The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-06-03
John Howard Payne.

Y John Howard Payne, tho author Of
: " Home, Sweet Home" was born in the
5 city of New York, June 0, 1895, and not in
, Boston as stated on his monument While
he was very young his father removed to
Boston, where he opened boarding school
in Berry street, now called Charming ST.,
in honor of the eminent clergyman of that
name whose church stood at the junction
of Berry and Federal streets.
! Young Payne was precocious boy, and
Of an ambitions disposition. At the age of
twelve he was commander of a juvenile
} eral Guards" which attracted much atten-
ton whenever it marchrd through the
streets of the city, and during his attend
ance at school he published small weekly
newspaper entitled "The Fly" At this
time he displayed remarkable powers of
elocution which were carefully cultivated
by his father.
After spending several years at school he
was sent to New York and placed in n
counting house, but soon becoming disgust
ed with the details of business he turned
his attention to literature and edited a
weekly paper called The Thespian Mirror
On the s4th of February, 1909, being then
in his seventeenth year, he made his first
appearance on the stage, at the Park The
atre, New York, in the character of
"Young Norval," and after making pro-
fessional visits to Boston and other North
ern cities he visited London, where he made
a most successful debut, in the same char
acter, at the Drury Lane Theatre. At this
time he was said to have been as beautiful
in person as he was gifted in Intellect
One of his friends, speaking of him, said,
"Nature bestowed upon him countenance
of no common order, and though there
was, when young, roundness and fairness
which but family express strong turbulent
emotions or display the furious passions,
these defects were supplied by an eye
which glowed with animation and intelli-
gence. more extraordinary mixture of
softness and intelligence were never associ-
ated in human countenance, and his face
was a true index of his heart
Another associate and school fellow says:
"He was perfect Cupid in his beauty,
and his sweet voice and self-possessed yet
modest manners made him a most engag-
ing prodigy Among the: men of note
with whom he became acquainted in Lon
| don, was Leslie the artist, whose portrait
of him, now extant, fully justifes these
encomiums.
Soon after the termination of his theat-
rical engagements in London, Mr.. Payne
| visited Paris, where he devoted much of
his time to the writing of dramas, and pro-
duced in rapid succession the tragedy of
Brutus;' "Therse, or the Orphan OF
Geneva" an adaptation from the French;
"Virginius;" and "Clari, Or the Maid of
Milan," an operate drama which contained
the song of "Home, Sweet Home" This
drama is included in lot of manuscripts
which he sold in the year 1926 to Charles
Kemble of the Covent Garden Theatre, in
London, and for which he received the sum
of thirty pounds Itwas Immediately pro-
duced at that theatre, where it was received
with such favor by the public that it was
played to crowded houses for many con-
secutive nights. The song, which at once
became universally popular, was sung for
the first time by Miss Tree, the eldest Sis
ter of Ellen Tree, who was SO fascinating
in her siging and acting that she won the
heart aud hand of wealthy gentleman of
London.
Over one million copies of the song Of
"Home, Sweet Home" were sold by the
publishers, whose profits were said to have
exceeded two thousand guineas, not a
penny of which was given to the author,
who was also cheated out of the benefit
which he was to have received on the twen-
tieth night of the performance of his play,
and was not even complimented by the
publishers with copy of the song.
During his residence in Paris Mr.. Payne
shared the lodgings of Washington Irving,
who remained through life his steadfast and
devoted friend.
In the year 1882 Mr.. Payne returned to
the United States, and soon afterwards
commenced the publication Of literary
periodical which had but brief existence.
In 1S41 he received from President Tyler
the appointment of Consul at Tunis, from
which office he was removed by President
Polk to make room for a political favorite.
In 1850 he visited Washington to obtain
from the Administration of President Fill
more, what he deemed an act of simple
justice,-his reappointment to the Office
which he had filled with honor to himself
and his country. For several months his
efforts which were seconded by influential
friends, were unsuccessful, he having been
strongly opposed by Thomas II. Benton,
United States Senator from Missouri, rel
alive of whom had succeeded Mr. Payne,
and still held the Office. Mr.. Benton was
unrelenting in his opposition, and carried
it so far as to speak of Mr.. Payne at some
length, and in terms Of great bitterness in
a public speech at st. Louis. Mr.. Payne's
reply to this speech, in letter published
in the Nev York Eoening Post, was an able
and triumphant vindication of his claims
to the office which he sought, and closed
with scathing rebuke of his malignant
opponent. In the early part of the year
1851 he succeeded in obtaining his commits
sion, when he left Washington and came
to New York to make preparations for his
departure for Tunis. AS he was embar-
raised by debt, and harassed by importu-
nate creditors, he took passage for Europe
under an assumed name, and on the sixth
day of May sailed from his native shores
in tho steamship Humboldt. On the LIST
day of April, 1862, after long and pain
full illness, his weary spirit passed to his
eternal rest. His remains lie inferred in
the cemetery of st. George at Tunis. A
monument erected to his memory by the
government Of the United States bears the
following inscription
In MEMORY OF
COLONEL JOHN HOWARD PAYNE,