New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-27
gOAQUEN BTIBITER,
HE Fells the Story of His Life-Elis ER-
XYife's Statements COntrudictGd.


He FeIIs the Story of His Lffe-KIis ga
EYife's Statements COntrudicted.
| A few weeks ago we gave a synopsis OF
| the sensational lecture delivered in San
Francisco by Joaquin Miller's ex-wife,
Minnie Myrtle" Miller has seized the OPP
portunity afforded by New York reporter
| to set himself right before the people, so far
| as he can, by explicit denials of the damag-
| ing statements made of him. The reporter
finds the poet in one OF the sky parlors of
| the AstOr House, in New York, where he is
| temporarily stopping, and, after recOuntng
| a desultory conversation which took place
| between them, he gives in detail the poets
views regarding his wife's lectures.
Reporter-Mr. Miller, Ipresume you have
read your wife's lecture.
| The poet-Yes, have read it, but l can
say nothing about it. l have disputed
nothing that she has said. / will dispute
nothing, and will allow nobody to dispute
any Of her statements. Please say that
The relations between man and wife are 80
sacred, so holy, that | would be committing
crime if l were to say anything against her.
/ will say nothing against her.
Reporter remember one statement in
her lecture which is very funny Speaking
of your "p0etic Workshop" she said you
always had a rhythning dictionary before
you, and that a visitor could see the words:
Ever clever, over clever, fire desire, and
so on, written on a page OF fOolScap. Is
that true?
The poet-I never saw a rhythming die
tionary in my life. There may be such
books, but | never saw one. Mrs. Miller
knows very little about me- very little, in
deed | am sorry to say l study too little
for words. | work with too great rapidity.
See what | have been doing in the few days
that | have been here. HE showed the re-
porter a mass of proof sheets, and called
his attention to the small number Of cor
recti0ns.)
Reporter-She said in her lecture that
when you were judge in Grant county,
Oregon, you used to have an immense
Bible before you. and that when you heard
footsteps you used to place it across your
knees and assume @ perpleXed legal
scoWl" Is that true
The poet latter some deliberatiOn}-I had
a stormy race of men to rule over We
were 200 miles from the nearest outposts of
civilization. 1t was a mining camp in the
Blue Mountains of Oregon. I planned the
whole settlement with my own hands. |
directed the attention of the people to agri-
culture. / left them a prosperous people
when went away. You may say that the
territory over which presided was as large
as the State of Massachusetts,: 1000 white
men and 40, 900 Indians tSadly) Yes, and
these are my true friends; these are the
true believers Of Joaquin.
Reporter-But how about the legal scoTl,
Miller?
The poet Qaughing)-WeII, being a judge,
| suppose I had a legal scowl. As said
before, had a stormy race of men TO rule
over. (Gravelyt | am sorry that | should
have to speak in answer to the woman who
was once nv wife. But this is America;
this is New York American journalism is
queer thing. America wants something
she ought not to have If I were to die
now they would send fifty reporters to gloat
over my death and to give glowing and
interesting account of my last moments.
This is a strange country.
Reporter-Yes, it is. Is it true, Mr. Mil
Ier that when you did not like your visitors
you used to shiver and fill your stove with
wood until il became red-hOt and until the
unwelcone guests could endure it no
longer?
The poet lsmiling)-My nature is open
and tree. OF course, when man comes
and puts his hands on his knees, and as
sumes all the stiffness that he is capable Of
assuming, | am very glad to get rid Of him.
Nobody likes cODgenlal society better than
l do, but can not endure stiff, formal peo
pie.
Reporter-And when they did call on
you, did you heat them out
The poet Laughing heardly)-f froze
them out You see did not want to freeze
y0u out; have shut the window.
Repolter-Thanks Your wife said in
her lecture that after the visitors were
gone, you used to say to her, ''that is the
for hours it | did not make it too warm for
them?"
The poet iIaughing)-Yes; I hate dis
a bIn naOnIa and bnu IN IN
a great many ingenious expedients in life
to get rid OF them. AS l said before, had
q stormy race of people to rule over. The
bed Of a judge in Grant county, Oregon, is
not always strewn with roses.
Reporters 1t true that You, in imitation
of Lord Byron, professed horror of lite
rary women, and that when Mrs. Miller
asked you for any information you used to
tell her that she had better not seek to |
know anything, and that she was more at |
tractive to yOu as she was
The poet Laughing strange |
idea. ! think Mrs. Miller must have got |
this idea while l was in London, [ never |
initiated Byron. My nature is not Byronic, |
and nay poems are certainly as unlike those !
Of Byron as they could possibly be. have !
never written "Childe Harold" or Don |
Juan"
Reporters it true that you never liked |
% see her partake OF much food because !
Byron "could not endure to see beauty eat
T.
The poet-She always had as much as |
If she had not all | should |
AVE liked to give her, it was because did
lot have it and could not give it to her.
Reporter-She says in her lecture that |
;he went hungry until she became quite |
,ale and interesting, when you went down
o the classic shades Of Oregon and made
owe to bouncing willamette girl who
weighed 200 pounds. Do you confess the
charge?
The poet llaughing)-I have no very dis
met recollections about that. l may have
zone down to the classic shades of Oregon,
rs she says, and made love to a girl who |
Weighed $50 pounds, or to one who weighed
700 pounds, or TO one who weighed $50 /
pounds. | don't remember har weight dis
inctly. She might have weighed less than
400 pounds. she might hav@ VIZ ghed more.