Georges Dodds, who maintains the R.U.R.itaninan Muglug web site -- where you'll find a number of electronic texts (including the Talbot Mundy story, "The Soul of a Regiment") -- provided the following newspaper stories about Talbot Mundy, which appeared soon after his arrival in New York. These columns of type provide a look at Mundy's life while he was still something of a rascal, before he settled down to being a popular author of adventure fiction.
Dodds found these newspaper materials came at the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (BETA) 1900-1910 web site. The source and date for each story are noted at the beginning of each.
From New York Sun,
Saturday, October, 2, 1909, p. 1, c. 3
THUGS' VICTIM FOUND DYING
TALBOT MUNDY, ENGLISHMAN,
BEATEN AND ROBBED.
His Wife Says She Was Formerly the Wife of Lord Rupert Craven, Brother of Bradley Martin's Son-in-Law -- Arrived From England Only Two Days Ago.
When the White Star liner Teutonic arrived on Thursday two passengers aboard the steamer were Talbot Mundy, an Englishman, and his wife, Inez.
Mundy is now in Bellevue Hospital probably dying as a result of the work of thugs.
When Mundy was taken to Bellevue last night in an ambulance the reporters learned that he had taken an apartment at 503 East Fifteenth street and they went there to see his wife. Mrs. Mundy thought the reporters were detectives from 'your Scotland Yard,' as she put it, and she said:
"When we arrived on the Tuetonic [sic] we took these rooms, as we knew nothing of New York and had this address from London. My maiden name was Inez Morton. I was first married to Lord Rupert Cecil Craven and was related in marriage by that way to Mrs. Bradley Martin, whose daughter Cornelia married the present Earl of Craven. I was divorced from Lord Craven in Mombasa, British East Africa, and was married to Mr. Mundy, who was district commissioner there and a former newspaper man connected with the London Mail."
Mrs. Mundy related this without showing emotion and did not seem to notice the surprise of the newspaper men. She was questioned about the facts of her former marriage amd told them again, and again still later repeated them word for word to the police.
According to Whitaker's Peerage Inez Morton, a daughter of George Broom Morton, married Rupert Cecil Craven, younger brother of Earl Craven, in 1899.
Mrs, Mundy said that soon after they had settled themselves in their rooms yesterday Mr. Mundy left the apartment to go to a newspaper office on Park row to see about getting work. He also took with him £100, English money, to have changed into our currency. Soon after he left three men presented themselves at the apartment and asked for a Mr. Franklin.
"I told them he didn't live here," said Mrs. Mundy. "They then said they wanted beer. I thought that queer, but was alone and so gave them a pitcher. Then they went out for the beer and a short time after returned and insisted on drinking it in my apartment. They looked tough and I was frightened and they made me take a glass also."
"Soon after my husband came home. The men had just gone. I told him about the men and had just finished when they returned and had a talk with him. He does not drink, but he thought the easiest way to get rid of them was to but them a drink and went out with them. Two of the three men came back to the apartment this evening without my husband. After talking a while they said they were J. White of 128 East Twenty-ninth street and W. Franklin, who gave no address. Then one of the men left."
Mrs. Mundy said the man who remained at once attacked her, knocked her down and took from her a gunmetal watch which she was wearing on a chain. After the man got the watch he ran downstairs and out. Mrs. Mundy had with her an English police whistle and she blew this.
Detective Barry, who was passing, heard the whistle and came to her assistance. She told him what had happened, when Policeman Erhard came from Bellevue Hospital to tell Mrs. Mundy that here husband was there and would probably die.
In the hospital Mundy was barely able to tell his part of the story. He said he had gone out with the men to a saloon. One man remained with him for a while and the other two went away, but soon after returned. Then they went down together and walked down the street. That was the last Mundy could remember of what had happened to him.
Mundy was found by a watchman of a factory lying in the middle of Nineteenth street between Avenues B and C at 9:30 o'clock last night, which corresponded to the time as near as Mundy could remember it that he had left the saloon with the three men.
There was a deep depression on the skull that looked as though he had received it from a heavy blunt instrument. His clothes had been rifled and the $500 he had just received in exchange for his English money was gone. So also was a watch.
Mrs. Mundy gave the police a description of the three men last night and at 11 o'clock they arrested James Cahill of 500 West Fifty-third street as a suspicious person. Mrs Mundy identified him as the man who had said his name was Franklin and he was taken to Headquarters.
** ** **
From New York Times,
Saturday, October, 2, 1909, p. 3, c. 4
THUGS BEAT TALBOT MUNDY.
Husband of Once Noted English Beauty May Die.
