The Mystery of Metropolisville (1873). by

Edward Eggleston (December 10, 1837 - September 3, 1902) was an American historian and novelist. Biography: Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. The author George Cary Eggleston was his brother. As a child, he was too ill to regularly attend school, so his education was primarily provided by his father. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1856.He wrote a number of tales, some of which, especially the "Hoosier" series, attracted much attention. Among these are The Hoosier Schoolmaster, The Hoosier Schoolboy, The End of the World, The Faith Doctor, and Queer Stories for Boys and Girls. Eggleston was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1893. His boyhood home at Vevay, known as the Edward and George Cary Eggleston House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. His summer home, Owl's Nest, in Lake George, New York, eventually became his year-round home. Eggleston died there in 1902, at the age of 64. Owl's Nest was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971. His daughter, the writer, Elizabeth Eggleston Seelye, was married to Elwyn Seelye, the founder of the New York State Historical Association.... Frank Beard (1842-1905) was the principal illustrator for The Ram's Horn. He was also a widely known American illustrator in the latter part of the nineteenth century. In an article for a sister publication, Our Day, (in the February 1896 issue, pp. 85-91, Beard discussed his personal observations regarding the history of magazine illustration in the United States. In the "early fifties" (1850s) Beard was a boy of "7 or 8 years old" when he first saw Yankee Notions, which he termed "the first American comic journal," published by T.W. Strong of 98 Nassau Street in New York city. Beard's first memories were of Brother Jonathan, which he found in his Christmas stocking. "It was a large sheet," he recalled, "as much as a yard square, consisting of four pages of printed matter, interspersed with original pictures by American artists, mostly relating to Christmas times, and usually of a comic character. No present from Santa Claus gave more joy to myself and brothers than Brother Jonathan. We would spread it on the floor and lie flat on our stomachs, studying the pictures and spelling out the titles and jokes beneath them, for hours together." Apparently Beard's first work as an illustrator was for Comic Monthly, published from 1859 to 1881. Beard had an active career as an illustrator. His cartoons appeared in Judge, and he illustrated books. Beard drew covers for The Ram's Horn during the 1890s, as well as other illustrations. His depiction of the saloon and of the liquor traffic in general provided powerful propaganda for the prohibition movement, which reprinted and circulated Beard's illustrations broadly.................