, 1879-01-24

A Queer History thnt Il Revived By the
DeRth OF hlr. Ball,

DtAtH OF hlF+ NhAAs
He,o Fork rsrid. Ldn. q.
afr. Alexander 81. ". Bull, OF Elizabeth, died
at his rcstdence on Monday after short !llnsss.
The announcement Of hts death recalls sharp
literary controversy which MAS Garred on
through tic newspapers n,l In pamphlets for
several ycars, bcalnnng IN 1865, over the author
shtp Of thc popular verses, Rock Ms to Sleep,
Mother" The sir verses, to which music was
afterwards adapted, first appeared In print
in tue summer Of 1890, In tho Philadelphia
Saturday Etrs.tag l'ost, over tho na,na Of Flor
eaec Percy, tho nom 10 piumo Of Mrs. Elizabeth
Akcts. During tho ensuing nge years their
authorship WA claimed by hAlf-do xcn or moro
persous. Public Interest, however, was not
itirectel to tho dispute until JUGS -, 1876. when
Mrs. Akers wrote to jourual In Nsw York q
pleasant way, sho inserted her claim tu
tlu verses II above specified. The yotumr
Ut her poems published BY Iicknor s. Fields.
Of Doston, III lsGS, included tile s'x verses.
Following shortly upon tic issue Ut this volume,
. twenty.two page p.a'npnlct apnearcd, written
BY Ar. Oliver A. Morsc, OF Cherry Valley,
ulenibor Of Congress frum otse9o County. New
York, with u preface BY Luther K. Marsh, VI
thls city. claiming ulat the SIX Ycrscs weIc in.
cluded In fifteen ycrscs written BY Mt. Hall In
1865 and 1857. four Years bofore. According TO
MT.. Akers' e!aim, sl!s l had written tl1eu.: The
Balls teaif tl.at being man Ut literary In
s,inets, aud yet for many years al thu beau q
hin fortune, hs ha.l never sought =
many ~ Worthy M p'f&. II lapp:s.ed irou. several
! extracts published tor Tie i!rat time In the
feat oootna Of hls o.n production, 1t tho yearly
| Christna4 gatherings Ut bis family, nnd p41ta
| OF four Ut ttc1n were reproduced tu show usat
On auctl occasious hs Invariably alluded to hit
f.. at 1.,r.. TkA1R
lnes Ut The stnnxas prepared by him for Christ.
| slus, lb56 reAl:
And ~ tue rolls u backward, we feel inclined to
A. tho sptt Of oar mother eomss to rock our souls
which in spits OF their prosa!c quality do no
doubt strongly suggeat the "Daskwa:d, tuf', T.
Il, .hea ns ot,, ~ y'9' ast ~
l.swts G. Grover, ]. bustuws Hyde. a,.d o.lcrs
to t,lu etIcct lint Mr. Ball had read his fifteen
verses ~ their presence between 1851 ana M ls5g
wefo also published !n thy psMphles. Il!en fol
lcugth IN another journal, signsu "ConlloE. nd
yocatlug ne claita OF Atrs. Aksrs- A reply was
framed to this ty tic Rev. u. Dwight, VI En2Gl
Iishsi ] IL y Third paper. 4 cotrs.ponIrncc WI,
Introduced !n tlle reply between Mrs Akera all4
slr. Bill, IN hs couEso OF which The former
writing irosn Richmond ln August, 1887, thecat
cncd U suit It law 10 establish the disputed au
thurship. Mr.. Ball responds tweH,-oucu ncpt
D, urging tAat the suit bs brought promptly sn.
designating attorneys upon whosl1 1lolHs Iua,
be served. 10 this tss!cs, haying claiulsd til.
sole authorship aud Insisting that he had real
tho pueni repeatedly to {rcnds bsfose lsG0
llc ssys: .'Yhls statement, .uadaln. /
true. unqaaliAcdiy true, and ! ain real.
10 avollen It befosu God and m1u, hcri
mud everywhere, now aud always, mud tu al
fostns that csa E.ve tolcmnsty to avestnent aist
blud the soul Tor ita truth" The second letter
no response havtu9 eonls to thu first, was writ
ten tu Deceulbcr, l667, mid suggested 'u4at |
Mrs. Akers should bo sycrss tu bringing u sui
petsoua!ay sho might Instruct hcr publishers t
Sue AE. Do11, hIs publisher, fpr YlQlat1un =
copyright Nothing ea1no Of this CORRESPOND
cnce. Tie third published art!cla also rot
tu!ned batch Of letter. sustaining Mr. BAIL, ois
being from Congressman aeorgs ". MslIhs
who said tlat he occupied illo bs1uv statrFt,ol
With air. Bal! on wy ago u California, icayn
New York on Feb ~, 1857; that during ii
voyage SIR. Ball rearranged un.l adIsd 10 Ill
pocal '' lso~k Nc " Sleep, Motller," sud iu ds
lug 80 rad It ortr 50 maoy tl,nes lhat btl
: Wright learned t. BY hya1s: Subsequently IL
case Was reviewed tayoraoiy to Mr. Ball lu tt
.tvrtatra -Houlh'v for 3larct, 1888. Gen. Z. "
LsAyeuwosth, u Syracuse. finally gathered a