When Talbot Mundy, an Englishman who was once District Commissioner at Port Florence, in the Mombassa section of British East Africa, regained conciousness in Bellevue Hospital last night, where he had been carried after he had been discovered by a watchman of a factory in the neighbourhood, almost dead from the beating he had received at the hands of thugs who robbed him of $500, the man sent the police to 503 East Fifteenth Street, saying that his wife was there.
The woman, the police found, was still beautiful and was evidently cultured, and it was no surprise, therefore, when she said that once she had been the wife of the Hon. Rupert Cecil Craven of London, brother of the Earl of Craven.
Mrs. Mundy, for such is her name now, said she had once been Miss Inez Broome, whose beauty was famous in London ten years ago. Mundy, she admitted, had been named by her husband when he divorced her.
The couple came here from London, arriving on Thursday last, and Monday, when he was assaulted and so badly beaten that he may die was on his way to look for work on a newspaper having corresponded for a London newspapers while he was in Africa.
** ** **
From New York Sun,
Sunday, October, 3, 1909, p. 5, c. 5
MORE ARRESTS IN MUNDY CASE.
Man Identified by Mrs. Mundy Held to Wait Result of Englishman's Injuries.
The police made two more arrests yesterday in connection with the assault upon Talbot Mundy, the former District Commissioner of Port Florence, East Africa, who was found last Friday night lying unconcious on the pavement in Nineteenth street between Avenues A and B. The men arrested yesterday are Robert Moore, 28 years old, of 407 East Eighteenth street and Joseph Ford, 28 years, of 127 East Eighteenth street.
Both Moore and Ford, according to Policemen Barry and Adams, who arrested them, are active members of the "Forty Thieves" gang and were seen hurrying away from the spot where Mundy was found shortly after the assault. They were arrested on a dock at the foot of Eighteenth street.
James Cahill of 500 West Fifty-third street, who was positively identified by Mrs. Mundy as one of the two men who attacked her and made off with her watch just before the assault on her husband was held without bail by Magistrate Corrigan in Yorkville Court to await the results of Mundy's injuries, which are still said to be serious. Mrs. Mundy told the reporters on Friday that she was the divorced wife of Lord Rupert Cecil Craven.
She was allowed to see her husband at Bellevue for a few minutes yesterday morning and had not returned home yesterday evening.
Mrs. Mundy when seen last night said she had sent letters to two friends asking for financial aid. One was to William Gray, a steward on the steamship Teutonic, who she said was once a groom on her stud farm in England when she was in better circumstances, The other was to Charles Van Alen, and was addressed to the Knickerbocker Club, Fifth avenue and Thirty-second street.
** ** **
From New York Sun,
Monday, October, 4, 1909, p. 3, c. 5
ANOTHER MUNDY ARREST
Mundy Is Still Unconcious at the Hospital.
The police made another arrest last night in the case of Talbot Mundy, the Englishman who was assaulted and robbed in East Nineteenth street some time on Friday night. From the description given by Mrs. Mundy Detective Barry of the East Twenty-second street station picked up Stephen Drennan, 22 years old, who says that he is a laborer and lives at 404 First avenue, and took him to 503 East Fifteenth street, where Mrs. Mundy positively identified the man as one of the three who came to the house and insisted that her husband go with them to a saloon and buy beer for them.
Drennan denied that he knew anything about the assault upon Mundy and said that he could show that he was not in the neighbourhood of Nineteenth Street on Friday night.
Mundy is still unconcious at Bellevue Hospital.
** ** **
From New York Sun,
Tuesday, October, 5, 1909, p. 3, c. 4
MRS. MUNDY IDENTIFIES TWO.
Is Positive That They Are Men Who Assaulted Her Husband.
Mrs. Talbot Mundy, the English woman whose husband was assaulted Friday night and is lying in a critical condition in Bellevue Hospital, appeared against the four men arrested as the persons who entered her apartment at 503 East Fifteenth street just before the assault.
James Cahill of 500 West Fifty-third street and Stephen Brennan of 404 First avenue were identified by Mrs. Mundy as two of the men. Magistrate Corrigan held them over without bail. She was not sure of the other two, "Brockie" Ford of 418 East Eighteenth street and "Nigger" Moore of 408 East Eighteenth street, and the Magistrate ordered them taken before Mundy for identification.
In the hospital the injured man said he was certain Ford was one of his assailants, but wasn't sure about Moore. The latter was held, however.
LINKS:
Learn more about Talbot Mundy's adventurous life from Brian Taves' Talbot Mundy, Philosopher of Adventure: A Critical Biography, which is available at Amazon.com. Learn more by clicking here.
Visit Georges Dodds' R.U.R.itaninan Muglug web site!
Learn more about Talbot Mundy's work from The Pulp Rack's selection of essays on Mundy. Click here.
Posted by ds at June 2, 2007 01:40 PM
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