinner at home that evening, as he expressed
it; or, if he was invited out to keep the
guests in such good humor with his stories
| that the hostess would invite him sometime
again, 20 an even better dinner. His family
urged him 10 stick TO his task in the anec-
dotal orchard, and he kept bringing home
three or four good stories a day, month in
and month out And they were all new.