Porter

On April 25, 1898, an obscure 33-year-old writer entered the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus for embezzling money from a Texas bank.

His name was William Sydney Porter, but he came to be known and loved by his pen name - O. Henry.

Porter had worked as a bookkeeper for a bank and was part owner of a failed magazine called The Rolling Stone. He was convicted of stealing $5,000 from the bank, and some speculated that the money was sunk into the magazine.

Alone in his cell at night, Porter wrote short stories. He sold them to magazines to help support his 9-year-old daughter.

He was released after three years and moved to New York, where he continued writing and became immensely popular for stories such as The Gift of the Magi. He died 12 years later.

Rebecca Goodman

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com or call (513) 768-8361.