Smyrna times., 1871-06-28
"And you knew Francis Key?'

"Knew him Why he lived but a few
doors above my fathers house There were
once two brothers, John Ross and Philip Bar
ton Key. Philip was an officer in the British
army during the Revolutionary war, while
John was in that of the United States John
erick County, Maryland, where Francis and
his sister Anna, Johns only children, were
born There was an exiled Scotchman, Mr..
Bruce-said to have been heir to the throne of
Scotland-who had built mill on Pipes
Greek, and there, In the company of this noble
old aristocrat, Frank spent his very early boy
hood. The brothers, Philip and John, were
large, manly looking fellows, but Frank and
Anna were of much smaller mould. Anna
| Key was beautiful little GIRL with the cheer
! fullest face and most pleasant smile ever saw.
When they moved into town, near my fathers,
Frank was half grown, and ready to enter as a
law student with Roger B. Taney, then at the
head of the Frederick bar. Roger was tall,
Gaunt fellow, as lean, they used to say, as a
Potomac herring, and as shrewd as the shrewd-
est He married bright little Anna. 1t was
like the union of hawk With sky lark but
she lived to be the wife of Justice of the
United States, and l never heard that either
repented of their marriage. Mr.. Taney was a
strict Catholic, and Frank an Episcopalian, not
considered very jealous and sharpin his pro-
fession, and much given to dreaming He
went to Virginia, and brought home q wife
much larger and taller than himself, went to
housekeeping on Market street, and had a
couple of little children when | left home in
1909 to seek my fortune in Lancaster, Penn
sylvania.
"You have heard of Admiral Cockburn who
commanded the British feetP The atrocious
scoundreli Words can never paint the mis-
cradle coward and boaster in his true colOrs.
After his depredations along the Eastern Shore
of Maryland, there followed the sacking Of
Washington, the battle of North Point, and
the attempt of the enemy to take the city OF
Baltimore by water, as they had failed to do il
by land. You know all about the lombard
ment of Fort M Henry, September l3, 1914
l have gone over it again, in fancy, hundreds
of times and I'll tell you Frank Key, patriotic
as he was to his hearts core, could not helT
composing that poem. 1t was forced out O
him. Just think. He was prisoner on tn,
feet, which was anchored two miles from For
NJ Henry, the city's main defense. He coulc
watch all the enemy's preparations, and h.
knew the danger they fOreboded. Through
the terrific cannonading of that midnight fight
while the sky was lit up with the fiery course
of the flying bombs, do you think he cOul
Y sleep? AS the struggle ceased upon the com
ing morning, and he looked through the din
twilight for the flag of his country, his hear
sick with fear and doubt, could he help tn
grand Outburst of that first verse? And then
as through the mists Of deep the banne
Oomed dimly in the morning suns first ray,
and he exclaimed,
''Ts the starspangsd banner oh, long may It
Ger the land OF the free and the home Of the brave
it was prayer and praise all in one; and thel
has never been any thing like it siRce."
Mr. Hendon stopped to wipe his sweatiu
face with his red bandana handkerchief, an
take few rapid strides across the floor +
had forgotten his cane and the weight of h
eighty years in this reminisccnce of his stror
young manhood ; and il Admiral COckburn ha
that moment stood before him, in the fes
= and-blood insolence of his real self, wou
have been the chronicler of hisfate.
ds. Have you heard Francis Keys poem
're said one of our mess, coming in one evenin
ar as we lay scattered over the green hill near h
captains marquee. It was rude copy, al
written in a scrawl which Horace GreeI
might have mistaken for his own. He re-
it aloud, once, twice, three times, until the e
ais. tire division seemed electrified by its pathe
as. eloquence. An idea seized Ferd Duran
al Hunting up volume of old flute music, viii
was in somebody's tent, he impatieuty viii
led snatches of tune after tuBe, Just as th
:, ~ caught his quick eye. One called 'Anacre
o%; obs in Heaven Il have played it often for it "
- in my book that he found it), struck h :
and rivited his attention Note after Z =
from his puckered lips until with leSp+
shout, he exclaimed, Boys, I've hit it i a
md. fitting the tune to the words there rang q
ned for the first time the song of the 'Star-spangl
lied Bapner.' How the men shouted and clapp
for never was there wedding of poetry
music made under such inspiring inhuenc
Getting brief furlough, the brothers sanQ
on the stage of Holiday Street Theatre sc
!, after. 1t was caught up in the camps, a