The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-23
JACK LONDON DIES
Famous Author and Adventur-
err Victim of Uremia.
Found Unconscious in His Bed
by japanese Valet.
NOVELIST, TRAMP AND SEAMAN
Started Wild Career as Oyster
Pirate on Coast.
Was Correspondent During
Russo-Japanese Conflict.
NOVELIST, TRAMP AND SEAMAN


plying with a recently expressed wish
of the dead author, the body OF JACK
London, novelist and adventurer, who
died at his Glen Ellen home last night,
will be buried privately Friday. Few
of the literary folk whose friendship
he possessed and who loved his writ
ings and London himself, will be in
attendance, according to present plans
The funeral will be private and burial
will be in Oakland.
London'S death was sudden. We'd
nesday morning when his Japanese
valet went to waken his master, he
found London unconscious in bed at
his Glen Ellen estate near here.
Physicians were summoned who de-
c1ared the author was suffering from
a touch of ptomaine poisoning or
acute indigestion. London was reused
with difficulty but recovered con-
seriousness before noon and then ap-
peared to be recovering rapidly.
This was only temporary strength,
however, and London soon lost con-
seriousness again, never reviving before
death which occurred at 7:45 last
night. Attending physicians say he
died from a intestinal type of
uremia.
Career on Ocean.
Jack London, novelist, socialist, re-
former and anthropologist, began his
tempestuous career in San Francisco,
January IL, 1876. He was the son of
John and Flora (Wellman) London.
His parents were very poor. He ran
the streets in his childhood and at fif-
teen, he spent his pennies for beer
instead of candy, because he thought
it more manly.
The strangeness of his boyhood is
seen in his statement that he had no
recollection of being taught to read
and write, attic he could do both at
the age of five At eight years he was
a ranch boy. He gloated over dime
novels and other ranch literature. At
eleven he was in Oakland, reading SO
much at the free library that he de-
veloped nervous disorder from lack
of exercise.
Then he became an oyster pirate,
shipped as sailor on schooner, and
was later salmon fisher Turning
from pirate to fish patrolman, he had
many wild encounters in those lawless
waters. Then he shipped before the
mast on seal hunting expedition to
the japanese coast and Behring sea
ana on MS return to California work
ed at coal shoveling, longshoring and
making jute.
Served Jail Sentence.
A little later he became a tranop.
travelling all thru the United States
and Canada, where he served a term
IN jail for vagrancy. AT 10 he was
back in Oakland attending high
months examining after his year in
the high school and then entered the
University of California, for which a
four years preparatory course is usu-
ally required. He got a job in a laun-
dry but quit college in the middle of
his freshman year after a brave strug-
gle to make ends meet He started
writing, decided he was failure and
went to the Klondike. While he was
in the K1ondike his father died and
London, on his return, took over the
burden of the family He wrote
| copiously and met rejection after re-
| lection Finally story was accepted
by California magazine and for this
he received IS. Soon after that the
Black Cat paid him $40 for a story II
seemed like fortune. From that time
on there came recognition to an in
creased degree until now he is one OF
the best known authors in the world
! He travelled much, his Cruise OF
the Snark'' being one result of an ad-
venturous journey. He became an
ardent Socialist and 1ectured in this
( cause. He was a war correspondent
in the Russo Japanese war.
| With the increased popularity of his
books came wealth, and he built beau