John H. Alt - Dont Die In Bed. The Brief Intense Life of Richard Halliburton

Dont Die in Bed

The Brief, Intense Life of Richard Halliburton

Richard Halliburton

Courtesy Rhodes College

Dont Die in Bed

The Brief, Intense Life of Richard Halliburton

Chapters on Paul Mooney, Moye Stephens, Elly Beinhorn, & Pancho Barnes

John Harlan Alt

Quincunx Press

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

Alt, John Harlan.

Dont die in bed : the brief , intense life of Richard Halliburton / John Harlan Alt.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9886232-0-0

ISBN-10: 098862320X

From title page: chapters on Paul Mooney, Moye Stephens, Elly Beinhorn & Pancho Barnes

Includes index.

1. Halliburton, Richard, 1900-1939. 2. Travelers --United States --Biography. 3. Voyages and travels. 4. Adventure and adventurers. 5. Mooney, Paul, 1904-1939. 6. Stephens, Moye W., 1906-1995. 7. Beinhorn, Elly, 1907-2007. 8. Barnes, Pancho (Lowe, Florence), 1901- 1975. I. Title.

G226.H3 A48 2013

910.4 --dc23

BISAC: Biography & Autobiography / Adventurers & Explorers

British Library cataloguing data are available

First Edition 2013

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Copyright 2013 John H. Alt

All rights reserved.

Quincunx Press

Atlanta, Georgia

To my wife, Judy, for being there and to my daughter, Jen, who discovered Richard Halliburton for me.

Richard Halliburton in Khevsur Armor, Caucasus Mountains, Soviet Union, 1935. Like Medieval Knights the Khevsuretis kept this armor into the 20th Century. Legend has them as Crusaders lost on the way back to Europe from the Holy Land

Contents

Richard Halliburton, 1937

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In all projects there is an official beginning, although there is always something unofficial, happening before the project itself. In my case, thanks begin with my daughter, Jen, who bought a book about Richard Halliburton, which I read. In the same vein, I should acknowledge Halliburton himself for the life he lived and wrote about, without which I could not have traveled with him in spirit. As I read his works, I found in them a person who deserved pubic attention. He has been too long neglected. A book was in order. My purpose set, I must say that Bill Short was a big help. Barret Librarys Coordinator of Public Services at Rhodes College, Bill gave me access to the Halliburton archives, and they provided insight as well as information on the man himself. Bill was always helpful and went out of his way to show me valuable material. He did more than cooperate, driving me past the Halliburton house in Memphis and locating information on Elly Beinhorn in the Rhodes archives, as well as screening India Speaks and an amateur movie of Sea Dragon and its crew in Kowloon. As to another source in writing this book, I had a stroke of luck with the friendly cooperation of Moye Stephens son. His son volunteered material that I had not asked forthat I did not even know existed. From his fathers unpublished manuscript I gained deep appreciation of the era in which Moye and Richard lived as well as great admiration for Stephens himself. So impressed was I with this pioneer aviator that I almost wrote my book about two people, Richard and Moye, for Stephens both witnessed and participated in early aviation. As only one instance, he was flight instructor for Howard Hughes. A book on both men, though, would have lost focus. That said, the information on Moye was valuable. His letters to his parents provided important material for the flight of Halliburton and Stephens across continents in the open-cockpit biplane Flying Carpet. Again, then, my thanks to Bill and Moyes son, who truly were instrumental. Although she provided no tools, my wife, Judy, insured a mental ambience that made this book possible. While I spent long hours bent over research and writing, sometimes frustrated, her companionship, understanding, and support enabled me to continue. Not only that, I want to thank her for her proofreading and common sense with critical comments. She read my typescript and often trod on my authorial pride but her recommendations and insights promoted needed improvements.

Richard & Ibn Saud, first monarch of Saudi Arabia

Richard & Foreign Legionnaires, Colomb Bechar, Algeria

Dad, you hit the wrong target when you write that you wish I were at Princeton living in the even tenor of my way. I hate that expression and as far as I am able I intend to avoid that condition. When impulse and spontaneity fail to make my way as uneven as possible then I shall sit up nights inventing means of making life as conglomerate and vivid as possible. Those who live in the even tenor of their way simply exist until death ends their monotonous tranquility. No, there's going to be no even tenor with me. The more uneven it is the happier I shall be. And when my time comes to die, I'll be able to die happy, for I will have done and seen and heard and experienced all the joy, pain, thrillsevery emotion that any human ever hadand I'll be especially happy if I am spared a stupid, common death in bed. (In Richard Halliburtons letter to his father from Paris, December 5, 1919.)

Shouldnt we leave that sort of thing to Mr. Halliburton? (Actor George Sanders on a risky action in Mr. Motos Last Warning, a 1939 film noir with John Carradine and starring Peter Lorre.)

All of mans misfortune comes from one thing, which is not knowing how to sit quietly in a room. (Blaise Pascal, Penses.)

The movie starring Richard

Mary Grimes Hutchison (Ammudder)

Wesley Junior, twelve

Richard, Nelle, Wesley Jr

Nelle (Nellie) Halliburton