Thii picture of 0. Henry (Williom Sydney Porter! »os mode during his visit to the Asheville oreo,
ot the time of *hich Dr. William Pinkney Herbert writes in this orticle. Pictured here, O. Henry is
standing in front of Jomes Sloon Colemon, Senior's house ot Weovcrville, where he visited his second
wife's people. If wos the lost yeor of his life, ond this is thought to be the lost photo mode of him.
(This ond other photos courtesy of the Greensboro Historical Museum ond Mrs. Ethel Stephens
Arnett. >
lion. Colonel Bingham said. “That was
well done.” I did not see him again
until the fall of 1909.
During this interval, having gradu¬
ated from medical school. I served for
two years in a hospital internship and
in post-graduate work. Feeling now
qualified. I opened my office in Ashe¬
ville in the early fall of 1909. As funds
were at a low ebb following this edu¬
cation. my medical setup was some¬
what scanty. It consisted of one room,
serving both as office and examining
room, and a waiting room and an office
girl shared with another doctor. My
practice consisted mostly of the Bing¬
ham School work with a few chronic
switchers and those who had no credit
thrown in. My means of transportation
was my legs and the street cars.
Into this imposing array of medical
knowledge and equipment one day
about eleven o'clock walked O. Henry.
I found out later that Mrs. Grinnan had
suggested that he come to sec me. Since
coming to Asheville, he had been to
sec another doctor who was a very
busy man and gave Mr. Porter little
attention.
He came in, took off his hat, and
said, "I am suffering with neurasthe¬
nia, I am told. You arc to be my doc¬
tor. I think we will get on." Then lie
reached into his pocket, took out a
billfold from which he extracted a
twenty dollar bill and put it on the
examining table. "That," he said, "is
your retaining fee.” Incidentally, our
relationship became such that in the
three or four months which were to
.My Patient
And Companion,
O. Henry
In
Asheville
Beginning' a rare fir.st-
hantl account off Amer¬
ica's most famous story¬
teller.
Bi | IMt. WILLIAM
PL\Ki\EY IILKBLKT
PART I
A number of books — some dozen
or more — have been written about
O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), the
short-story writer. Almost all of these
were written by people who had never
met him. I believe that I am now the
only person living who knew O. Henry
at all well. I was his doctor for the
five or six months which he spent at
his brother-in-law's home between
Asheville, North Carolina, and Wca-
vcrville during the winter of 1909-10.
I had first met Mr. Porter prior to
his second marriage in 1907. He was
to marry Miss Sarah Coleman, and an
announcement luncheon was being
given to the bride by Major and Mrs.
Grinnan at the Bingham School in
Asheville. As I was visiting the Grin-
nans. I was invited to the luncheon,
though a bit of an outsider, so I did
not come in too intimate contact with
Mr. Porter. However. I do recall one
incident. After lunch, as Mr. Porter
was being shown around the school
(a military one), he spied a rifle lean¬
ing in a corner. He stopped, picked it
up, and executed "the manual of arms"
perfectly with appropriate slaps and
grunts. I do not know where this
knowledge came from but presume
from a membership during his early
days in some local military organiza-
THE STATE, NOVEMBER 1. 1971
9