O. Henry is the pen name of William Sidney Porter (later changed to William Sydney Porter), who was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1862. Porter lived his earliest years during the tumultuous US Civil War. Porter’s mother died giving birth to his younger sibling when Porter was only three years old, a tragedy that led the family to move in with Porter’s grandmother.

Although Porter began writing during his bachelor years, it wasn’t until he was married and a father that he landed his first regular writing gig as a columnist for the Houston Post. However, it was also during this time that he found himself in trouble with the law, as his former employer, the First National Bank of Austin, charged him with embezzling funds. To avoid jail time, Porter fled the country and holed up in Honduras for six months, during which he wrote one of his most famous works: Cabbages and Kings. Meanwhile, Porter’s wife was in Austin, dying of tuberculosis. Upon learning of her condition, Porter decided to travel back to Texas, say goodbye to his wife, and turn himself in.

At his trial on February 17, 1898, Porter was found guilty of embezzling $854.