Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-05-31
THE AUTHORSHIP OF "BEN Boil

THE AUTHORSHIP OF ben BOLT"
ARRAcoMA, Va, May 10th, 1853.
n, d. EsHo-s of The Richmond Enquirer:
CentIemen:-ln the Cincinnati N"npareh ior November
22nt, 1852, und in lke N. J. SUNDAY DIsphlch Tor Mafch
10Th, 1853, occur two articles, itom Which : ~ VI
i0"t Fam aH the P,aiudeolsr. From the Dispatch.
80, nnna,r,d "A Ill was first copied from
-. p1e;ns AL asserts, in III. an old English volume into
s ~ !. ~ ~ M;r,nr in 1913: the New York Mirror, of
w." ~ ,f,sr i, vas ar. lS43; and in order (writes The
T RANGED and set 10 music by eoho, Oh le aoany hnick.
| Nelson knelss, OF the Sable cfopcAt,l " ~ u. Va
Harmonials,' and in order I" orghal'y 20 ne Stoeee mac
lmpart an mir OF originality brochure. rIeu' mum m1ue
to the 'swect little brochure, some ai'eia.ions ana aaul'
Fred. Hunt made some nlte. tlons u u ~ ,e verses
. ,hn r.rss which were n n piece called the Battle
w. wv h., Knrass in n niece Of Bueaa VISTA al the Puts.
euus ~. .B,,,l. Of Bucna burg Theatre. Subsequent.
80, =, III. puisburo Thea. ~, it was again altered and
$50 SnhssrueorIy !, was arranged, by Dir. Peters. vi
again altered and arranged LoulsSi'i; u nss Cia,u
BY Mr.. Peters, OF Louisville, bluce; possi "
~ NJ LIZ Rrucc How the claims OF either OF the
ma . :, :. : The claim OF above individuals, will be dis.
ill., n ,hr above judlvidu covered by referring to the
81, ,.II >. d;..overed by re- London New Monthly Mag
49,, - ,he .Inndor New azinc Of September, l525.--
Montaly Magazine OF Sep MI. henry nsnua', o. o'an an:
Bcndall, vi Stanwix Hall, Il copy OF iis PERIODICAL
aih,nv New York, has a edited, we believe, By Tho.
cow If this u%sriudIcal, edit mas Campbell, in which may
ed, we believe, by Thomas be ioIno Me pen y no"
Campbell, in which MAY be claimed if 4. .r'oi oe
fund the Ben Bolt now Mirror. Inc only alterations
claimed for #. D. f. OF the made from the original were
Ninnr rrho onlv alterations merely 10 iWpart a local
Gladc from the original were chaIacuf I" ~. PcG''y'"s
,no,.lv :, imnarI Il local ior instance, the London
fr ios,.,ro tbe London 'iu the old church. yard in
copy runs, In the old church the iooey, pen o''
v,rri In The dbbey Ben Bult.,I The writer has ii:
FL u writer has il lin the In The old church yard in
Old church yard in the valley, the pd"ey, e ou'.
Ben Bol,' and again, in the And, again, In the original,
o oat ,fes = ;, Boz Bolt. : The Under the old oak Tree,
= a,rhurnr IN the Mirror Ben Bo;.'
, "hn ,ha .hirsorv, for The contributor 10 the Mir.
- 80. hot, tho hipt.rrul
The old oak thereby render ror substitutes tht ntcAoly
-, !, !, h,,d.r II moi n more for the 'uld oak thereby rem
nnr,icnI subject iering il a harder, if not a
moro poelcal subject"
n, ,,,enI;on called TO the attack ia the Nonparell
durinu last winter, while ! was in Tazewell county, orl !
dr, moi see The article lteelf until February, when a iie m
4, Cincinnati, at my request, sent NE a written copy. Inc
ground fr the article was q paragraph in the flainutd'eI'
which was also meant to be offensive; but as ~: o mGr 81 90
serted that l was destituie OF educa.lon, ~ ~ ib.I naas
lines. which ! never wrote, aE my proaucuohi 1 N' M -
rhe charge of plagiarism was serIuus-ior, being hil m .
boldly, and with apparent mlnuteness OF ssssnt. s i " I london
10 deceive those who had never seen Campoen , Lon "N
Nov Monthly, Indeed, so boldly were lines ana references
given, that / began 10 suppose there mish! nave oeen Hn y.
Conscious imitation. Dcsirous Of ascortaining II such were
\ fncr / wrote three letters. One Of these WIS 10 Mr.. n ;
Hastings, editor Of the ALBANY knlcEcIoocker' requesting
hin 10 call upon Mr.. Henry Bcndail OF s,anwiX iian-n
,h,, distinuu she'd gentleman could be found al MS patrimo'
Mai residencc, the Stanwix Hal aforesaid-eXamlne his copy
of the New Monthly, aud send me a copy OF any verses
about "Ben Bol:" which may be found there. In th'Ge
,yecks lime had his answer, from which | extract tie tol-
lowing:
s csips u ~ y ,,n M,oazine Of September, 1925. He answered
that he had sen, II 10 a person by The name OF frea. itnn',
connected with the Cincinnati Nonpnfcil; ihal II coh'aihcu
i song called Ben Bolt, and That it was almost word Tor word
like the American song of that name. bendail IS a oafoef
and an Engisiitnan.' ~. r,-
Nov here was the charge formally made out. The editor
or Ihe Cincinnati Nonparcil. who turned out TO be The very
Mr. Fred Hunt, who had mutlateG ;ay song OF ben Boil,
accused m. ot having stolen it almost verbatim, ne oHiy al
I.-ntious made from The original being merely 10 l1apart a 10.
cal char4ctr. Mr. Henry Bendnll "i Stnnw'S Hal" con
firms this nv saying to MIR. Hastings that the English cong
,...I,,p NJ ,u Mnnfhlv Mauaziue is or The same name [,
and almost uord for rord Ike 1@ini. mus lar 'he uhahlH'''
" nf accusation is quite overwhelming.
