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Marshal South (born Roy Bennett Richards; 24 February 1889 – 22 October 1948) was an Australian-American author, poet, and artist. From 1930 to 1947, he lived with his wife[1] and three children on desolate Ghost Mountain in
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a so-called "experiment in primitive living" chronicled in 102 monthly columns for
Desert Magazine. He was additionally the author of eight novels, alongside dozens of published poems, short stories, and essays.[2][3][4][5]
Early life
Sketch of Roy Bennett Richards from the 25 May 1906 issue of the Port Augusta Dispatch
Roy Bennett Richards was born on 24 February 1889 in
Glenelg, a seaside suburb of the
Southern Australia capital
Adelaide.[6] His parents were Annie Emma Richards (née Afford) of Adelaide, and Charles Bennett "Charlie" Richards; they had married on 6 August 1877, when she was 18 and he 29, with
Silas Mead officiating.[7][8] Charlie Richards had married once before, when he was 20, resulting in two sons and ending in divorce in 1875.[7]
Charlie Richards was born in
Wisconsin, but left as a nine year old when his father moved the family in search of better opportunities.[7] Richards became a sheep rancher;[7]The Adelaide Observer described him as "one of the pioneer pastoralists in the province",[9] and later remembered him as "a most energetic and fearless man among live stock".[10] When Richards took cattle out to the country for the first time, the Observer wrote,[note 1] one of his horses was killed, and Richards promptly roped a wild steer and harnessed it in the horse's place in the shafts of his wagon.[10] In another feat, reported by at least four newspapers—and testifying to his drive[7]—Richards took a team of ponies 320 miles over five days, including 120 miles on the final day; he claimed that he could have gone another 30 miles that day, if he desired.[12][13][14][15]
Though born outside Adelaide (possibly at his grandmother's house) Roy Richards grew up in the rural farming community Pandurra, on one of the many ranches that his father owned or leased.[7][16] Coming across nine-year-old Richards in 1898, member of parliament
Thomas Burgoyne—at Pandurra with fellow members of the Pastoral Commission
Lee Batchelor,
Alexander Poynton,
Laurence O'Loughlin,
William Copley, and
John George Bice—described him as a "small boy, distinctly of the Australian species, in age about ten, in stature appearing to be barely six, but in precocity of intellect something approaching closely to twenty years".[17] Asked if the elder Richards was expecting the party, his son, "eying one of the party who presented a robust and well-fed appearance, said, with a broad grin and a decided wink—'Well, I spect he does, for he's killed a calf an' a sheep.'"[17]
Writings
Roy Richards began writing while young. His first publications appeared in the Port Augusta Dispatch, which professed "a considerable amount of pride" in the works of "our youthful contributor."[18][19] His 1904 short story A Terrible Christmas Eve may have been his first work to be published, appearing in print when he was 15.[20][7] This was followed in 1905 by at least four other short stories—A Dangerous Tale,[21]The Second Gun: The Story of a Great Revenge,[22]The Phantom Steamer!,[23] and The Valley of Death[24]—along with a political essay, The Peril of the Future, concerning the "
Yellow Peril."[25]
Until his 1907 departure to the United States, Richards continued to publish short stories, poetry, and editorials in the Dispatch and occasionally in The Gadfly, an Adelaide weekly. These appeared under his own name as well as a number of pseudonyms,[18] including "A. B. C.," "Non Itchia," "Walking Man" and "Pedestrian."[19][26] Around this time Richards was also a student at
St Peter's College, a prestigious boys' school in Adelaide; Richards left after 1906, perhaps due to his father's desire for him to work on a ranch.[27]
Departure from Australia
"Public Notice" placed by C. B. (Charles Bennett) Richards offering a £20 reward for the return of his two sons, Norman and Roy.
