The Washington herald., 1922-02-26
CIRCUS WIZARD
WINS TRIBUTE
FROM MINTYRE
Courtney Ryley Cooper,
Express Agent, Exalted
As Writer in New York.
By 10. MCINTYRE.

NEW YORK. Feb. 25.-Courtney
Ryley Cooper has red hair-that Is
what little he has Is red-and began
life as a circus clown and now at 35
Is distinguished member, Of bellies
lettres. While his home Is in New
York where he has an apartment
on the Drive. he comes here only
! for three months year and the
rest of the time he is rider of
the purple sage at Idaho Springs
Colorado
Coop" as his fntimates know
him. knows more about circus life
than any living author For; ffteen
years he lived under the big, tops"
as press agent for Bunalo Bill.
and the Sells Fioto circus. He was
born in Kansas CITY,. Mo-. and at
different periods has been a-spe-,
| cial writer on the Kansas City Star,
New York World. Chicago Tribune
and Denver Post
He was Buffalo Bills closest
friend and wrote that celebrated
plainsmen's memoirs after his pass
| ing He has also written more than
| 900 stories of circus life for forty
different magazines. He retains
much of the spirit OF the Old West
| to this day even in his dress.
When he comes on TO New York
for his yearly visit his wide
brlmmed hats and buffalo overcoats
give Fifth avenue a daily thrill. II
| it were not for New York's strict
gun, Jaw there is little doubt but
| what he would carry, a wicked der
| ringer in his holster.
He is considered in the same
class at Irwin Cobb and the late
Rennold Wolf as an after dinner
speaker. And his life in New York
is a succession of banquets and
luncheons. Those who have ad-
, mired Cooper on the printed page
| must not get the idea that he is a
horny handed, rope throwing cow
boy type.
Far be it from such, He wears
evening clothes and high hat
with the grace of a Ward Meal
| lister and he is as much at hUSne
with polite chatter over teacups at
| the Ritz as he is sleeping on top
of the bears cage when he's out
| trooping with a circus.
| Although young in years. he Is
| old in experience and knows much
| of life. He has visited every town
| in the United States that has more
than 1000 population. He is the
most prodigious of the present crop
of short story writers and has
been known to complete 5000
word short story in twenty-four
| hours.
His constant companion Ss his
charming young wife. light
hearted and beautiful California
lady who before her marriage was
Miss Genevieve r. Furey. She is
an accomplished horsewoman and
during their idle houfs i'm Colorado
they hunt together in the wilds.
sleeping in the open at night and
cooking their meals over the camp
fire.
Cooper was just going over the
top as a writer when the world
| war started. He put his type
writer in the attic and enlisted
as a private in the United States
Marines. Later he became COM
| msnding second lieutenant and was
sent to France to collate historical
matter concerning the Marines.
When he returned home he had
exactly $50 and SO he went around
| to the Denver Post and took job
| as rewrite man and began writ
ing fiction at night. In six weeks
he had written and sold fourteen
stories. so he quit his newspaper
job and has beea writing fiction
ever since.
He has an unbroken record of
selling everything he writes. H"
is sensitive and modest and the
few whom he numbers as his
friends find him superlatively loyal
an dsteadfast through fair weather
or foul. He once crossed the con-
tinent to aid a circus canvasman
who was in trouble. Aside from mis-
own name he writes under the nom
de plumes of Barney Furey. Will
lam o. GrenOlds and Jack Harlow.
He has had as many as four stories
in the single issue of a popular
| fiction magazine.
His favOrite recreation is going
to the circus.
Tin Pan Alley has been hit by the
uplift The composers of catch
penny tunes declare that they abhur
Jazz and do not write such stuff
They blame the dansant Orchcstras,
who take perfectly innocent moon
and-spoon me |odies and fill them
with saXaphohe strains and cow
bell interpretations. Jerome Kern,
who is responsible for several
III oadway musical hits. was in a
cafe the other rigi.t and heard three
Of his tunes. He says he did not
recognize them.