But. by The same mail that brought me MI. hastings lei.
ter received d letter from "Mr. Bendall OF StanwiX Hall
in answer 10 one frnni mt, requesting me loan OF lhe Lon
don New Munthly, for September 1870. Inc following Is
the letter vi The noble proprietor oil tue stately achiesne D
S,snwiy Hall, sword for word, like the English original -
hone The cumpositor who does me the honor 10 sci up this
will print Mr.. Henry Bendalrs composition 'c'oa'i" c me-
'1. dear SIT received yours of the 81 only this morning,
and hasten 10 reply, six weeks SINCE | forwarded inc perl
ndic,l' in question New Munlhly Magazine-to
Mr. Fred. Hunt, one OF the editors OF The CINCINNATI Nom
pareiI, did 50 In consequence OF some controversy al ual
time pending in the newspapers IN INA Se'n NY = n ,,anh 30
him for The Sable Harmonlsis,' and produced al the rEts.
/ burg Theatre. introduced, with some alterations, your pen
BnlI, il was then sci 10 the music, which has since made II
IN celebrated, by Nelson kneass, a member Of the Harmo.
nists, Subsequently it was revised, altered, and produced
under the ausnices Of Mr.. Peters, the Music publisher OF
rinc;nna,i and Louisville; Mr.. Hunt, passing through this
city some four 5aonths since, was struck with the similarity
Of a piece OF poetry in an old magazIne-the one IN qncs.
n tlUu--WnCH 1 u III NY SsSsSto oS
royersy immediately occurring, wrote 10 me Tor 1t, II ls
;hus that am unable 10 forward The magazine in question
10 YOU, or should have done so with pleasure, cannot
ina CINE any reference the controversy could nave mad 10
your song Of "Ben Boil" The title was not the same; and,
as TO any similarity Of sentiment, ! can perceive but very
little; not half as much as Byron CD Vhen ne said hefe
was nothing new under the sun
Il can only partially remember The las, verse, (which runs
"U( all the friends have met, dear Tom,
There are none that prize like thee;
That binds thee forever 10 me.
MANY years have no" passed, dear Tom.
s'"1 is The re h r. " nms, me Hs eo1 re- OF our ,9 y"G Ts.r
Thy friendship ! blessing and truth
a understand Mr. Hunt is at present ia New York; and
| have n, Gorhi, will furnish you with The original maya.
Zine, II YOU wish II. 1onis, very tIuiI,
tALs.sy, February 10Th, 1855
Not petiect III that line.
BY The above it will Or seen that the witness relied upon
by The accusers not only contradicIs what he had before as
serted 10 Mr. Hastings, bu, gives The lie direct to his dis,in.
guishad friend, formerly Of Cincinnati, but then hoa,iag in
New York, AIR. Fred. Hunt. Mr.. Hunt gives word and line
OF a song called ben Bolt" which he asserts is in a maya.
zine possessed by Mr.. Henry BrndalL, 'nf Stanwix Hail."
and Mr. Henry Bendal cot Stanwix Hail. asserts, in his
letter. that such a song is not there. But even NJ. Bsntalls
quotation from memory Is unfortunate. There are Two lines
bearing SOME resemblance 10 something Of mine in that
quotation, bnt they are not in the magazine al all. And by
20 hand. received a reply from Mr.. Dugannc OF New York,
whom had requested To examine into the matter. Hero it
"Ngw YoRK, Feb. 25,h, 1858.
"Frieni English : | have instituted inquiries concerning
the alleged =! ..t,rism,' and looked carefully over The Lon
don New Monlhly, for 1895. 1t is in three large volumes; but
after examining attenuvey every page OF these, can find
nothing Of any closer resemblance 10 Ben Bolt, (ether 10
subJec, or style Than Mrs. Hemans' Brides Farewell" in
that years magazine Just published.
yours truly,
AUGUSTINE DUGANNE."
Every body familiar with the two productions. Is aware
tha, The resemblance between the "Brlde's Farewelr'--mine,
mean, not MIR. Hunts alteration-is no closer Than that be.
tween Lucy Ncal' and "Hail Colombia
Several Of the public journals have taken The MIA tier up,
and exposrd the taisity OF the charge. The Saturday Courier
Of Philadelphia, for instance, says:
"tBEN EOLT'-A FALSE CHARGE.-Wo learn
that an all = alton has been made by The editor OF the Gin.
cinRati NoHpare!, charging Dr.. English. the author OF the
very popular and pathetic ballad OF Ben Bolt with having
taken Il 4 n"s; word for word from the London New
Monthly H,s'~ine :cr SEPTEMBER, 1925 Feeling an inte.
rest IN TN matter, We nave been enabled, by the courtesy
OF MI Mllheny, OF The A,hcnaum, 10 examine closely every
page OF the said magazine for the entire year-!s25 and
found nothing approaching IN any particular The song in
question. II is evident the editor of The n. p. has boon nhs. !