Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-09-24
tIle ttIle Int sestss sof the He eople.
SOUTH CAROLINA, THUIssDA SEPTEMBER 24 1874
OLD RossuM, THE BEAU.

OLD RossUM, THE BEAU.
what Col: Sparks Knows Abou. this ssa-
sti, tosio Individual.
From Southern Paper.
Noticing in the columns of the SIM.
Enquirer, O few days ago. an article
from Msi. calhoun. in which allusion is
made to Col. w. H. Sparks, of New Or
leansi now I'M this city, as the author. OF
this we'll known and popular old song.
called his attention TO it. The follow
ing letter is In reply to my inquiry
Coll Sparks Is, perhaps, as well il. not
better known than any other man OF tine
old reginse of aristocraoy and wealth.
for Which the great southwest became
80 famous anterior to the war. He is
the author of o highly book
entitled I" Memories OF Fifty Years. p $
The colonel is now over seventy-fiye
years of age; but still retains his
health, constitutional yigor, and great
mental strength to o remarkable degree.
I He numbered as his personal associates
and companions of the long ago such
persoHages as Danial Webster, Calhoun,
Gen. jackson, John Bell, Slideii, and
most Of the, statesmen of note who
dourished In those times. In conversa.
tional power the colonel is unsurpassed, !,
and uhisi familiarity and acquaintance
with all the prominent men and public
incidents Of o half century back make
his society really charming. He, to-
sgether with .his. excellent and talented
lady, have been spending the summer
of The Kimball House, and the two have
been the center of great attraction for
y,koJ1s~,,,,k
daily throng it's parlors. But I give
with the original Rossum the Beau !"
Ii ATLANTA, Ga, Aug. 81, 1874.
Mr.. w. H.tMooRE: My Deer Sir
lam obliged to You for the little pare
graph from the Columbus paper as
cribingi to ma the authorship Of this
song, once 80 SO popular throughout the
country.
It is very true, I wrote the lines Il
send you, and they are the first that
were ever sung to the air which became
famous. ,iti ~
4 will giyelyon brief history of tho
writing, and ,of. the man who, inspired
them. When first went to the west,
in 1926, r was some time in selecting d
domioile. Why-it is not necessary for
mo to state, as the reason and causes
for delay viii form theme for q chap
ter In the second volume Of the 90 Mem.
ories, of Fifty Years. ..ss'.
Finally I located in Mississipp; and
commenced the practice Of law. It was
in Ethe midst of the neblest. race of peo.
pie i have ever known. Amongst these
were two equally remarkable but very
unlike. One was O schoolmaster who
was quite old, aud who had been teach
ing in that neighborhood over forty
years. His name was James Rossum.
He was peculiar in his habits. On
Monday morning, neatly, dressed and
cleanly shaven, he went to his duties in
the old Rohool-house, where two-thirds
of his life had been spent, and assidu-
ously devoted himself to the duties of
his vocation until Friday evening. On
Saturday morning he arrayed himself
in his best, and devoted the day in Wis.
iting the ladies of the neighborhood.
He was q welcome guest at every house.
This habit had continued 80 long that
he had acquired the sobriquet Of
Rossum, the Beau" The others name
was Cox, who was rollicking good fel.
low, and the best vocalist / ever knew.
He was in song what Prentiss was in
oratory. and they were boon compan-
ions. Both died young.
Cox was frequently at my office, and
upon one occasion while he was there
Rossum walked by the door, and his
age was apparent in his walk. Cox
looked at him. and after pause turned
to me and remarked in quite feeling
tone, which he could assume ut pleas.
uro, and its eloquence was indescrib.
able: =" Poor old Rossum some Of these
sunny mornings he will be found :dead,
when he shell have noble funeral.
and all the ladies will honor it with be-
ing present, I know"
Soon after he left the Office, and be-
ing in the humor seized the ideas and
wrote the following doggerel lines.
Soon after Cox returned, and I handed
them to him. He got up, walked and
hummed different airs, until he fell
upon the old Methodist hymn tune, in
which they have ever since been sung.
have always considered Cox more
entitled to the authorship of the song
than myself.
Hundreds of lines have been written
to the air, by as many persons, and
almost MS many have claimed the au,
thorship of the lines; but this is of no
moment. I claim no merit for nv lines.
but everything for Oox's singing them.
I have seen him draw tears from the
eyes OF the old and the young:
Nov, soon' on some soft, sunny morning,
Their cara shall be met with the warning
Como bury old Rossum, the beau.
MY friends then 80 neatly shall dress me
In linen as white as the snow
And in my new coffin shall press me,