The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-07-29
"HOxE, SWEET HOME"
The circumstances Under WhIch h John
Howard Payne Wrote the Song.

Mr.. Payne, ON one occasion In 1885,
while at New Orleans, when ques-
toned on the subject of the music OF
"HOme, Sweet Home" told his per.
sonal friend. Mr.. Jas. Rees, of Phila-
delphia, that the air was not wholly
original with Mr.. Bishop, and related
the following pleasant anecdOte con-
cerning it. He said /: "I first heard
the air in Italy. One beautiful sum-
mer morning As was strolling alone
amid some delightful scenery, my at
tention was arrested by the sweet
voice Of a peasant girl who was car
rying basket laden with flowers and
vegetables. This plaintive air she
trilled out with so much sweetness
and simplicity that the melody at
once caught my fancy. 1 accosted
her, and, after q few moments' con-
versation, asked for the name OF the
song, which she could not give me,
but having q slight knowledge Of
music myself, barely enough for the
purpose, requested her to repeat the
air, which she did while dotted down
the notes as best could. 1t was the
air that suggested the words of
Home, Sweet Home both of which
1 sent to Bishop, at the time 1 was
preparing the opera OF 'Clarp for Mr..
Kemble. Bishop happened to know
the sir perfectly well, and adapted the
music to the words" This statement
is fully sustained in the letters OF Mr..
Payne to Mr.. Bishop, which are in
troduced In the volume.
There have been many ridiculous
statements made as to the circum-
stances under which Mr.. Payne wrote
the words OF his celebrated song.
''Some," says his biographer, "have
stated that he was residing in London
st the time, without q shilling in his
pocket ; others have stated that on q
stormy night, beneath the dim flick
ering OF London street-lamp, gaunt
and hungry, and without place 10
shelter his poor, shivering OOdy, he
wrote his inspired song upon piece
of ragged paper picked from the side
walk.
This was not so. The letter Of Mr..
Payne above quoted proves directly
to the contrary. We see by his
acknowledgement to Bishop OF the re-
ceipt of eighty pounds that be was
comfortably situated when preparing
"Clari' for the stage. We admit that
Mr.. Payne never, at any period Of his
eventful life, accumulated any con-
siderable amount Of wealth; but those
who knew the stats OF his circum-
stances knew that he never was q
street pauper. In still later com.
munication to Bishop is another
acknowledgment for fifty pounds on
the sum OF two hundred and fifty,
which he was to receive for the three
dramas entitled Ali Pacha. The Two
Galley Slaves and Clari, all of which
were produced at the COvent Garden
Theatre, under the management of
Mr.. Charles Kemble.
Mr., Payne has never been "let
alone; :" almost every thing he ever
did has been doubted, and it is some
what surprising that his consulship at
Tunis has not been denied him, but
what Of that? Fools have been
found who doubted that Shakes
peare wrote his own plays, and that
Poe was the author Of the "Raven,"
and, with all their mOOting OF the
question, thew never could find any
one else who did perform the works.
At one time it was stated that Mr..
Payne did not write the words OF
"Home, Sweet Home" The asser-
ton called forth inquiry. Washing
ton Irving was applied to on the
subject, and his reply was, that he
had been unable to discover who else
did, and he could see no reason for
doubling the authorship.-BroOkly15
Eagle.