Earl Singleton

Fan
Name:	Henry Earl Singleton
Alias(es):	Tex, es
Type:	Poet, editor
Fandoms:	Science Fiction
Communities:
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Earl Singleton was a fan active in early science fiction fandom and a member of The Stranger Club. He was the first known fan to commit pseuicide.

Fannish Activity

Singleton edited at least one issue of Fanfare, the Strangers' clubzine. He also published his own zine Nepenthe. Robert A. W. Lowndes reported that he "did a great deal for [the National Fantasy Fan Federation] in those first days when it didn't look as if the baby would get much encouragement from fandom." He attended Chicon I and squired Gertrude Kuslan for part of it; the two were romantically involved for a short time.

Singleton also hosted regular meetings of the Stranger Club at his house. An April 1940 issue of The Science Fiction Fan announced the club's creation, with Singleton's name being one of the first mentioned. By sheer coincidence, the same issue printed If You're Looking For a Way Out, a humorous article by Mark Reinsberg suggesting an elaborate suicide hoax as a way of escaping fandom--although Reinsberg closed by recommending that the fan actually commit suicide, so as not to disappoint fans who would gather around to view his body.

In a December 1940 issue of Bob Tucker's zine Le Zombie, Singleton wrote in to announce, "I have recently set myself up as a ghost writer for ambitious young fans who wish to become famous." He joked that he was in the habit of writing letters, stories and articles on behalf of famous fans like Lawrence Hamling, Sam Moskowitz and Donald A. Wollheim, and acting as an agent to make sure the material was published in reputable zines like Stardust, New Fandom and The Phantagraph.

Pseuicide

In January 1941, his roommate Oliver King Smith reported that Singleton had committed suicide, prompting an outpouring of grief from other fans. Several fans became suspicious over details like a letter dated the day after his reported death, and an investigation by Art Widner and Louis Russell Chauvenet proved that Singleton was still alive. He had decided to drop out of school, gafiate, and take a job in Washington, D.C.

Later that year, Jack Speer reported, Singleton visited Harry Warner, Jr. and subscribed to his fanzine Spaceways under a false name. Warner later mentioned his suspicions to Speer, who tracked Singleton down to his house. (See Emergency Flare.)

"Memorials"

Fantasy Fiction Field #17 carried news of Singleton's suicide on January 9th, along with a short excerpt from Oliver King Smith's letter as received on February 12th by associate editor Robert A. W. Lowndes. Later in the issue was a special delivery letter from Jack Chapman Miske, writing on February 13th to report that he'd just received word from Smith. Miske added that he was hoping it was a mistake, since he'd also gotten a letter from Singleton postmarked January 10th, but that it was also possible Singleton had sent it very late on Sunday and become suicidal later that evening. Miske said he'd just paid to become an honorary member of the Stranger Club himself at Singleton's request.

Nonetheless, the April issue of Fanfare (#6) was a sincere reflection on Singleton's death written by Miske, who not four weeks ago before the pseuicide had written in Fanfare #5, "Of all fans present, only Earl Singleton impressed me greatly. He and I are to a great extent the same, tho he is not remotely as far gone. I think, at the moment, that my time spent in fan activities would be well-spent even if its only result were my meeting Earl. I like him." Singleton himself had edited issue 5 along with Art Widner. In issue 6 Miske pointed to Singleton's choice of title for his fanzine Nepenthe: the water of forgetfulness.

Robert A. W. Lowndes published a poem in the same issue of Fanfare, for earl singleton.

The March issue of Spaceways contained a long poem by Singleton that had been slated for a future issue. Editor Harry Warner, Jr., said that he also had a manuscript of a short story called "Goddess on His Arm" that seemed unsuitable for publication due to its subject matter. He added that Singleton had promised to write a regular column for Spaceways just a week before Warner received news of his death.

"Had anyone told me a day before I learned it," W. Lawrence Hamling said in Spaceways #20, "that Earl Singleton would kill himself, I'd have called him a liar, a dunce and a (quite appropriately) goddamned fool. Earl Singleton was not, at least to me, the suicide type." He added that while he and Singleton had feuded for a little while in the pages of Fanfare, neither one of them "really meant anything by it."

Suspicions

One of the first pieces of evidences that Singleton had faked his death was reported by Jack Chapman Miske on February 13th; Miske wrote Fantasy Fiction Field that he'd received a letter from Singleton dated January 10th, the day after his supposed suicide. At Boskone I (late February), Singleton's girlfriend Gertrude Kuslan had an emotional outburst over his supposed suicide. It was later revealed that she was putting on an act to help him pull off the hoax. Some of the Futurians who were present shared their suspicions about her acting in private.

