Charles Wilkins Webber, the foremost Kentucky writer of prose fiction
and adventure of the old school, was born at Russellville, Kentucky,
May 29, 1819, the son of Dr. Augustine Webber, a noted Kentucky
physician. In 1838 young Webber went to Texas where he was with the
Rangers for several years. He later returned to Kentucky and studied
medicine at Transylvania University, Lexington, which he soon
abandoned for a brief course at Princeton Theological Seminary, with
the idea of entering the Presbyterian ministry. A short time
afterwards, however, he settled at New York as a literary man. Webber
was connected with several newspapers and periodicals, being associate
editor of _The Whig Review_ for about two years. His first book,
called _Old Hicks, the Guide_ (New York, 1848) was followed by _The
Gold Mines of the_ _Gila_ (New York, 1849, two vols.). In 1849 Webber
organized an expedition to the Colorado country, but it utterly
failed. Several of his other books were now published: _The
Hunter-Naturalist_ (Philadelphia, 1851); _Tales of the Southern
Border_ (1852; 1853); _Texas Virago_ (1852); _Wild Girl of Nebraska_
(1852); _Spiritual Vampirism_ (Philadelphia, 1853); _Jack Long, or the
Shot in the Eye_ (London, 1853), his masterpiece; _Adventures with
Texas Rifle Rangers_ (London, 1853); _Wild Scenes in the Forest and
Prairie_ (London, 1854); and his last book, _History of Mystery_
(Philadelphia, 1855). In 1855 Webber joined William Walker's
expedition to Central America, and in the battle of Rivas, he was
mortally wounded. He died at Nicaragua, April 11, 1856, in the
thirty-seventh year of his age. Webber's career is almost as
interesting as his stories. In fact, he put so much of his life into
his works that all of them may be said to be largely autobiographical.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. _Cyclopaedia of American Literature_, by E. A. and
G. L. Duyckinck (New York, 1856); Appletons' _Cyclopaedia of
American Biography_ (New York, 1888, v. vi).