Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-08

tended boarding school. Ny husband never
| deserted me, and never broke my moth
er's heart. But was drawn away from the
mOurnful contemplation # these things BY
a third statement. to the effect that wrote
| tie poem on nv dcath-bed in Philadelphia,
| in awretched hOyel. where the rain drilled
| in across the miserable bed whereOn I soon
afIerward breathed my last.
This WIS the best story Of tie three,
because il was eXciUsi,e-it put the I'M
| fortunate writer out Of her misery. But
! Just as I commenced to extlt over this CON
summation. a jersey gentleman, Mr.. Alex
ander NJ. w. Bali found another world 10
| conquer, and published a book to prove that
| neverwrOte the poem At all, but had stolen
IL from him. What was TO believe? had
at different times been informed through
| the newspapers that a Miss Elizabeth Alger,
| Of New York city, another lady out West,
a gentleman somewhere else, a blacksmith
in Georgia, each wrote the poem, and each
had friends to swear to it; and, as though
| the affair was lot sufficiently bewildering,
here comes a voice Of conviction from my
own State, declaring through the World
| that ] wrote the poem myself when / was a
factory girl in Maine. This is all very
well, excepting that | never carried my
lunch in ''cOarse brown wrapping-paper,
very much prefeFTing newspaper when l
cannOs afford a napkin; that l should scorn
70 write such verses on brown paper OBJ
| scured by fragments of custard pie and ap-
| pie sance, and that i never was inside a
| factory in Maine. Like the eulprit in
| court whose case was so pathetiCally pre-
sented 10 the jury as to touch even himself
| 70 tears, I must admit that | did not know
| had suffered so much until inform d Of
it by the sympathetic newspaper cures
| pOndent.
For journals ard journalists have a sin
| cere respect, and even a family affection;
but what offence have | ever committed
| against that ubiquitous person, the news
| paper correspondent, that in all his fights
Of fancy he Invariably describes me as in
the depths ofpOverty, distress and disgrace,
! and incapable Of earning respectable liv-
ins9 Why does be not say, sometimes,
by way Of variety, that | wrote the poem in
a tine residence on Murray Hill, in a pala-
tial mansion IN Fifth avenue. in the midst
Of the regal retta3gulariiy Of Philadelphia,
on in 4 vine-clad country seat on
the HudsOn2 Why not. instead of calling
me Pauper, dis0hedi,nt daughter, dis
carded wife, "A starving sewing woman, or
Wretched factory operative, WIN her iunch
wrapped in coarse brown paper CHAT is the
unkinde>l cut alb, Why not allow me
sometimes to BE Q flvorite Of fortune.
lady Of fashion, Off il be not too much
to ask newspaper correspondents
One Of two things is proven BY these
melancholy recitals Of my impecuniOsity;
for with all these-and Other-demands in
nv behalf on the public sympathy, have
never yet received the first oder Of assist
ance from philanthr0pists. Either the ad-
vantages Of advertising are Overstated, or
the children Of this world do not believe in
the newspapers.
make this faint protest against Che ire
preSSible newspaper correspondent simply
from a lingering instinct # seli-Gsience,
and not because I expect to convince him
against whom gods and men contend in
vain. ELIZABETH AKERS ALLEN.