Annie Richards fled her husband in 1907, taking Roy and his older brother Norman with her.[19] Roy Richards presaged the departure with a series of four letters to the Dispatch over the course of a month.[28][29][30][31] The third, published on 28 June, was an ode to himself;[19] "Bow to our Royal Richard now", he wrote, terming himself "a prophet without honor in his town".[30] Finally, on 12 July, Richards presented "Lines dedicated to 'Walking Man' nee 'Pedestrian,' on his departure from Port Augusta", concluding "Farewell, farewell, farewell, to thee, May thou die happy—so may we."[31] According to family history Roy Richards had wanted to pursue a writing career, and his father wished him to pursue a career on the ranch.[19] His parents' marriage may also have been difficult, as hinted at by his father's earlier divorce.[27] In any event, Annie, Norman, and Roy Richards took all the money they could find in the house, and left.[19]
After their departure, Charles Richards advertised widely in Adelaide papers, offering a £20 reward for their return; failing this, he offered the same reward "to the first person who gives me correct information of the person who escorted Mrs C. B. Richards to Saltia, on the morning of the 18th Sept., 1907, from the Greenbush Gaol, where she had been harboured for a time against my consent."[19] Fearful of being followed, Annie, Roy, and Norman Richards moved frequently for several years, possibly within California, before finally settling in
Oceanside, California, in 1911.[32] From then on the family typically claimed to be from England, although Norman put his mother's birthplace as "New York" on his wedding certificate.[33] Norman changed his middle name from Afford—his mother's maiden name—to Allen; Annie listed herself as the widow of "W. C. Richards" rather than the wife of "C. B. Richards"; and Roy Bennett Richards became Benjamin Richards.[33]
Becoming Marshal: warrior poet
Within a year of settling in Oceanside, Roy Richards was again writing, this time for several
Los Angeles papers. Yet now he went by the name Benjamin Richards, and, in writing, by the
pen name Marshal South. On 27 December 1913, the Oceanside Blade reported that a "poem by B. Richards who writes under the pseudonym of Marshal South, and entitled 'Lights of Vera Cruz,' appeared in the magazine section in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times".[34] The multiple meanings of "Marshal"—one who leads, one of high military rank, or a deputy—may have appealed to Richards.[33] The
American West certainly did; his 1905 story A Dangerous Tale was set in
Texas,[21] and as his biographer later noted, "[t]he only thing missing from his author photo on the back cover of Child of Fire, published in 1935, was a badge."[33] "South," likewise, may have been an invocation of the
American Southwest, or perhaps of Australia, the
southern land.[33] Richards continued writing as Marshal South, publishing some two dozen poems in the Los Angeles Times alone.[35] One, on the sinking of
SMS Emden,[36] attracted the attention of the
German ambassador, who wrote South a letter expressing his great interest in the poem.[37] Another, submitted to the Los Angeles Tribune, was deemed good enough to forward to The American Magazine,[38][39][40] where it received broader publicity.[41][42][43][44] His works also appeared in many other publications, such as the Blade.[35] The paper was enthusiastic: it began referring to Richards as "Oceanside's poet laureate,"[45] and regularly praised his contributions to it and other papers.[46][47]
At the same time, Richards was becoming more political and militaristic. A January 1915 poem, Beware!, reflected the looming specter of
World War I in speaking to the "need [of] guns and the men to serve" to defend freedom.[48] Just months before, he had sought to do just what his prose suggested—"wake the sullen guns to greet the fray"—by calling for a display of military arms at the Hansen store (temporarily renamed "Fort Hansen") where he was a clerk.[46] For the occasion Richards provided what the Blade described as "a sword bayonet used in Maori war in New Zealand; spurs formerly used by a Mexican bandit who died with his boots on; and a luger pistol of great velocity used by European armies".[49][50] Richards next moved to organize the Oceanside Debating Club,[51][37] and shortly thereafter formed a local rifle club affiliated with the
NRA.[52][53][54] "The Marshal is very military even in his titles", said the Blade;[55] in 1915, a year when various of South's works were entitled The Protest of the Dead, Prepare, and The Sword of Flame, the Blade had a new moniker for South: "a warrior poet."[56][57]
Richards continued with the debating and rifle clubs throughout the first half of 1915, but at the start of the year he shifted his attention to a third organization, the American Defense League.[58][59] "Safe at Last! Wow!" championed the Blaze upon its founding,[59] and quoted Richards as saying its mission was "to work for the awakening of public sentiment to a realization that an efficient preparation is the surest preventive of war".[60] Oceanside was Company A of a planned nationwide movement and Richards, who now claimed to be an "ex-officer in the
British army",[60][61] assumed the role of president and the title of Captain;[62] in July he resigned from the rifle club, citing his increased work with the Defense League.[63][64] Richards and the Defense League led drills,[65] formed a magazine,[66][67][note 2] lectured,[70] and gained publicity.[62][71][72] On his visit to the
Panama–California Exposition in San Diego, former president
Theodore Roosevelt met with Richards, telling him that "I am proud as an American that you have started this league".[73] Richards presented Roosevelt with a copy of his poem Welcome, printed in the San Diego Sun on the day of Roosevelt's arrival;[73][74] a year later Richards mailed another poem to Roosevelt, receiving a personal thank you note in return.[75] At the end of 1915 the defense league announced that it was joining forces with a San Diego group and moving its headquarters there.[76] The Oceanside group became a branch organization, and Richards transitioned into the role of special national representative and organizer.[76]
By the end of 1914 the Blade had begun referring to Richards as Marshal South with increasing frequency.[46] In November, it asked in jest "whether he has chosen wisely in writing under the name of Marshal South", and suggested that "for those who wish to achieve any success in public life the best kind of name is one that consists of a
dactyl and a
spondee".[77] Richards responded in the next issue that "the name 'Marshal South' is not, as [your correspondent] evidently supposes, an idly assumed nom de plume. On the contrary the name is an hereditary designation which has been in the family of the writer many years. The name is an hereditary one, which certain inidviduals [sic] of the family are privileged to assume under certain conditions with the somewhat sinister crest which accompanies it. Those who have borne the name in the past in various countries have not been numerous, and have beeen [sic] separated by wide intervals of time, but their deeds have been not altogether unnoticed in their time and generation. A previous bearer of the name very ably assisted Sir
Henry Morgan in the sack of Panama and managed to leave behind him an interesting record."[78] The Blade soon dropped mention of Richards from its pages, referring to him almost exclusively by his chosen name, Marshal South.[79][note 3]
Around the summer of 1916, South was selected by the draft.[87][88]
Publications
Books
Between 1935 and 1948, South saw eight books published.[89] Each "follow[ed] a basic formula, differing only in the setting and the characters. There was always a treasure, a damsel in distress, a hero with sterling qualities that prevailed over the villains and won the heart of the damsel, and all the books were cliffhangers."[90]
South, Marshal (1935). Child of Fire. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1935). Flame of Terrible Valley. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1936). Juanita of the Border Country. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1936). Gunsight. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1944). Tiburon: the Isle of the Shark. London: World's Works.
