Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-09-24
OLD RossUM, THE BEAU.
What Col: Sparks Knows About this IIis
torio Indivldual.
From q Southern Paper. d, r..

: $ ~ III
whnt Col. Sparks KNOWS About this rIis-
forie lndiyidual.
From Southern Paper, q
Noticing in the columns Of the Sun.
Enquirer, 9 few days ago. an article
from Ma. !. Calhoun. in which allusion ia
made to Col. w H. Sparks, of New Or
leans nowi this city, as the author OF
this well Known and popular oid d Song bung.
I called his attention to It. The follow
ing letter is in reply TO my inquiry,
:Coi.t Sparks ID, perhaps, as well if not
better, known than any other man of the
old regime ,of aristocracy and wealth,
for which the great southwest became
$50 famous anterior to the war. He is
ithe author Of o highly-interestipg book
entitled Memories OF Fifty Years. ~ 4
i5 The colonel is now over seventy five
years of age; but still retains his
zhsslth, constitutional yigor, and great
mental strength 20 d remarkable degree.
He numbered asthis personal associates
and companions Of the long ago such
personages as Danial Webster, Calhoun,
Gen. Jacksen, John Bell, Slidell, and
most. OF the statesmen of note who
hourished in those times: In conversa.
tionaI powers the colonel is unsurpassed, !,
unN M AsAttol z hnu ttc4ualutBnce
with all the prominent men and public
Incidents 81 q half century back make
his society really charming. He, to.
lady, have been spending the summer
at the Kimball House, and the two have
been the center of great attraction for
the number Of intelligent guests who
daily. tl1rong its parlors. But / give
you Col. Sparks own words, together
with the original Rossum the Beau :"
4 ATLANTA, Ga, Aug. 81, 1874.
MR. w. H. tMooRE: My Dear Sir
1 ana obliged to you for the little para
graph from the Columbus paper as
cribingl TO- me- the authorship of this
song, once sao so popular throughout the
It is very true, I wrote the lines L
send yon, and they are the first that
were ever sung to the air which became
famous. S3ihsf /. isIfI ~
I viii giveiyon brief history OF the
writing, and OF. the man who inspired
them. When I first went to the west,
in 1926, was some time In selecting o
domicile. Whyit is not necessary for
me to state. as the reason and causes
for delay will form o theme for chap
ories of Fifty Years"
Finally I located in Mississipn and
commented the practice OF Law. It was
;intthe midst Of the,nobiest, race. of pso. o.
pie I haze ever known. Amongst these
were two equally remarkable But very
unlike. One was 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 Eohool.houae, 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 so long that
he had acquired the sobriauet of
Rossum, the Beau" The others name
was Cox, who was rolIicking good fel.
low, and the best vocalist I ever knew.
He was in song what Prentiss was in
oratory. and they were boon compan-
ions. Both died young.
Cox was frequently at NV 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 at pleas,
nre, and its eloquence was indescrib.
able: Poor old Rossuml some of these
sunny mornings he will be found :dead,
when he shall have noble funeral.
and all the ladies will honor it with be.
ing present, 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 mp, 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 as many have claimed the au-
thorship of the lines; but this is of no
moment. l claim NO merit for my lines,
but everything for Cox's singing them.
have seen him draw tears from the
eyes OF the old and the young:
Now, soon, on some soft, sunny morning,
The first thing my neighbors shall know,
Their ears shall DO met with the warming
Como bury old Rossun,, tho beau.
NY friends then 80 neatly shall dress rne
In linen as white as tho snow
And in my new coffin shall press mo,
And whisper: Poor Roasun,, the beau.
And when I'm to be buried, reckon,
The ladies will all like to GO;
Let them form at the foot OF my coffin,