Evening star., 1933-12-18
WRITERS CAREERS
CLOSE PARALLELS
Chambers and Vance Had
Connections Here-Both
Prolific NoveIiSts.
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

. Louis Joseph Vance and Robert w.
Chambers, novelistS and short story
writer's. who died Saturday in New York,
were men whose lives contained many
curious parallels of circumstance.
Both had connections with Washington
and were known to numbers of resi-
dents of the Capital.
Vance was born here, September 10,
1879. His father was Wilson Vance, a
native of Ohio. who won a Congress
sional Medal of Honor for his services
at the battle of Stone River, Tenn, and
after the close of the Civil War entered
journalism. Successfully managing edi-
tor of the Ohio State Journal, the In
dianapolis Journal and the New York
Morning Advertiser. he came to Wash
ington on frequent occasions between
1871 and 1910 and was widely ac-
quainted in the city. During several
years he was Capitol Hill correspondent
for a chain of papers including the
Chicago Tribune, the st. Louis Republic
and the Cincinnati Commercial. About
1904 he became editor of the Square
Deal. with Offices in New York and
residence in Brooklyn. He wrote
series of books Princes F'avors,'
Little Amy'S Christmas" Gods War,
and Big John Baldwin and was
dCllNt III lllt VI. II. ", IlCpuplAIdIl pO-
htical and Episcopal church circles.
Mrs. Vance, the novelist'S mother,
was Lille Bell Beau of Uniontown, Pa.
Louis Joseph was educated at various
schools, finishing at the Brooklyn Poly
technic Institute, but he lived to say
of the experience, My schooling made
no impression upon me" His predilec-
ton was for design and illustration,
but he had little formal art training.
However. his hopes were stimulated by
the publication of two of his drawings
in "Harper'S Young People'-a sketch
of a newspaper editorial room and a
sketch Of the Library of Congress.
Later, he tried out" in the art depart
ment of the New York Journal but a
few weeks was enough to convince him
that his talents lay in another direction.
At l9 he married Nance Elizabeth
Hodges, whom he had met at the Art
Students League.
First Story Rejected.
Life was hard for the young couple.
They had only one child, but their
financial problems were many and
complex To relieve the situation
Vance sought a position in an office.
Eventually, he was accommodated by
public service corporation at S23
week. It was to augment that income
that he first began to cultivate the
literary market.
His first story was rejected and de-
stroyed. His second was bought by
the Mcclure syndicate for S25 Then
disappointment. His first authentic
success was a 100000 word novel,
"Milady of the MercenarieS," which he
~ - c600
Thus encouraged, he plowed ahead,
working all day at his job and half the
night on fiction of various types and
lengths. 1t is said that he sold
Literally hundreds" of stories to Street
& Smith. using different pen names
to hide his real identity
Two stories Of adventure, Torrance
ORourke" and The Private War;"
helped him over the great divide"
between ObSCurity and fame, Then, in
1907, he followed the example of Jacques
F'utrelle, whose Chase of the Golden
Plate" was a best-seller, and wrote
''Ths Brass Bowl" Its publication es-
tablished him. He produced "The
Black Bag in 1908. THE Bronze Bell
in 1909, and The Band Box" in 1912.
Meanwhile. he also brought out mo
Mans Land and Cynthia of the
Minute"
But his most popular achievement
was THE Lone Wolf" with Michael
Lanyard as the central character.
Aimed at a target which he had learned
to appreciate, it struck the center of
the bulls-eye fair and true. The book
was gold mine. 1t prompted the
sequels. alias the Lone Wolf" The
Lone Wolf Returns and The Lone
VOLTS Son"