South, Marshal (1944). Gold of the Gods. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1948). The Curse of the Sightless Fish. London: World's Works.
South also had a children's book, The Book of Ona: Desert Child, rejected by
Farrar & Rinehart in 1939.[91]
Poetry
In addition to his column in Desert Magazine, South published more than 50 poems, 10 or 11 magazine articles and stories, and 29 newspaper articles, essays and stories.[91]
Richards, Roy B. (7 December 1906).
"A Horrible Catastrophe". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (1 February 1907).
"The Coming of the Yellow Man: A Parable". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (21 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (28 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (5 July 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (12 July 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Intervention". Los Angeles Tribune. Los Angeles. 7 May 1912.
"The Lights of Vera Cruz". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 20 December 1913.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (14 January 1914).
"The Lights of Vera Cruz". Oceanside Record. Vol. 1, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 5.
"The Song of the Sea". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 28 February 1914.
"Dreams". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 25 April 1914.
South, Marshal (30 April 1914).
"The Ancient Truth". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Red War". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 12 September 1914.
"Finis". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 26 September 1914.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (3 October 1914).
"Finis". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 40. Oceanside, California. p. 2.
"The Fall of the Gods". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 31 October 1914.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (7 November 1914).
"The Fall of the Gods". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 34. Oceanside, California. p. 2.
South, Marshal (14 November 1914). "The Mystery". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (21 November 1914).
"The Mystery". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 48. Oceanside, California. p. 2. ; South, Marshal (2 December 1914).
"The Mystery". Worth Passing Along. The San Bernardino County Sun. Vol. XLI, no. 80. San Bernardino, California. p. 4. ; South, Marshal (5 December 1914).
"The Mystery". Stockton Record. Vol. XLI, no. 80. San Stockton, California. p. 2.
South, Marshal (15 November 1914).
"The Emden". Los Angeles Sunday Times. Los Angeles. p. 10 (part IIIa). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Farewell, 'Bobs'". Los Angeles Tribune. Los Angeles. 24 November 1914.
South, Marshal (7 January 1915).
"Beware!". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (5 April 1916).
"Beware". Worth Passing Along. The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
South, Marshal (30 January 1915).
"The Protest of the Dead". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (6 February 1915).
"The Protest of the Dead". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 6. Oceanside, California. p. 1.
South, Marshal (2 May 1915).
"The Shadow". Los Angeles Sunday Times. Los Angeles. p. 12 (part IV).
Reprinted: South, Marshal (6 May 1915).
"The Shadow". Riverside Daily Press. Vol. XXX, no. 108. Riverside, California. p. 2. ; South, Marshal (8 May 1915).
"The Shadow". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 319. Oceanside, California. p. 1.
"The Sea Wind". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 26 June 1915.
"Welcome". San Diego Sun. San Diego. 26 July 1915.
South, Marshal (21 August 1915).
"The Traitors". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (28 August 1914).
"The Traitors". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 6.
Name given as "Marshall South". Reprinted: South, Marshal (9 August 1927).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 36. Oceanside, California. p. 12.; South, Marshal (25 January 1929).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Williamson County Sun. Vol. LI, no. 38. Georgetown, Texas. p. 7.; South, Marshal (17 January 1930).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Morning Republican. Vol. XLIV, no. 98. Findlay, Ohio. p. 12.
"In Memory's Keeping". Top-Notch Magazine. Vol. LXVII, no. 5. 1 October 1926. p. 71.
"The Colorado River". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXI, no. 2. 30 July 1927. p. 120.
"The Mexican Line". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIII, no. 2. 22 October 1927. p. 112.
"Moctezuma". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIX, no. 2. 30 June 1928. p. 132.
"Not for Sale". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIX, no. 5. 21 July 1928. p. 108.
"The Old Border Towns". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXX, no. 4. 25 August 1928. p. 118.
"Old Indian Trails". June 1931.
"When Rita Rides the Range". Ranch Romances. Vol. LXIII, no. 2. 6 September 1935.
"Memories (To my old pal, E. W. King, 'Don Edmundo')". Presidio News. 22 October 1937.
