John R. Neill was born November 12, 1877 in Philadelphia, PA, fifth in a family of eight children. He grew up in Germantown, PA., his father died when he was 10 and his mother managed to keep the large family together and ran the family laundry business. In 1895, he graduated from the Philadelphia Central High School and enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Neill dropped out of school after one semester because he said, "they have nothing to teach me." In 1896, he worked as "cub reporter" for a Philadelphia newspaper doing sketches in Police Court. Then moved to the Philadelphia Inquirer where he stayed for three years learning the trade. He started working at the Philadelphia North American in 1898 and b...