New-York tribune., 1919-06-28
The Iron Hunter
Chase Osborn Tells Story
OF Adventurous Career

Chase Osborn Tells Story
OF Adventurous Career
THE IRON HUNTER. BY, Chase s. os-
BIG pages. Price $500.
Chase Osborn's autobiography is
moro entertaining than many an ad-
venture story and the majority Of best
sellers. That he was at one time a
newspaper man may have much to do
with the interest he provokes and con-
sistently maintains. He knew what
made good story. He also learned the
value of brevity and the psychological
effect of innuendo.
Looking back over a career which
included much of common appeal he
evidently decided that the public is
pore interested in vice raids than in
any OF the other steps by which he rose
to the Governorship of Wisconsin and
to be an iron ore expert. Forhis opening
chapter, headed "Wolves-Human and
Otherwise" is evidently wrenched from
its chronological place in his life Sc
quence and pumped at the beginning
of his book for the express purpose Of
read
ing public
Florence, Wisconsin," Osborn writes,
s'was a metropolis Of vice. A mile out
of town Smudge's stockade was the
central supply station and prison used
by the nerviest white savers that ever
dealt in women" Their dealings, the
layout of the stockade and the meth
| DDS used by Smudge are set down by
Osborn with a meticulous care that no
sensational detail shall be missing.
With such a start, he doubtless be-
carry the reader through Chapter II,
which gives the genesis of Osborn" as
family name. Plainly, this chapter is
lame device to jump from the vice
raid era back to Osborn's immediate
progenitors and his own birth in Hunt
ington County, Ind, "in little log
house of two rooms with one real glass
window and two others of creased pa
per-"
While Osborn was still youngster
the family lost what money it had, and
Chase became ragpicker, which in
cluded gathering old iron as we'll
From then on monotony was word
that had no place in osborn's acting
vocabulary. He carried newspaper
route and sold papers. He tried farm
work, split rails and chopped wood.
His education was more or less of
the self variety, and before twelve his
book list included besides "Swiss Fam
lily Robinson" Robinson Crusoe" and
Little Prudy's Captain Horace" the
less usual titles of Gray's Anatomy"
Dalton's physiology" Thomas on "Dis-
eases of Women and Children" and
pages of Dunglison's medical diction-
ary.
~ would gather" Osborn writes, "a
crowd of boys on the curbstone on dark
nights and before a Rembrandt fire in
the gutter, with its vivid chiaroscuro,
| would tell them the secrets of these
doctor books in low tones. The great
est horror of impression would be
made by the descriptions of awful dis
eases that befell men and women who
were not good"
Osborn's career was as multi-colored
as kaleidoscope. At one stage he ran
away from home, was cookee and chore
boy in a winter lumber camp, and in
the spring worked in saw and shingle
mill. Returning home with some
money he entered Purdue University at
the age of fourteen. 1t was here, in
class taught by Professor Hussey, that
Osborn believes he acquired a conf
dence In himself which he had hitherto
lacked.
professor Hussey taught zoology"
Osborn states. "He asked for speci-
mems. 1t took a great effort on my
part to gather all the bones of q horse
skeleton in the river bottoms and pile
them in the classroom. The specimen
was too new. Professor Hussey lost
his temper, and coming near to where
| sat, growled:
"Osborn, do you know how near a
| fool you are?' l replied, Two feet
ut was not an original retort, I am
certain; but the psychology Of it was
that its very boldness gave mo a
greater confidence in myself"
Newspaper man, coal wagon driver,
valet to a man-eating stallion, men,
Der of a railroad construction gang,
and finally editor of Milwaukee
which brought>hi to that period when
mans Importance overwhelms the last
self consciousness of boyhood.
At twenty-one he married, gave his
wife scent bouquet from tho Ger
man market in Milwaukee, paid the
preacher 50 down and SO on the in
stalment plan, and took a joyous
honeymoon on streetcar drawn by
horses.
We would not be fair to Mr.. Osborn
IL we gave more Of the unique details
which make his autobiography so we'll
worth reading. 1t is his capacity for
enjoyment in small things, his un-
failing humor, and his own keen de-
light in the unusual which, cleverly
transcribed make the appeal OF his
book something which holds not only
the mature reader, but that romance
hungry tribe of youthful seekers after
adventure.
The greater part Of his story, Of
course, deals with his interest in iron
ore and the stages by which he
achieved the knowledge which. now
ranks him an expert. More than one
boy feeling out for hooks on which to
hang his future career, will be led by
osborn's autobiography to dig out the
yet undiscovered regions whore the
red hcmatite ore abounds. And from
the mature reader will be granted an
honest appreciation for a man who
has handled his life we'll and tran