"On the Mexican Line". Ranch Romances. Vol. 76, no. 4. November 1937.
"Moonrise on the Desert". Westways. February 1938.
"Marshal South's Page—Wind". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. II, no. 10. September 1947. p. 2.
"Marshal South's Page—Light Upon the Mountain". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. II, no. 11. October 1947. p. 6.
"Marshal South's Page—Desert Ghosts". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. III, no. 1. November 1947. p. 7.
Newspaper articles
Richards, Roy B. (23 December 1904).
"A Terrible Christmas Eve". Original Story. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (3 February 1905).
"A Dangerous Tale". Original Story. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (22 March 1907).
"A Question of Proportion". To the Editor. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Non Itchia Sed Cacoethes Scribendi (12 April 1907).
"The Pace at Funerals: To the Editor". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (19 April 1907).
"To the Editor". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (14 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2.
Republished as South, Marshal (August 1962).
"The Diary's First Page". Desert. Vol. 25, no. 8. Palm Desert, California: Desert Magazine, Inc. pp. 28–30.
^Norman Richardson, the Observer journalist,[10] repeated the story in his 1925 book The Pioneers of the North-West of South Australia: 1856 to 1914.[11]
^In March 1915, Richards announced that a monthly magazine titled Defense would serve as the official organ of the American Defense League.[66] When launched in January of the following year it was instead titled Army and Navy Call.[67] The inaugural (and perhaps only) issue included a poem by Richards, Prepare.[67] In July 1915 Richards and Out West Magazine also announced that the magazine's next number would include a section edited by Richards and "devoted to the interests of the American Defense League",[68][69] but the succeeding issues do not in fact contain such a section.
^An exception came in a series of 1916 columns by "J. T. Van Rensslaer," the James T. Van Rensselaer who joined Richards in the Oceanside Debating Club and who served as vice president of the American Defense League.[59][80][81] In January Van Rensselaer wrote that he had "been deposed, without our knowledge of consent, by Marshal Napoleon South, from the position of vice president of the American Defense League".[81] He followed this up in July by declining an invitation "to usher with Marshal South at the performance of 'Kitshi Manido,'" because "[t]o match our modest self against such commanding presence, military air and poetical atmosphere would be to make us look like thirty cents. No, B. Napoleon Richards, when it comes to ushering, ye must flock by yourself."[82] In September he wrote cryptically that "[w]e discovered Marshal South, and see what happend [sic]";[83] three weeks later he quoted a "letter from Field Marshal Napoleon B. Richards South"—then serving in Arizona—which, Van Rensselaer wrote, said "please advise me as to the hidden significance of your lately published words which state 'I discovered Marshal South, and see what happened.' This hath a sinister ring. By mine Halidome, what meanest thou?"[84] Van Rensselaer responded by saying that "[i]f we only had the Marshal's halidome here, whatever that may be, we should very quickly explain. Perhaps 'tis well the desert separates us, B. Richards."[84] The comments were possibly in jest; a year earlier, a writer in the same column—running with no byline—declared that "[t]he Marshal and ourselves are warm personal friends poetcial [sic] rivals, and intellectual enemies."[85] Likewise, in 1918 the column published, again with no byline, that "[w]e are pleased to note that our ancient enemy, Ben Alias Napoleon Marshal South has had the good sense to marry an Arizona lass. At heart we have never forgiven Mr. Richards for writing such excellent poetry. However we wish every happiness to him and the Empress Josephine Marshal South especially as Mr. Ben always proved himself to be a clean, honorable and splendid citizen."[86]
^"South's Poem a Winner". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 13. Oceanside, California. 25 March 1916. p. 1.
^"Moosa Musihgs [sic]". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 27 November 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 49. Oceanside, California. 4 December 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 28 November 1914. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 49. Oceanside, California. 5 December 1914. p. 4.
^"Look Who's to Debate". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 1. Oceanside, California. 2 January 1915. p. 1.
^
ab"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 1. Oceanside, California. 1 January 1916. p. 4.
^VanRensslaer, J. T. (29 July 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 30. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^VanRensslaer, J. T. (2 September 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^
abVanRensslaer, J. T. (23 September 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 38. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 27 November 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXIX, no. 7. Oceanside, California. 16 February 1918. p. 4.
Arnold, John; Hay, John; Kilner, Kerry; O'Neill, Terrence, eds. (2008). The Bibliography of Australian Literature. Vol. 4. Queensland, Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 400.
This is not a Wikipedia article: It is an individual user's work-in-progress page, and may be incomplete and/or unreliable.For guidance on developing this draft, see
Wikipedia:So you made a userspace draft.
Finished writing a draft article? Are you ready to request an experienced editor review it for possible inclusion in Wikipedia? Submit your draft for review!
