Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 188: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

186 Personal pos have been asking for the autobiographies of ‘Ask Adventure” editors; and those staff members who be- lieve that a few words about themselves will promote better acquaintanceship all around, are responding to the request. The order in which these autobiographies are printed doesn’t signify anything. ~ They are with- drawn from the file at random: Austin, Tex. It used to be my ambition to become a writer of fiction; and with this object in view I followed in the footsteps of Johnson, Poe and other authors by keeping a note-book with me in my work and travels and keeping notes of interesting things and happen- ings. In this way I have collected data on first one subject and another for several years. I have been one of the editors of “Ask Adventure” since the early part of 1917. I do not remember just when I was accepted, as the letters I received in those days were very few and far between and I did not keep a list of them. Off and on I have spent four years in Mexico, going from one place to another, trying to learn all about the country. I had an idea of some.day using this collected data in writing stories about that republic. I have spent several years in the Rio Grande Valley surveying routes for canals, building irri- gating-ditches, establishing town-sites, laying off streets—in the northern part of the State helping to build State highways, paving streets, etc. Nothing very thrilling about this kind of work ordinarily. Occasionally some irate ‘“‘mossback” property owner would want the route changed from going across his property to that of his neighbors and often would bring along his shotgun to erforce his demand. School-teaching has been another stepping-stone in my career. Had five years of this kind of work. About the only thing that I have to show for this training is the controlling of my temper and the development of patience. Ranching and stock-raising has another notch cut in my stick. Have studied farming and ranching from all angles and knew something about the game before I entered into it. Have been in that business for about eight years now. It was during my leisure hours on the ranch that T had the idea of trying to get in with the Adventure magazine, for I could see from the first issue of the magazine that there was going to be a big future for it. I was successful in my attempt and then began answering questions and writing stories—still have the stories stored away some place. It was about this time that my assistance was needed in France. I turned my notes, etc., over to my sister and told her to do the best she could in answering the questions after I left the United States—so I dropped everything and with quite a number of other boys toured France on foot from one sector to another until I had been in six lively engagements. Was gassed three times, had a couple of dugouts caved in on me, was knocked down and buried with dirt thrown from exploding G. I, cans, and never so much as received a scratch; so all the stripes that I can show are two service stripes and Adventure those of a sergeant. We were within three miles of Metz when the armistice was signed; and it took me from then until June, 1919, to get out of the Army. Since my discharge I have added another notch to my stick by getting one year’s credit in a chiro- practic college for my two years of medical training, and with two years’ study of chiropractic I have developed into a full-fledged chiropractor. About the only thing that I claim to be an expert on is the human mechanism, but that is of no benefit to Adventure, so we will pass on to something else. I know a great deal about ranching and farming down in this neck of the woods, something about mining, history, some of the industries, topography, climate, etc., of Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as I have been over these sections several times; it is a habit of mine to learn all that is possible to be learned quickly about everything of interest with which I come in contact —J. W. WHITEAKER. Codrington, Ont., Canada, Born and spent the first seventeen years of my simple existence right here. Went West and spent another twenty, helping develop prairie-land, during which time I rambled over all our West and the most of yours. Then spent three years in England in the interests of immigration, came back and located in Quebec, where I put in ten very happy years. In that time I visited all the territory covered by me in Adventure, and have shot and fished over a great deal of it. During this period I spent four years in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. I have made many trips through the length and breadth of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; have seen a great deal but not all of New- foundland, as well as the Labrader coast. I am a professional man. But always have wanted to see what was on the other side of the ridge. What I have done has been for my own pleasure, not in a business way. Although some of my experiences have been pretty vital too. I have homesteaded, cut the logs and built my own house and stables. Killed deer when missing them meant going hungry. Eaten pea-soup in lumber-camps— mighty good too—caught cod off the shores, and salmon and trout in the rivers of N. B. and N. S. There is a great future before this district, and it should be better known. It is a real game-pre- serve. It has timber, minerals, water-power, good land, historic traditions. All it needs is capital and energy. Some day it will come into its own.— James F. B. BELFORD. Denver, Colo. Hiked alone through hills of western Massa- chusetts on a geologizing trip when sixteen years old. Hunted, fished, canoed and even guided in north- -ern Maine every year from 1891 to 1896, staying some years for six to eight months; in between times canoed and hunted the wild sections of upper Charles River. Rk. W. Porter and self organized an expedit.on to explore the interior of Baffinland in 1897, going north on the Peary Expedition of that year. Landed at Cape Haven with impedimenta and supplies for three years, intending after our work to come out at Cumberland Gulf and take a Scotch whaler to Aber- deen, and thus to U.S. A. Hada Summer of recon- naissance work in whale-boats up Frobisher Bay; COMICOOCKKS.EGO©