Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-04-29
A Famous Missouri Writer

Sundays st. Louis Republic
contains an article by Rober
2 Loves concerning, William Fl
Handy, the noted magazine writ
| er.
Mr.. Handy is a native of tht
, Ozarks and is a cousin of n. j
Craig, cashier of the Farmers
and Merchants Bank of Mans
field. Mr.. Handy was Mans
field visitor last year. and he and
Mr.. Craig were members of a
fishing party on the White River.
Mr.. Craig bringing home as a
trophy monster catfish the
largest ever caught in that river,
as far as is known.
Mr.. Handy has sold over two
million words of matter, mostly
short story fiction, finding a
ready market for every article
he writes, although he wrote for
seven years without being able
to sell a single article. He does
not have an acquaintance with
the magazine editors who buy
his articles, selling them on their
merit alone.
When a youth, Mr.. Handy was
a great reader. His first pur.
chase is said to have been The
Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin" which, the story says,
he snapped for a pistol that had
a spring so weak he had to snap
it twice to get it to go off.
The Republic doesn't say so,
but nevertheless it is fact that
this self.same book is still to be
found in the library of NJ. Craig
of Mansfield. Whether Mr., Ham
by still has the pistol, the depo
nent sayeth not. Mr., Craig says
he is still in the market for such
trades as he made with Mr.. Ham.
by on that occasion.
The Republic story contains
the following incidents in Mr..
Hamby's career:
In recent talk with Mr.. Ham
by insisted that he tell me a
few things about himself, but |
found that he preferred to talk
about other persons. All that he
said was of such friendly kindli'
ness that requested him to talk
similarly as to himself and finally
| got him started.
81 have always been fond of
walking and of outdoor life of
any kind" he said, especially
rowing, swimming and fishing.
My first experience in walking
has not been beaten often, !
think. When | was a boy of IL
my cousin, N. j. Craig, now
banker at Mansfield, Mo-, and |
ran away and walked 1s miles to
circus, followed the parade all
over town, took in the big show
and all the sideshowS and walked
back home that night. We made
&c miles in one day, to say moth,
ing of side trips. OF course, farm
work was rather stale for US af
ter that for while.
s"Two other of my youthful ex'
ploitS were an effort to reproduce
SolOmon's temple out of black
jack saplings cut by the other
fellows, and to build a ship, run
down the Gasconade river to
Hartville, steal the cannon out OF
the courthouse yard, float on
down the river five miles and
shoot up a fish trap that was VIC
lating the law. My plans We're
all strategically correct, and
failed only because the other fel'
lows fell down on handling the
cross.saw.'
Thus early do we see Romance
and Adventure taking possession
of the future writer. AS Mr..
Handy grew older he became
more interested in realism, as
his numerous stories of actual
human life go to prove. Some
body down in the Oaarks, who
has known him for years, said
to me-:
This man Handy likes just
plain folks about as we'll as any
man | know. He like to mix with
people and talk to them just
any kind of people; and he always
gets good writing material out OF
them, even though they DOM
lypow n themsalyes Hamhy car