Marshal South (born Roy Bennett Richards; 24 February 1889 – 22 October 1948) was an Australian-American author, poet, and artist. From 1930 to 1947, he lived with his wife[1] and three children on desolate Ghost Mountain in
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a so-called "experiment in primitive living" chronicled in 102 monthly columns for
Desert Magazine. He was additionally the author of eight novels, alongside dozens of published poems, short stories, and essays.[2][3][4][5]
Early life
Sketch of Roy Bennett Richards from the 25 May 1906 issue of the Port Augusta Dispatch
Roy Bennett Richards was born on 24 February 1889 in
Glenelg, a seaside suburb of the
Southern Australia capital
Adelaide.[6] His parents were Annie Emma Richards (née Afford) of Adelaide, and Charles Bennett "Charlie" Richards; they had married on 6 August 1877, when she was 18 and he 29, with
Silas Mead officiating.[7][8] Charlie Richards had married once before, when he was 20, resulting in two sons and ending in divorce in 1875.[7]
Charlie Richards was born in
Wisconsin, but left as a nine year old when his father moved the family in search of better opportunities.[7] Richards became a sheep rancher;[7]The Adelaide Observer described him as "one of the pioneer pastoralists in the province",[9] and later remembered him as "a most energetic and fearless man among live stock".[10] When Richards took cattle out to the country for the first time, the Observer wrote,[note 1] one of his horses was killed, and Richards promptly roped a wild steer and harnessed it in the horse's place in the shafts of his wagon.[10] In another feat, reported by at least four newspapers—and testifying to his drive[7]—Richards took a team of ponies 320 miles over five days, including 120 miles on the final day; he claimed that he could have gone another 30 miles that day, if he desired.[12][13][14][15]
Though born outside Adelaide (possibly at his grandmother's house) Roy Richards grew up in the rural farming community Pandurra, on one of the many ranches that his father owned or leased.[7][16] Coming across nine-year-old Richards in 1898, member of parliament
Thomas Burgoyne—at Pandurra with fellow members of the Pastoral Commission
Lee Batchelor,
Alexander Poynton,
Laurence O'Loughlin,
William Copley, and
John George Bice—described him as a "small boy, distinctly of the Australian species, in age about ten, in stature appearing to be barely six, but in precocity of intellect something approaching closely to twenty years".[17] Asked if the elder Richards was expecting the party, his son, "eying one of the party who presented a robust and well-fed appearance, said, with a broad grin and a decided wink—'Well, I spect he does, for he's killed a calf an' a sheep.'"[17]
Writings
Roy Richards began writing while young. His first publications appeared in the Port Augusta Dispatch, which professed "a considerable amount of pride" in the works of "our youthful contributor."[18][19] His 1904 short story A Terrible Christmas Eve may have been his first work to be published, appearing in print when he was 15.[20][7] This was followed in 1905 by at least four other short stories—A Dangerous Tale,[21]The Second Gun: The Story of a Great Revenge,[22]The Phantom Steamer!,[23] and The Valley of Death[24]—along with a political essay, The Peril of the Future, concerning the "
Yellow Peril."[25]
Until his 1907 departure to the United States, Richards continued to publish short stories, poetry, and editorials in the Dispatch and occasionally in The Gadfly, an Adelaide weekly. These appeared under his own name as well as a number of pseudonyms,[18] including "A. B. C.," "Non Itchia," "Walking Man" and "Pedestrian."[19][26] Around this time Richards was also a student at
St Peter's College, a prestigious boys' school in Adelaide; Richards left after 1906, perhaps due to his father's desire for him to work on a ranch.[27]
Departure from Australia
"Public Notice" placed by C. B. (Charles Bennett) Richards offering a £20 reward for the return of his two sons, Norman and Roy.
Annie Richards fled her husband in 1907, taking Roy and his older brother Norman with her.[19] Roy Richards presaged the departure with a series of four letters to the Dispatch over the course of a month.[28][29][30][31] The third, published on 28 June, was an ode to himself;[19] "Bow to our Royal Richard now", he wrote, terming himself "a prophet without honor in his town".[30] Finally, on 12 July, Richards presented "Lines dedicated to 'Walking Man' nee 'Pedestrian,' on his departure from Port Augusta", concluding "Farewell, farewell, farewell, to thee, May thou die happy—so may we."[31] According to family history Roy Richards had wanted to pursue a writing career, and his father wished him to pursue a career on the ranch.[19] His parents' marriage may also have been difficult, as hinted at by his father's earlier divorce.[27] In any event, Annie, Norman, and Roy Richards took all the money they could find in the house, and left.[19]
After their departure, Charles Richards advertised widely in Adelaide papers, offering a £20 reward for their return; failing this, he offered the same reward "to the first person who gives me correct information of the person who escorted Mrs C. B. Richards to Saltia, on the morning of the 18th Sept., 1907, from the Greenbush Gaol, where she had been harboured for a time against my consent."[19] Fearful of being followed, Annie, Roy, and Norman Richards moved frequently for several years, possibly within California, before finally settling in
Oceanside, California, in 1911.[32] From then on the family typically claimed to be from England, although Norman put his mother's birthplace as "New York" on his wedding certificate.[33] Norman changed his middle name from Afford—his mother's maiden name—to Allen; Annie listed herself as the widow of "W. C. Richards" rather than the wife of "C. B. Richards"; and Roy Bennett Richards became Benjamin Richards.[33]
Becoming Marshal: warrior poet
Within a year of settling in Oceanside, Roy Richards was again writing, this time for several
Los Angeles papers. Yet now he went by the name Benjamin Richards, and, in writing, by the
