John R. Spears was born in Ohio in 1850. In early life, he worked as editor for a local newspaper, joining the staff of the New York Sun in 1882. As a feature reporter, he was observant and versatile. His assignments covered a wide range of destinations, both in the U.S. and abroad. As war correspondent, he was assigned to Cuba (1898), Honduras (1893), Brazil (1893) and Chile (1891?). While much of his later work (from 1895 onward) has appeared in book form, his earlier writings (including those presented here) have hitherto remained largely inaccessible.

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Praise for John Spears ( Source: Indianapolis News, 11 January 1893)

Anyone who values lightly the literary quality of American newspapers will be surprised by the merit of these papers. It is Mr. Spears whom the New York Sun sends to the mountains of Kentucky to find out the truth about feudal wars, and to all other places where pluck and courage are needed to enable a correspondent to get his facts. Mr. Spears, whose work the scissors men of American newspapers are constantly looking for, is the ideal reporter. He sees all sides of a "story," as by a kind of mental coup d'oeil; and to accurate observation he adds literary skill of a high order. It can not often be said that a newspaper writer has style; but we think there would be little difficulty in identifying Mr. Spears’s work no matter where found, by its simplicity and directness. Here and there a word is used a little out of proportion, and once or twice an infinitive sign is left straggling alone; but if Mr. Spears did not write so well no one would notice his occasional lapses.

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NOTES ON FOLLOWING TABLE:

1. (*) Unsigned but believed to be work of Spears
2. (n) Count of original articles

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VARIOUS
1894	Life on an Ocean Tramp	PDF
1895	Señoritas, Peons, Soldiers, Priests (4)	PDF
1895	Latin America's Sports	PDF
1895	Colonies that Failed	PDF