Charles Stokes Wayne was an American author and journalist active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 1858, he received his education at the city's Boys Central High School. Over the course of his life, Wayne resided in various locations, including Chappaqua, New York, and was married three times: first to Elizabeth W. Dougherty, subsequently to Sarah E. Smith, and later to Pearl Norris.
Professionally, Wayne balanced journalistic work with creative writing. He worked for several newspapers, notably in the Colorado cities of Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, where he contributed to the local press. Beyond journalism, his writing career encompassed commercial work, such as authoring promotional brochures, as well as popular fiction. To publish his creative prose, Wayne adopted the pseudonym Horace Hazeltine, though some records also refer to him under the name Horace Hazelton.
Wayne's fiction gained traction in the early twentieth century, leading to several of his stories being adapted for the screen during the silent film era. His most prominent work to receive this treatment was The Sable Lorcha, which was adapted into a motion picture. Wayne's career spanned journalism, promotional writing, and popular fiction until his death in 1920.
