The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-27

mas 10 dO IS pOutlCal colNeHlioh anu Q | murder trial. Most of the stuff has to be telegraphed from the hall or court room, written at high speed and in public l (which is a whole lot harder than to do it slowly and in the privacy of your own office or home). But for the most part. the work is not hard and is a constant education and delight.
 It goes without saying that the ambi- ton of every newspaper hack is to write for magazines or to "do novels" If 1 ever get time I'm going to try both. I feel I have given you, dear little lady, most imperfect biography" The time is so short, however, that must put this in the mail tonight. If can dig up from the office files any scraps of stories that think are worth reading as selec- tions," I'll send them along, trusting to luck that they will reach you in time, if you find you want them. Sister Kitten anything out.
 With heartfelt appreciation and a mill lion good wishes I am most cordially yours, ZOE BECkLEY. The "clippings" sent to Mrs. Badham included a number of splendid stories which Zoe Beckley has written for the Evening Mail, several Of which Mrs. Bad ham read to the Book club. Among them was "The Man in White,' whom visi- tors from Birmingham to New York sev- eral years ago remember, as he attracted great deal of attention stalking around the streets dressed in white, bare-headed and bare-handed.
 This remarkable man was Lieut.. Percy Richards, so Zoe informs us, formerly of the Swedish army holder of honors from his King both for military service and for his art as singer, friend of nobility in three countries, and known by sight to half the population of New York as "the Man in White"
 Mrs. Badham also read an interview" or Zoes with Alfred Kroymberg on "Vers Libre," which IS Zoe Beckley at her best The writer says, prefacing the story:
 we sat appropriately on a bench in Washington Square near Guido Brunos garret; had brought with me others a magazine of New Verse which is edited by Alfred Kreymborg at Brentwood, N. J.
 Mrs. Badham then showed her auditors picture of Zoe Beckley taken in divers eostume, which she donned when she went to the bottom of the sea, and from there telephoned the story of her experi- ences and sensations to her office.
 Relating the incident, we'll known periodical thus puts it:
 Theyve got an arrangement to att tach to diving suit so the diver can telephone from under water to any place on land where the connections are made" explained the editor of the New York Evening Mail to Zoe Beckley the noted feature writer and news gatherer
 And you want me to get picture of it and a description?' asked Zoe.
 "No,' exclaimed the editor, we've got that. want you to go down in div ing suit and telephone the story of your sensations and experiences to this office while at the bottom of the ocean,
 "Oh, merely that" laughed the intrepid Zoe. Wel, show me the suit and I'll do it." And she did it, without thought of the attendant peril.
 Mrs. Badham was heartily and warmly congratulated by the members of the Highland Book club for her very clever and entertaining talk about Zoe Beckley. It was all done in such an original and attractive manner and mich charming information was gained about the famous writer which could never have been given except through a close personal, life long friend. . It was truly beautiful tribute from one friend to another. 1
 
 Zoe Becl1ley has become widely known and very much beloved in the south through her ''syndcated" work for The Age-Herald "Her Side and His" being the serial which thousands followed with delight.
 In the early spring of last year Zoe Beckley received an assignment from the Evening Mail to make an ocean, to- ocean tour and write her impressions from the or.n1 ctt pIa ;o;+
 Birmingham was included in the tour and for a few brief days Mrs. Fulen- wider entertained her famous sister. While here Zoe wrote a story about Mrs. Ross c. Smith and one about Webb Crawford--two of the most attractive stories she has ever written. and which added luStre to her already brilliant galaxy of stories.
 Zoe had an awfully funny experience when she was cean-to-oceaning" which I'll tell you about just to show you that all of us sooner or later get caught at our own game-and Zoe was caught good and proper out in Denver.
 Zoe arrived in Denver one bright, sunshiny day in June and straightaway wended her way to the office of the Den yer Post, just to pay her respects to the editor and incidentally to give them a tip about what was doing on old Broadway.
 Imagine her surprise when she picked up the paper next morning and say her self all "cartooned up," like horse and buggy, on the very front page of the paper, while flaming headlines an- nounced:
 'Victim of Her Own Game of Inter viewing. Zoe Beckley Disavows Sob Sister Label"
 The story was stunningly done by Gene Fowler of the Post staff and among other things he said you will emo these quotations:
 "Gotham's most eminent sob sister in- sists on calling us you westerners. She shouldn't do this, for she is one of us She is the sort of newspaper analyst who lifts the roof from the world, peeks into each and every room, steps in and | talks the language and calls the old man by his first name In her native haunts she visits the tenement. She points to the head of the family and asks him what he intends to bring home in that can-millx for the baby or beer | mn m kC kI[[n