On May 31st, with suspicions mounting, Forrest J Ackerman wrote to Fantasy Fiction Field to reveal that he and Morojo had been among six fans to know that Singleton was actually alive. He named Jack Speer and Milton A. Rothman as the ones who'd told him. Ackerman wondered whether the hoax was Singleton's fault, or whether Oliver King Smith had been responsible, pointing out that Singleton had behaved as if he didn't even know he was supposed to be dead. Robert A. W. Lowndes added later in the issue that while Donald A. Wollheim hadn't been in on the secret, Wollheim had written an article "some time ago" called "Is Singleton Alive", pointing to the evidence in favor of the hoax explanation. It was to have been printed in the May issue of Sun Spots.

In June, Louis Russell Chauvenet wrote an article called The Facts of the Pseuicide in which he explained that Singleton had taken a government job in Washington D.C. and decided to take the chance to gafiate. Outside of his roommate Oliver King Smith, Singleton had told only R. D. and F. K. Swisher about his plans. Chauvenet had written to a dean at MIT about Singleton's death, and Singleton had then written to Chauvenet asking him to call the dean off his investigation. The letter reached Chauvenet on March 7th, around the same time that Art Widner also uncovered the truth by interviewing some of Singleton's friends at MIT. Chauvenet and Widner had given Singleton time to explain himself, writing and visiting his Washington address in vain, and it eventually became clear that Singleton had no plans to explain or to return to fandom. Chauvenet added that Ackerman and Wollheim's articles had been "shrewd, provocative, but inaccurate".

Reactions to the Hoax

We've known for three months or more what is just now coming out, but were honor-bound to keep our big mouth shut.... Therefore, take it for granted that Earl Singleton is alive; he is. We've learned two things from this: not to dedicate a magazine to someone until you've seen the corpse, and that it's still impossible to keep a secret in fandom. By the way, is it possible to un-dedicate something? If so, consider the March, 1941 issue of Spaceways as un-dedicated to Earl Singleton.

Harry Warner, Jr.: "From the Control Room". Spaceways #21 pg. 3, June 1941.

Nomination for the lowest-down trick of 1941: The Singleton Hoax. 'Twill be delightful to see the reactions due soon from all the fanzine editors who said all those lovely, lovely things about Earl, and then were embarrassed by his untimely resurrection.

Joe Gilbert: "Slan!-der". Fanfare #7 pg. 14, Aug. 1941.

After Smith's role as accomplice became known, Bob Tucker began printing a semi-regular feature in Le Zombie where Smith offered services like helping fans become popular through faked suicides.

In June, Donald Wollheim published a single-issue zine called Bolide that was quoted in part by H.C. Koenig in the August issue of Fanfare:

If Singleton is not dead and his suicide a hoax, we think fandom should ostracize him and kick out the humorless bums responsible. How about forming a "Keep Singleton Dead Committee"?

Sign me up pronto, Don. If Singleton is dead, I'm sorry. If he is not dead, I'm even more sorry.

H.C. Koenig in Fanfare #7 pg. 21 (Aug. 1941)

When Singleton bumped himself off and went to work for the gov't, the $200 MIT hekto was no longer available, so we had to come down to a $3.95 filmograph. It is rumored that es is to lead a special division of zombie troops...

Art Widner explaining why Fanfare #6 had worse hectographing than previous issues (#7 pg. 27, Aug. 1941)

At some point in 1941, Trudy Kuslan published an article in Sardonyx explaining her side of the story and apologizing for fooling other fans like Leslie Perri with her performance. The SF Cynic doubted that R.D. Swisher and F.K. Swisher had ever been in on the hoax, but suspected Jessica Gould of having seen through Kuslan's acting at Boskone.

In January 1942, Harry Warner, Jr. finally printed a short story that Singleton had submitted to him some time ago, which he'd felt uncomfortable printing while Singleton was believed dead. The single-page story, "Goddess on his Arm", tells of a depressed author who seeks freedom in his stories, and decides to seek realism. As he writes one story of a suicide that feels more real than ever before, he realizes that he's experiencing memories instead of imagination. He then finds himself committing suicide. Warner added in the next issue that in retrospect, Singleton had probably meant for the story to be part of the build-up to his hoax.

Singleton apparently kept corresponding with Warner for a short time after that, as he sent in a math game that was printed in Spaceways, and issue 27 contained an offer for any interested fans to write to Warner for the solutions he'd provided, at the cost of 3 cents for postage. Singleton's current address was also available for a $10 fee (nearly $200 today).