pen name Marshal South. On 27 December 1913, the Oceanside Blade reported that a "poem by B. Richards who writes under the pseudonym of Marshal South, and entitled 'Lights of Vera Cruz,' appeared in the magazine section in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times".[34] The multiple meanings of "Marshal"—one who leads, one of high military rank, or a deputy—may have appealed to Richards.[33] The
American West certainly did; his 1905 story A Dangerous Tale was set in
Texas,[21] and as his biographer later noted, "[t]he only thing missing from his author photo on the back cover of Child of Fire, published in 1935, was a badge."[33] "South," likewise, may have been an invocation of the
American Southwest, or perhaps of Australia, the
southern land.[33] Richards continued writing as Marshal South, publishing some two dozen poems in the Los Angeles Times alone.[35] One, on the sinking of
SMS Emden,[36] attracted the attention of the
German ambassador, who wrote South a letter expressing his great interest in the poem.[37] Another, submitted to the Los Angeles Tribune, was deemed good enough to forward to The American Magazine,[38][39][40] where it received broader publicity.[41][42][43][44] His works also appeared in many other publications, such as the Blade.[35] The paper was enthusiastic: it began referring to Richards as "Oceanside's poet laureate,"[45] and regularly praised his contributions to it and other papers.[46][47]
At the same time, Richards was becoming more political and militaristic. A January 1915 poem, Beware!, reflected the looming specter of
World War I in speaking to the "need [of] guns and the men to serve" to defend freedom.[48] Just months before, he had sought to do just what his prose suggested—"wake the sullen guns to greet the fray"—by calling for a display of military arms at the Hansen store (temporarily renamed "Fort Hansen") where he was a clerk.[46] For the occasion Richards provided what the Blade described as "a sword bayonet used in Maori war in New Zealand; spurs formerly used by a Mexican bandit who died with his boots on; and a luger pistol of great velocity used by European armies".[49][50] Richards next moved to organize the Oceanside Debating Club,[51][37] and shortly thereafter formed a local rifle club affiliated with the
NRA.[52][53][54] "The Marshal is very military even in his titles", said the Blade;[55] in 1915, a year when various of South's works were entitled The Protest of the Dead, Prepare, and The Sword of Flame, the Blade had a new moniker for South: "a warrior poet."[56][57]
Richards continued with the debating and rifle clubs throughout the first half of 1915, but at the start of the year he shifted his attention to a third organization, the American Defense League.[58][59] "Safe at Last! Wow!" championed the Blaze upon its founding,[59] and quoted Richards as saying its mission was "to work for the awakening of public sentiment to a realization that an efficient preparation is the surest preventive of war".[60] Oceanside was Company A of a planned nationwide movement and Richards, who now claimed to be an "ex-officer in the
British army",[60][61] assumed the role of president and the title of Captain;[62] in July he resigned from the rifle club, citing his increased work with the Defense League.[63][64] Richards and the Defense League led drills,[65] formed a magazine,[66][67][note 2] lectured,[70] and gained publicity.[62][71][72] On his visit to the
Panama–California Exposition in San Diego, former president
Theodore Roosevelt met with Richards, telling him that "I am proud as an American that you have started this league".[73] Richards presented Roosevelt with a copy of his poem Welcome, printed in the San Diego Sun on the day of Roosevelt's arrival;[73][74] a year later Richards mailed another poem to Roosevelt, receiving a personal thank you note in return.[75] At the end of 1915 the defense league announced that it was joining forces with a San Diego group and moving its headquarters there.[76] The Oceanside group became a branch organization, and Richards transitioned into the role of special national representative and organizer.[76]
By the end of 1914 the Blade had begun referring to Richards as Marshal South with increasing frequency.[46] In November, it asked in jest "whether he has chosen wisely in writing under the name of Marshal South", and suggested that "for those who wish to achieve any success in public life the best kind of name is one that consists of a
dactyl and a
spondee".[77] Richards responded in the next issue that "the name 'Marshal South' is not, as [your correspondent] evidently supposes, an idly assumed nom de plume. On the contrary the name is an hereditary designation which has been in the family of the writer many years. The name is an hereditary one, which certain inidviduals [sic] of the family are privileged to assume under certain conditions with the somewhat sinister crest which accompanies it. Those who have borne the name in the past in various countries have not been numerous, and have beeen [sic] separated by wide intervals of time, but their deeds have been not altogether unnoticed in their time and generation. A previous bearer of the name very ably assisted Sir
Henry Morgan in the sack of Panama and managed to leave behind him an interesting record."[78] The Blade soon dropped mention of Richards from its pages, referring to him almost exclusively by his chosen name, Marshal South.[79][note 3]
Around the summer of 1916, South was selected by the draft.[87][88]
Publications
Books
Between 1935 and 1948, South saw eight books published.[89] Each "follow[ed] a basic formula, differing only in the setting and the characters. There was always a treasure, a damsel in distress, a hero with sterling qualities that prevailed over the villains and won the heart of the damsel, and all the books were cliffhangers."[90]
South, Marshal (1935). Child of Fire. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1935). Flame of Terrible Valley. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1936). Juanita of the Border Country. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1936). Gunsight. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1944). Tiburon: the Isle of the Shark. London: World's Works.
