Al Jennings, if we are to believe him, was for several years a close friend of O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), perhaps Americas favorite short-story writer. They met, Jennings claims, as outlaws on the run in Honduras, served time together in the Columbus, Ohio, Penitentiary at the turn of the century, and later met up in New York. Jennings, erstwhile lawyer, bank robber, and Hollywood consultant, was the subject of the 1951 movie ""Al Jennings of Oklahoma"", starring Dan Duryea. Although a suspect narrator at best, Jennings is a masterful storyteller in this 1921 classic. Jennings describes the horrors of prison life so compellingly that the book might have served as a call for prison reform. Yet he also tells how he, O. Henry, and their friends managed to cope. They secured jobs in the prison post office and pharmacy and managed to find a secret room near the kitchen where on Sunday evenings they retired for a fine meal - complete with wine secured from corrupt prison contractors - and good talk. As Jennings recaps their long, philosophical discussions, readers may wish to have joined them in the fancy New York restaurants they were later able to frequent. 'Anyone reading ""Through the Shadows with O. Henry"" will agree that both of the author and his subject were characters worthy of any O. Henry tale' - Mike Cox.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1921 Edition.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1921 Edition.

The new Quid Pro edition of this classic and fun read is a "Digitally Remastered Book"(TM)-a correct reproduction of the classic 1914 memoirs, unlike any new version of this book available today (as easily seen by Previewing other publishers' facsimile versions). This process removes underlines, stray marks, smudges and printer errors typically found in such reprints, and completes missing letters and words. It provides a cleaner, complete, and more professional presentation-a pleasant reading experience with no distracting artifacts. This kind of popular prose and social observation deserves such a quality remastering.

"The New York Times," April 5, 1914: "HOW I ROBBED TRAINS: BY A CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR; Al Jennings, Reformed Outlaw and Ex-Convict, Who Expects to be Chief Executive of Oklahoma, Tells the Story of His Exploits as Head of 'The Jennings Gang.' AL JENNINGS has written his autobiography. Or, to be exact, he has dictated it to a stenographer, and Will Irwin has edited it. So Mr. Irwin says, by way of preface and explanation; and he adds (Irwin does) that the stenographer alternately chuckled and sobbed as she made her hen-tracks."

Alphonso J. Jennings (1863-1961) was a prosecuting attorney in Oklahoma Territory who-after his family's law practice was decimated by a shootout with a rival attorney-became an outlaw and train robber. After capture and serving time in Ohio and Leavenworth (sharing prison time, in fact, with O. Henry), Jennings returned to law practice, turned to politics, became a celebrity with the publication of these memoirs, and even became a silent film actor. With Will Irwin, Jennings produced a magazine series on his wild exploits, hard time in prison, and rehabilitation-spinning an unlikely arc of a life, to be sure-which later became the very entertaining and successful book "BEATING BACK."

1921. Illustrated. Jennings recounts his life and career as attorney outlaw, and gubernatorial candidate.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

1921. Illustrated. Jennings recounts his life and career as attorney outlaw, and gubernatorial candidate.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

1921. Illustrated. Jennings recounts his life and career as attorney outlaw, and gubernatorial candidate.