The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-03-08
OLD RossJM, TIE BEAU.

=
= OLD RossJM, THE BEAU.
The Story Of Popular old Song.
From a Southern Paper.
: Noticing in the columns of the Sur
Enquirer, few days ago, an articl
from Major Calhoun, in which allI
sion is made to Col. w. II. Sparks, {
New Orleans, now in this city, as tn
author of this well-known and popU
lar old song, called his attention {
it. The following letter is in reply t
my inquiry. Col. Sparks is, perhaps
as well if not better known in tn
South than any man of the old reginl
of aristocracy and wealth, for whicl
i the great Southwest became so ia
nous anterior to the war. He is tn
author of notwithstanding bool
entitled "Memories of Fifty Years"
The Colonel is now over seventy
five years of age; but still retains hi
| health, constitutional vigOr, and grea
mental strength to remarkable de
| gree. He numbered as his persona
associates and companions of the lonl
| ago such personages as Daniel Web
| oiClJ SStlnOullg NClls OdChSOl, sJOllI
| Bell, Slidell, and most of the states
men ofnote who fiourished in those
| times. In conversational powers the
Colonel is unsurpassed, and his famili
| arity and acquaintance with all the
prominent men and public incidents
| of half century back made his socie-
ty really charming. He, together
with his excellent and talented lady,
have been spending the summer al
| the Kimball House, and the two have
been the center of great attraction fol
the number of intelligent guests who
| daily throng its parlOrs. But / give
you Col. Sparks own words, together
with the original "Rossum the
Beau:"
ATLANTA, GA, Aug. "a, 1874.
NJ. W. IL Moore:
MY DEAR SIR-I am obliged to you
for the little paragraph from the Co
lumbus paper ascribing to me the au-
thorship of this song, once so popular
throughout the country.
1t is very true, / wrote the lines |
send you, and they are the first that
were ever sung to the air which be-
came famous.
will give you brief history of the
writing, and of the man who inspired
them. When l first went to the
West, in 1926, l was sometime in Sc
lecting a dOmicile. Why-it is not
necessary for me to state, as the reas-
on and causes for delay will form Il
theme for a chapter in the second vol
ume of the Memories of Fifty Years. Z"
Finally located in Mississippi and
commence the practice of law.
1t was in the midst of the
noblest race of the people l have ever
known. Amongst these were two
equally remarkable but very unlike.
One was a schOolmaster who was
quite old, and who had been teaching
in that neighborhOod over forty years.
His name was James RosslIm. He
was peculiar IN his habits. On Mon
day morning, neatly dressed and clean
ly shaven, he went to his duties in the
old schOol-hOuse, where twO-thirds of
his life had been spent, and assidously
devoted himself to the duties of his
vocation until Friday evening. On
the morning of Saturday he arrayed
himself in his best, and devoted the
day in visiting the ladies of the neigh
borhOod. He was welcome guest at
every house. This habit had contin-
ued so long that he had acquired the
Sobriquet of "ROssUm, the Beau" The
others name was Cox, who was a roll
licking good fellows, and the best vo-
calist L ever knew. He was in song
what Prentiss was in oratory, and
they were boon companions. 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 a pause
turned to me and remarked in quite a
feeling tone, which he could assume
at pleasure, and its elOquence was in
describable: HPoor old Rossum! some
of these sunny mornings he will be
found dead, when he shall have a no
bic funeral, and all the ladies will
honor it with being 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 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.
1 have always considered Cox more
entitled to the authorship of the song
than myself
Hundreds of lines have been written
to the aiT, by as many persons, and
almost as many have claimed the aus
thorship of the lines; but this is of no
moment. 1 claim no merit for my
lines, but everything for CoX's singing
them, | haYe seen him draw tears
from the eyes of the old and young,
with the feeling he threw into the
song.
Now, soon on some soft, sunny morning,
The first thing my neightors shall know,
Their ears shall be met with the war ming
Come bury old Rossum, the beau.
My friends then so neatly shall dress me
In linen as white ss the SNOW
And in nay new eofnn shall press me,
And whisper; Poor RosSum, the beau.
And when I'm to be buried, reckon,
The ladies will all like to go;
Let them Irm at the foot of my cofd u,
And follow old RosSum, the beau.
Then take you q dozen good fellows,
And let them all staggering go;
And dig a deep hole in the meadow,
And In IL toss old Eosaum, the beau.
Then shape out couple OF dOrnicks,
Place one at the head and the tee;
And do not fail to scratch on it
Here lies old Rossum, the beau.
Then take these dozen good fellows,
And stand them all Found in rowj
And drink out of a big-belIied bottle
Farewell to old Rossum, the Beau,
W. II. SPARK.