South, Marshal (1944). Gold of the Gods. London: John Long.
South, Marshal (1948). The Curse of the Sightless Fish. London: World's Works.
South also had a children's book, The Book of Ona: Desert Child, rejected by
Farrar & Rinehart in 1939.[91]
Poetry
In addition to his column in Desert Magazine, South published more than 50 poems, 10 or 11 magazine articles and stories, and 29 newspaper articles, essays and stories.[91]
Richards, Roy B. (7 December 1906).
"A Horrible Catastrophe". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (1 February 1907).
"The Coming of the Yellow Man: A Parable". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (21 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". Original Poetry. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (28 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (5 July 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (12 July 1907).
"Which May be Felt". The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Intervention". Los Angeles Tribune. Los Angeles. 7 May 1912.
"The Lights of Vera Cruz". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 20 December 1913.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (14 January 1914).
"The Lights of Vera Cruz". Oceanside Record. Vol. 1, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 5.
"The Song of the Sea". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 28 February 1914.
"Dreams". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 25 April 1914.
South, Marshal (30 April 1914).
"The Ancient Truth". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Red War". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 12 September 1914.
"Finis". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 26 September 1914.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (3 October 1914).
"Finis". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 40. Oceanside, California. p. 2.
"The Fall of the Gods". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 31 October 1914.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (7 November 1914).
"The Fall of the Gods". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 34. Oceanside, California. p. 2.
South, Marshal (14 November 1914). "The Mystery". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (21 November 1914).
"The Mystery". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 48. Oceanside, California. p. 2. ; South, Marshal (2 December 1914).
"The Mystery". Worth Passing Along. The San Bernardino County Sun. Vol. XLI, no. 80. San Bernardino, California. p. 4. ; South, Marshal (5 December 1914).
"The Mystery". Stockton Record. Vol. XLI, no. 80. San Stockton, California. p. 2.
South, Marshal (15 November 1914).
"The Emden". Los Angeles Sunday Times. Los Angeles. p. 10 (part IIIa). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
"Farewell, 'Bobs'". Los Angeles Tribune. Los Angeles. 24 November 1914.
South, Marshal (7 January 1915).
"Beware!". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (5 April 1916).
"Beware". Worth Passing Along. The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
South, Marshal (30 January 1915).
"The Protest of the Dead". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (6 February 1915).
"The Protest of the Dead". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 6. Oceanside, California. p. 1.
South, Marshal (2 May 1915).
"The Shadow". Los Angeles Sunday Times. Los Angeles. p. 12 (part IV).
Reprinted: South, Marshal (6 May 1915).
"The Shadow". Riverside Daily Press. Vol. XXX, no. 108. Riverside, California. p. 2. ; South, Marshal (8 May 1915).
"The Shadow". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 319. Oceanside, California. p. 1.
"The Sea Wind". Los Angeles Times Illustrated Weekly. Los Angeles. 26 June 1915.
"Welcome". San Diego Sun. San Diego. 26 July 1915.
South, Marshal (21 August 1915).
"The Traitors". Los Angeles Daily Times. Los Angeles. p. 4 (part II). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Reprinted: South, Marshal (28 August 1914).
"The Traitors". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 6.
Name given as "Marshall South". Reprinted: South, Marshal (9 August 1927).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 36. Oceanside, California. p. 12.; South, Marshal (25 January 1929).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Williamson County Sun. Vol. LI, no. 38. Georgetown, Texas. p. 7.; South, Marshal (17 January 1930).
"Down By Ojinaga Way". The Morning Republican. Vol. XLIV, no. 98. Findlay, Ohio. p. 12.
"In Memory's Keeping". Top-Notch Magazine. Vol. LXVII, no. 5. 1 October 1926. p. 71.
"The Colorado River". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXI, no. 2. 30 July 1927. p. 120.
"The Mexican Line". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIII, no. 2. 22 October 1927. p. 112.
"Moctezuma". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIX, no. 2. 30 June 1928. p. 132.
"Not for Sale". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXIX, no. 5. 21 July 1928. p. 108.
"The Old Border Towns". Western Story Magazine. Vol. LXXX, no. 4. 25 August 1928. p. 118.
"Old Indian Trails". June 1931.
"When Rita Rides the Range". Ranch Romances. Vol. LXIII, no. 2. 6 September 1935.
"Memories (To my old pal, E. W. King, 'Don Edmundo')". Presidio News. 22 October 1937.
