The Portland daily press., 1878-11-06
Who will care for Kearney nowp
New York SUM-
MY Granffafhar,s Click

Not to know "Grandfather's Clock" argues
yourself unknown. With its accompaniment
OF winding up, striking, ticking and running
down, it is nightly played in theatre and con-
cert halls to applauding auditors, and is
whistled by unnumbsred pickering mouths.
But not to know the words of this --latest mu-
sical hit. or not to be able to name the author
Is simply to enroll ones self with the thous-
ands who would be obliged to confess to the
same ignorance. Two years ago the writer was
shown q sheet of music by Mr.. Chauncsy NJ.
Cady. The music was entitled "Grandfather's
Clock" 1t was then unknown. Mr. Cady
hummed it and said: "That's going to be
popular, II will be just the thing to catch the
popular ear" This was in '76. Mr. Cady's
prophesy has come true in '7S, and yesterday
he himself told how it was done. SIT was
written by Henry y. Work. said Mr.. Cady.
"You know him? No! Bless you! His life is
little romance. Let me tell you about him
In the first place, his father was A,anson
Work. who, with Burr and Thomps were,
in 1S41, condemned to twelve years hard labor
in the Missouri State Prison, for assisting fugi-
tive slaves across the Mississippi river. Well,
about the time of the beginning of the rebel
lion Henry Work came to our office in Chicago
| II was then with Root in the firm of Root 8
Cady) with the manuscript of song. he was
then a printer, struggling for living. We
saw that he had something In him, and not
| only bought his song but engaged him to write
| for us for term Of years, agreeing to pay him
| stipulated copyright. After ne turned out
"Kingdom ComiDg," and one or two other pop
| ular songs we increased his copyright volun-
| tsrily. His songs made great hit, especially
"Wake Nicedemus," Babylon is Fallen" and
"Marching Through Georgia." You didn't
| know he wrote that. Yes indeed, ,old you
| he had it in bim.
"His proceeds from bis songs" continued
| Mr.. Cady, "made him rich. He travelled ex-
| tensively In this country and Europe, and in
| 1867 he went from Chicago with snug fortune
| Then he went to Vlneland, N. j., and with his
brother invested his earnings in two or three
| hundred acres of land, built houses, and pre-
pared to establish an extensive fruit farm.
But the hard times came on, his investments
were Improbable, and he lost all his property.
| Added to this were domestic trials Of the most
| heart-rending nature, aud finally. there only
i remained to him his little daughter Nellie,
He disappeared from view No one knew
i where he was.
Meantime the Chicago fire dissolved the firm
of Root s. Cady. We lost S315 900, aud recov-
cred from insurance companies only S55 900.
| 1t was q severe stroke to me. l was threat
ened with brain fever and had to quit work.
| About three years ago came here and started
| in business again as q music publisher. /
| wanted some one TO write popular musis for
/ me, and thought of Henry G. Work. But I
| couldn't find HIM. He had secluded himself so
effectually that 1t was six mUnths before L
/ found him, and then it was by meeting him
accidentally on Broadway. He was very Door.
and |ss trying TO s2ppo.. himself and his
| little daughter by writing magazine articles,
Well, the result of our meeting was that Work
wrote three songs for me. The Mystic Veil,
Sweet Echo DELL and 'Grandfather's Clock
These were all published in 1876, and sold well
from the start, but the latter has ecipsed the
others, and, in fact, all other songs recently
published. Ii is the hit of the times"
But bow did you maze it popular, Mr.;
| Cady? You showed 1t to me in 1876, bat did
not hear of it again until 1873"
I'm tell you l have collected the pames OF
thousands of musical people, dealers and the
like, and send them circulars, with ideas oil
So 1 did with Grand fathers CLOCK.
The first that the music dealers kuew
of the success of the piece was from
the orders they received from the country. Iu
fact the piece has been popular in the country
for over a year. Last winter it was last az
popular in Philadelphia as it now is in New
York and Brooklyn; and for year and half
| it has sold in large numbers on the Pacific
coast think the first concert troupe that
brought it out wcs the Hyer Sisters Combins-
| tiOp. Lucy dIo utkrOtc- Lucy DAOukue ~ Ou
in New England, Sam Lucas singing the sole
and an invisible quartet the chorus. L saw by
the papers that it was successful and went Il
| New Haven one night to hear it. 1t was Ger
| taiply good thing. The audience gave then
double and triple encores As Sam Lucas said
they tore up the benches | must tell you O
funny experience l had with the San Fran
cisco MinsIrels, for II was good joke on Wan
bold. When the song was hrst Published
tooka copy up to Wambold and tsld him