The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1872-09-21
lrTHoRS
LLaEs.tlns slEssleo.


ffum ne hatils hsf ssf
A. the pleasant b'ds siiy ottifsu
ada. in the state # Mississippi, there
lives . quiet gentleman wbo answers
10 the hame written sbovs. He Is
an Italian by birth. bot be came 10
this country Ehen a small boy mot
over i've years Of age, perhaps
consequently he may be considered
.. much an American as any Of Ne.
Ills uame must have a familiar ring
to mos, OF our readers, but large
number Of them will, no doubt, be
unable tn tell Why, and therefore
will find themselves at loss touch-
ing whore to place him. Some may
remember him as Italian Vice Con-
sui at Memphis. n position which he
held for several years; others may
remember bin. as newspaper man
who has had no little to do with the
newspaper press, particularly in
Memphis; but few, we fear, will
recognize in him that which he
really is-one among the truest
poets OF the South.
| OF course we do not presume to
take the position that the subject OF
our "Talk" is wholly unknown as
poet-on the other hand il may be
said that he is well known to that
class Of readers who make the study
of authors a specially; still, it is not
unfair to set forth that to the masses
he is comparatively a stranger. We
say comparatively because we have
iu mind such writer's as J. X, Lowell,
Alfred B. Street, Bayard Taylor
and William Ross Wallace. These
names are as "famiiar as household
words" in every section of the coun-
try where "literary" periodicals cir.
culate, and yet we will venture to
say not one of these men ever gave
the world more beautiful prodnc>
tion than the following from the pen
of J. Augustine Signaigo:
ON THE HEIGHTS OF MISSION RIDGE.
When the foes, in conflict heated,
Battled over road aid bridge
While Bragg sullenly retreated ..s
Prom the heights of Mission Ridge
There, aNid the pines and wildwood,
Two opposing Colonies fell "''
Who had schoolmates been in childhood
And had loved each Other wel
There, amid the roar and rattle,
Facing EIavocs 6ery breath,
Met the wounded two in battle
In the agonies Of death.
But they saw each other reclne .....
On the dead and dying men,
And the old time, full Of feeling, .....
Came upon them once again.
when that night the moon creeping,
With it's gold streaks, DER the slain,
She bsheld two soldiers sleeping, !
Free from every earthly pain. a
Close beside the mountain heather,
Whore the rocks obscure The sand
They had died, 1t seems, together,
As they casped each others hand
Little need be said with referenc,
to this power, for Its force must b,
: felt alike in every section of ths
country, regardless of side or sym.
patby. 1t is what might he termed
n national effort, and but the fac
3 that its author was man too modes
to blow his own horn at the righ
time, it might have been made a.
tsuccessful a carrier as eve
was the famous ballad of Ben Bolt
AS descriptive poet Mr.. Sig
4 naigo possesses no inferior powers
| We have this well demonstrated il
/ / a poem before up entitled "Moun
Cenis," and nairating the adven
lures Of four Italians who wer
!. passing over the mountains from tn
North-country to Italy, their owl
beautiful Land Of Flowers. w
! have only space for the opening AM
o closing stanzas:: & 5aa7Il s'
Twas growing night upon the hilIs,
Z, Mount GEMS rose in sweIls h'dslfm
l. We heard the murmur Of The rills,f 9Hr
I And tinkle Of the bells 4s7g
y Far up we drove u rough mountain fights
Earth covered whith with snow, aig ~
y While peaks rose higher on the heights,
- And Gags grew dark below. 3ijG ta
,t - - osa s5eiH.4
We stood upon Mount Gents hight,
= The sun tnged all aglow,
n As we saw suza IN the light
Par down the steep below.
And once more on these grand old hills,
We made the morning ring
With shouts that echoed through the rlls
:, "Ttalis and the Kingp .A4ldNi
II There is class ofpoetry in whic
d we never claim any stock--we ca
. it mechanical poetry; it is poetr
n J,writteu for eome sppcial occaaio,