| Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer | |
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+3alice Phil Whitley Dick Stodghill 7 posters |
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Dick Stodghill Five Star Member
Number of posts : 3795 Registration date : 2008-05-04 Age : 98 Location : Akron, Ohio
| Subject: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:34 am | |
| A Stodghill Says So blog: Abraham Lincoln's name has been bandied about quite freely of late, thanks to Barack Obama. While most literate people throughout the world know that Honest Abe had few if any peers when it comes to writing speeches, only a handful are aware that he was a mystery writer. Abe, a great admirer of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, entered the field in 1846 when the Trailor Murder Mystery was first published. In 1952 it was reprinted in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and again in 1977 in Murder Ink.
The story began: In the year 1841, there resided at different points in the State of Illinois, three brothers by the name of Trailor. Their Christian names were William, Henry and Archibald. Archibald resided at Springfield, then as now the seat of government of the State. He was a sober, retiring, and industrious man, of about thirty years of age; a carpenter by trade, and a bachelor, boarding with his partner in business - a Mr. Myers.
Now far be it from me, being the kindly, uncritical gentleman that I am, to criticize the work of another writer, but that is not the most scintillating beginning to a mystery I have ever read. I feel quite safe in saying that had it been submitted to Ellery Queen as having been written by Joe Blow from Kokomo it would have quickly moved from the slush pile to an envelope marked return to sender. That would have been true even had the editors not discovered that despite the title there actually was no murder involved. The final paragraphs revealed that the supposed victim had gone nuts and was found aimlessly wandering about. Another of the great presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was an avid reader of mysteries, so he too tried his hand at writing them. He couldn't come up with an ending so he sent the manuscript to six prominent writers of the day. Each wrote an ending and the result was published in 1939 in Liberty magazine. Twenty-eight years later it was published in book form with yet another ending by Earle Stanley Gardner. The moral of the story is that presidents should stick to presidenting and let mystery writers do the writing. The field is crowded enough as it is. |
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Phil Whitley Four Star Member
Number of posts : 907 Registration date : 2008-04-01 Age : 81 Location : Riverdale, GA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:58 am | |
| I never knew that about Lincoln or FDR, Dick. Thanks for fulfilling my "learning one new thing every day" attempt. - Quote :
- The moral of the story is that presidents should
stick to presidenting and let mystery writers do the writing. The field is crowded enough as it is. True, unless their title is something like, "How I Became President". THAT is a mystery. |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sat Jan 24, 2009 6:12 pm | |
| DIck, Is there anything you have not heard of? You are a walking talking book of facts. I adore Lincoln and this is news to me. Thanks! |
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zadaconnaway Five Star Member
Number of posts : 4017 Registration date : 2008-01-16 Age : 76 Location : Washington, USA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:03 am | |
| I think you are right about presidents sticking to what they know. And hopefully they know how to run a country, not just how to win elections. |
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lin Five Star Member
Number of posts : 2753 Registration date : 2008-03-20 Location : Mexico
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:07 am | |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:26 am | |
| - lin wrote:
- Margaret Truman.
Explain please |
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lin Five Star Member
Number of posts : 2753 Registration date : 2008-03-20 Location : Mexico
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:11 am | |
| I dunno, Prez' daughter becomes big-selling mystery writer.
By the way, the opening graph Dick cited there doesn't read all that different from some I've seen. Ross Thomas, for example. |
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lin Five Star Member
Number of posts : 2753 Registration date : 2008-03-20 Location : Mexico
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:12 am | |
| So when are we going to have a writer for President?????
Hungary and Peru gave it a shot. |
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Dick Stodghill Five Star Member
Number of posts : 3795 Registration date : 2008-05-04 Age : 98 Location : Akron, Ohio
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:18 pm | |
| Ross Thomas, a great one I hadn't thought about for a while. Thanks for reminding me, Lin. I don't like Margaret Truman's boobs so I ignored here. |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:25 pm | |
| - Dick Stodghill wrote:
- Ross Thomas, a great one I hadn't thought about for a while. Thanks for reminding me, Lin.
I don't like Margaret Truman's boobs so I ignored here. Dick, Did you really mean this? It doesn't sound like you. |
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Dick Stodghill Five Star Member
Number of posts : 3795 Registration date : 2008-05-04 Age : 98 Location : Akron, Ohio
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:42 pm | |
| Oh no! The one time I didn't read over a post and this happens. It's BOOKS - BOOKS - BOOKS. Actually it does sound like me, but it was unintentional. |
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E. Don Harpe Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1979 Registration date : 2008-01-17 Age : 82 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:55 pm | |
| Don't crawfish, Dick. If you don't like her boobs, then just stick to your guns. (HA) |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:06 pm | |
| It is one of the`funniest things I ever saw! It was a real blooper! We should have a contest. |
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Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:21 pm | |
| Never met a man who didn't like women's boobs. I've led such a sheltered life. |
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E. Don Harpe Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1979 Registration date : 2008-01-17 Age : 82 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:44 pm | |
| Perhaps, Shelagh, my dear sheltered child, Dick is a leg man. I myself like everything below the part in the hair. Boobs, legs, front, back, from the dimples on the cheek to the belly button, I like the whole package. But, some people do prefer one part of the anatomy over another part. Dick may be one of those poor misguided souls who likes legs over boobs, and who are we to say him nay? |
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Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:47 pm | |
| You sound like my husband, Don. "I'll take it; you don't need to wrap it." |
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E. Don Harpe Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1979 Registration date : 2008-01-17 Age : 82 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Abe Lincoln - Mystery Writer Sun Jan 25, 2009 4:17 pm | |
| Well, we open the present and throw away the paper anyway. Might as well cut out the waste. |
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