"On the Mexican Line". Ranch Romances. Vol. 76, no. 4. November 1937.
"Moonrise on the Desert". Westways. February 1938.
"Marshal South's Page—Wind". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. II, no. 10. September 1947. p. 2.
"Marshal South's Page—Light Upon the Mountain". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. II, no. 11. October 1947. p. 6.
"Marshal South's Page—Desert Ghosts". The Desert Spotlight. Vol. III, no. 1. November 1947. p. 7.
Newspaper articles
Richards, Roy B. (23 December 1904).
"A Terrible Christmas Eve". Original Story. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (3 February 1905).
"A Dangerous Tale". Original Story. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (22 March 1907).
"A Question of Proportion". To the Editor. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Non Itchia Sed Cacoethes Scribendi (12 April 1907).
"The Pace at Funerals: To the Editor". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (19 April 1907).
"To the Editor". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
Richards, Roy B. (14 June 1907).
"Which May be Felt". Open Column. The Port Augusta Dispatch. Port Augusta. p. 2.
Republished as South, Marshal (August 1962).
"The Diary's First Page". Desert. Vol. 25, no. 8. Palm Desert, California: Desert Magazine, Inc. pp. 28–30.
^Norman Richardson, the Observer journalist,[10] repeated the story in his 1925 book The Pioneers of the North-West of South Australia: 1856 to 1914.[11]
^In March 1915, Richards announced that a monthly magazine titled Defense would serve as the official organ of the American Defense League.[66] When launched in January of the following year it was instead titled Army and Navy Call.[67] The inaugural (and perhaps only) issue included a poem by Richards, Prepare.[67] In July 1915 Richards and Out West Magazine also announced that the magazine's next number would include a section edited by Richards and "devoted to the interests of the American Defense League",[68][69] but the succeeding issues do not in fact contain such a section.
^An exception came in a series of 1916 columns by "J. T. Van Rensslaer," the James T. Van Rensselaer who joined Richards in the Oceanside Debating Club and who served as vice president of the American Defense League.[59][80][81] In January Van Rensselaer wrote that he had "been deposed, without our knowledge of consent, by Marshal Napoleon South, from the position of vice president of the American Defense League".[81] He followed this up in July by declining an invitation "to usher with Marshal South at the performance of 'Kitshi Manido,'" because "[t]o match our modest self against such commanding presence, military air and poetical atmosphere would be to make us look like thirty cents. No, B. Napoleon Richards, when it comes to ushering, ye must flock by yourself."[82] In September he wrote cryptically that "[w]e discovered Marshal South, and see what happend [sic]";[83] three weeks later he quoted a "letter from Field Marshal Napoleon B. Richards South"—then serving in Arizona—which, Van Rensselaer wrote, said "please advise me as to the hidden significance of your lately published words which state 'I discovered Marshal South, and see what happened.' This hath a sinister ring. By mine Halidome, what meanest thou?"[84] Van Rensselaer responded by saying that "[i]f we only had the Marshal's halidome here, whatever that may be, we should very quickly explain. Perhaps 'tis well the desert separates us, B. Richards."[84] The comments were possibly in jest; a year earlier, a writer in the same column—running with no byline—declared that "[t]he Marshal and ourselves are warm personal friends poetcial [sic] rivals, and intellectual enemies."[85] Likewise, in 1918 the column published, again with no byline, that "[w]e are pleased to note that our ancient enemy, Ben Alias Napoleon Marshal South has had the good sense to marry an Arizona lass. At heart we have never forgiven Mr. Richards for writing such excellent poetry. However we wish every happiness to him and the Empress Josephine Marshal South especially as Mr. Ben always proved himself to be a clean, honorable and splendid citizen."[86]
^"South's Poem a Winner". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 13. Oceanside, California. 25 March 1916. p. 1.
^"Moosa Musihgs [sic]". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 27 November 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 49. Oceanside, California. 4 December 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 28 November 1914. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXV, no. 49. Oceanside, California. 5 December 1914. p. 4.
^"Look Who's to Debate". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 1. Oceanside, California. 2 January 1915. p. 1.
^
ab"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 1. Oceanside, California. 1 January 1916. p. 4.
^VanRensslaer, J. T. (29 July 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 30. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^VanRensslaer, J. T. (2 September 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 35. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^
abVanRensslaer, J. T. (23 September 1916).
"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVII, no. 38. Oceanside, California. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". Brief Newsy Notes from our Country Correspondents: Items of Local Interest Gathered Up During the Week Condensed for the Benefit of the Readers of the Blade. The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXVI, no. 48. Oceanside, California. 27 November 1915. p. 4.
^"Fallbrook Fancies". The Oceanside Blade. Vol. XXIX, no. 7. Oceanside, California. 16 February 1918. p. 4.
Arnold, John; Hay, John; Kilner, Kerry; O'Neill, Terrence, eds. (2008). The Bibliography of Australian Literature. Vol. 4. Queensland, Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 400.