Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-01-18
IsHoxE. SWEET HoME.g !
An Incident in the Life OF the
Author.
From the savannah Nsyg,l !, 80 =

has the right to claim the composition
of the ballad, Home. Sweet Home. y
My belief is that to neither of them is
the honor due, but thatthe original air
is Sicilian, and was acknowledged as
such by Bishop when the musical drama
Of Clara, or the Maid Of Milan, was
produced n in 1923. 1t was, however,
avowedly adapted and modified. by Bish-
op, aud, think, that as given in its
English form, it bears internal
evidence that if it underwent any el.asa-
ton in Bishops hands, it was in the
concluding stanza:
"' Home, home, sweet home, 49,,
There's no place like home, ~ A,l
There's no place like home."
1t does not seem to have occurred to
Septaugenarianl that the I. English
form Of the ballad of Home, Sweet
Home" was the original form, and GER
tainly he could not have known that it
was written by, John Howard Payne, an
American. The amateur can find the
air in question entire in the 4last act of
Donizettis Anna Bolena. E7ssNeiO York
Ecening Post. a,an,~ots
The above reminds Is Of an incident
in the life of the author Of Home,
Sweet Home" which occurred in Geor-
gia many years ago, and which proved
that the question Of the authorship of
that world-popular lyric is not confined
exclusively to the htterati Of either
France or this oountry.ssk s'Di '.4A
At the time of the tro ubles in this
State, growing out of the removal of the
Cherokee Indians, about the year 1886,
John Howard Payne, then in search of
material for contemplated work on the
| Aborigines of America was a guest of
John Ross, Head Chief of the Cherokee
Nation. who resided in Tennessee just
over the Georgia line. A troop called
the Georgia Guard, under the command,
we believe, of Colonel, afterwards Gene
raj Bishop, had been organized for the
protection ofsettlers onthe Indian from
tier. Northern emissaries, pretended
missionaries, had been among the In
dans stirring up trouble and instigating
them to hostilities against the whites.
News reached the camp OF, the Georgia
| Guard that one Of these charac ters was
at the time at Ross house, ende avoring
to persuade the Indians not to4e,gve the
State in compliance with the treaty with
the Federal Government. Such inter
| ference being regarded as dangerous to
the peace and safety of the white settle
ments, detachment of the mounted
Guard proceeded in the night to Ross
house, where they surprised Mr.. Payne,
and regardless of his explanations and
protests, took him prisoner. In the dark,
stormy night he was made to mou Mt his
horse and accompany the guard some
ten or fifteen miles, through a wild,
mountainous country, to their camp.
The troop was composed of young
mountaineers, who with their stron g pre-
judices against the Yankee mission laries
as they were called, were not incl ned to
be very civil Or pbliging to their captive.
From them Mr.. Payne could learn moth
ing satisfactory 10 regard to the cl larges
against him, why he was deprived of his
liberty, nor what disposition they de-
signed to make of him. Under these
circumstances, as his horse stu mbled
and plunged in the thick darkness. over
rough path, while his captors sang
their boisterous songs or enjoyed their
rude jokes, often at his expense, his
meditations were of a sombre and mel
ancholy character. At one time natu-
raj vocalist broke forth in " Home, Sweet
Honies' lie sang it remarkably well,
and the rich, pure tones Of his fine tenor
voice swelled upon the midnight all, +,
and woke the echoes of the silent woods !
his companions ceased their boist srous
conversation, while some good voices
Joined in the chorus. If the touching
melody "soothed the savage breast and
struck Sympathetic cord in the hearts
of his rude captors, ii stirred the pro-
foundest sensibilities of the unhappy
captive, and all unseen by them the tears
flowed down his cheeks as he rode for
ward in silence.
AS the song ceased and the echoes of
the chorus died away in the distance, the
poet checked his horse until the singer
came up with him. r,.
They rode along side by side for few
yards, the young man still humming the
air he had just been singing, while Mr.
Payne's mind was, perhaps, contrasting
his present sad situation with happier
scenes Of the past, associated with his
immortal song. At length he ventured
to address his guard. -A
" You have an excellent voice, young
man"
9"Well, yes he re piled, "I can sing
considerable Of a stave when try"
You sang Home, Sweet Home just
now, remarkably well.
That's because / like that song.
Whenever sing it, it makes me feed
good, somehow"
"Do you, ,knowwho wrote it,, ,9fba.i
O." No, / don't Know who rit 1t, but he
must a been a monstrous smart man,
whoever he was.
"You will, perhaps, be surprised when
Inform you that the author Of that song
is nov addressing you" iaN1 A'ii
What" ts al.
"I am the writer Of the song you just
sung"
At this statement the young noun
taineer, with q loud laugh, lay back IN
his saddle and shouted to his comrades:
What do you think, boys2 Old Sad
dlebags here says he rit Home, Sweet
Home, and | got it out Of the .'Western |
Songster' NOR year ago.
1t was useless after that for the poet
10 make any explanations. The West |
ern Songster settled the question Of
authorship. and Mr.. Payne was glad
when some incident changed the topic Of
conversation, and he ceased to be the
object Of the coarse ridicule Of his rude
and unfeeling persecutors. .HlEH4Ill
The writer heard Mr.. Payne relate the
incident to the late Dr. Longstreet in
Augusta only few days after its occur
renee. We should state that Mr. Payne,
after being conveyed to the camp of the
Georgia Guard, was detained there a
day or two until his real character was
gretted BY the people Of Georgia.
r,al, - 7 F.5,i- -. -