“Mr. and Mrs. Spoopendyke” are well-known characters. The exceedingly
funny descriptions of the home life of Spoopendyke and his better-half,
that first appeared in the columns of the Daily Eagle, of Brooklyn, New
York, in 1881, have been reproduced in thousands of newspapers in this
country, and in Europe. They are written in a style highly original,
and occupy a field entirely their own.
Mr. Stanley Huntley, the author of these lively sketches, is a resident
of Brooklyn, and has for years occupied a prominent position in the
editorial rooms of the Daily Eagle. He is a born journalist, and has
been engaged on many newspapers in both the East and West. For many
years he was city editor of the St. Louis Evening Journal, and has also
held positions on other St. Louis papers. It was not until 1881, early
in the year, that Mr. Huntley’s humorous writings began to attract the
attention of the public. They were so original, so brilliantly witty,
and such oddities in themselves, that the Brooklyn Eagle became famous
through their publication. Spoopendyke at once sprang into popular
favor, and the name was known in every city and village in the country.
During this season of popularity, Mr. Huntley gathered together his
best sketches, and brought them out in book form through the New
York publishing house of W. B. Smith & Company. The book sold with
a rapidity that was simply wonderful, and under the simple title of
Spoopendyke, over 300,000 copies of the work were manufactured and
disposed of within three months after its first appearance. Several
revised and enlarged editions have since been published.
Mr. Huntley is of middle age, of lively temperament, pleasing manners,
and is kind and sympathetic. He has been married for a number of
years to a handsome and highly cultured lady, and lives with happy
surroundings in a retired street in Brooklyn. Early in 1882, he was
compelled, by serious illness, to cease his labors for a number of
months.
It is extremely difficult to determine which is his best production.
The Spoopendyke sketches are all good. Here is a fair specimen of them: