William Sydney Porter started using this name while writing short stories from jail in Ohio
... Porter's 
reason for using the pen name is clearer than its precise origin: He was ... index 
and twelve short stories written while he was in federal prison in Columbus, Ohio,
... [DOC] [TLE] William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) - Lone Star Junction [PAR] Born William Sidney Porter, this master of short stories is much better known