Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-11-06
LoRENA's LOVER.
History Of a Song That Charmed
Ell Hearts Some Twenty
Years Ago.
Chicago Times.
TIE STORY OF LORENA.

words were SiISuldf1y TOUCHING
, and their length extending {
eight long verses, suggested
the reader a story back of then
In fact, the extreme pathos oI
the words contributed as mucI
perhaps, as the music to give til
compositorits wonderful success
1t was sung everywhere, in par
llors, in concerts, on the stree
and in the camps Of the contend
ing armies. In the Norther1
army it was immensely popular
and it found its way Soutl
through Louisville and Cincin
matt, and duringthe rebellion i
was the only piece sung in South.
ern homes, and excepting mar
tial airs, about the only one sung
| in the Confederate camp. Ey.
erywhere was "Lorena." A
steamer on the Ohio was named
Lorena, and a person now some
times meets in society young la
dies named Lorena, called that
by mothers twenty years ago,
That the song had a story near
ly every one familiar with it sup
posed, and supposed correctly, ,and
it may not be uninteresting al
this late day to give admirers of
the famous melody the facts in
the love affair.
The author of the words was
the Rev. Ii. d. L. Webster.
He studied in the Columbus
Academical and Collegiate In
stitute and was editor Of the col
lege paper: In the year 1913,
being then twenty-four years Of
age, and full of poetry and ro-
nance, he was enjoying his first
pastorate at GAINESVILLE, Ohio.
Lis leading parishioner was a
wealthy manufacturerwhose res
idence was upon one Of the
many hills which surround that
town. The house was
about half mile out, and the
cmineuce upon which it was
seated was the one referred to in
the song:
Twas fowery May,
When up the hi ly SLOPE we climbed,
To watch the dying Of the day,
Aud hear the distant church bells chimed.
There lived in this family q
Younger sister of his wife, who
was the leading singer in the
choir. She was nineteen years
Of age, small in stature, had blue
eyes and light, brown hair, and
was as fair as a lily. She was
not only a sweet singer, but she
was full of poetry and romance
IS her pastor, and they soon be-
came very much attached. Their
loving did not, however, ''pros-
per WE'LL" fer the family was
proud and aristocratic, and chad
higher notions Of the girls fu-
-urc than to sanction her mar
Rage with a poor preacher"
AS she was dependent upon
them for home, she was forced
to yield to their counsel-Mr.
Webster says he now thinks it
wise counsel-and they were OBJ
iged to give each other up. It
vas, however, the strong will
md proud spirit Of the sister,
more than the opposition Of the
)rother-in-law, that separated
hem, or rather kept Lorena from
lim. Lorcna seemed to Rave
1cen passive, indecisiye in char
lcter, and submissive in the
lands Of her strong-willed sister.
Mr.. Webster saw her for the
asst time at her home, learned Of /
he sisters uneonquerable oppo-
,ition, heard his fate and took a
luiet but painful farewell, very
title being said. That night |
,he wrote him a last letter, in
which she used the words, so
we'll remembered by those famil-
ar with the song, IF we try,
We may forget" 1t was eight !
years after that he wrote:
For 'If we try, we may forget,''
Were words u thine bns years ago.
=
Yes, those were words Of thine, Iorena,
They burn within my memory ye,
They touch some tender chords, LoreEa,
Which thrill and lremble with regret,
There is a future. Oh thank G5d,
OF life this is 50 small part.
,Tis dust to dust bneaih the sod,
But There, up There, It's heart 70 heart.
The effect OF the separation
was to crush the young man,
md writing to a friend twenty
six years after the occurrence, lie
SAYS: 81 doubt if all dark lines
are erased from my heart yet. !"
lie resigned his pastorate and
sought another field, smothering
his pain by hard study and work.
And the only sign Of that pain
the world ever saw was the heart
cry in the song cf "Lorena."
In 1856 he was residing in
Racine, Wisconsin, where he
met j. p. Webster, the coinpos-
er, who, though of the same
name, is no relation to him.
They soon BECAME very intimate.
j. Z. Webster was writing song