Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-03-05
RICHARD REALF.
The Sad Story of His Life.
Buffalo Express.

Rossiter Johnson tells, in LippincoH's
Moqasine, the touching story of Richard
Realf's life of poverty and struggle,
and death of shame. 1t is the old
story of unrewarded genius. Yet his
can hardly be called unknown or unap-
preciated genius, for, says Mr.. john
SON
"Since the close of this wonderful
career | have been astonished to find
how much celebrity q man could have
who was publicly talked about SO little.
From all parts of the country
come letters inquiring as to Realfs
life and writings, and to scores of
journals unknown correspondents
have sent "reminiscences and copies
of his fugitive poems. Within
my knowledge, six persons have set
out to write his biography. There
is a stern and mournful moral in the
fact that among all his friends and ad-
mirers, when Fortune was dealing so
mercilesslv with him and Vengeance
had pursued him to the last cruel ex-
tremity, there was no one to deliver
him from the body of that death"
Mr.. Johnson came into commuica-
ton with Realf in 1876, when collecting
material for biographical sketches OF
the authors represented in his Little
Classics" series, and finally became his
friend and confidant. Realf had
wrecked his life by marrying woman
of the town In Rochester, but having
fled from her, obtained employment as
an editorial writer on the Pittsburg
Commercial. The woman got track OF
him after time by seeing poem pub
lished with his signature, and dated
from Pittsburg. She at once made her
way to that city, and claimed support.
Realf then brought suit for divorce, and
after costly trial obtained it. This
stood unquestioned for two years, and
during that time he married. Then
the supreme court, on a technically,
reopened the case and ordered new
trial. But Realf was too poor to afford
another. His poverty was not from his
failures as Il producer, but from there
being too many to consume. He had
a fair salary on the Commercial, earned
a good deal by outside work, and spent
very little on himself. In a letter
written to Mr.. Johnson at this time, be
said:
1.-THE lecture-platform is my proper
place, and [ must make more money
or [ cannot much longer feed all the
mouths that depend on me. -Four years
ago I sent for my youngest sister and
her husband. They have ten little chill
dren, and another babe will cry within
month. They are near me here. very
poor in this worlds goods. but very rich
IN love and tenderness. 1t has so been
ordered also that widowed sister and
her family in England, and poor par
alytic brother and his family there are
ay wards. And sacred mother and
father are old, and poor, too; all poor
together, are we, and all well beloved
Don't you think my work, even if it is
hard and Wearisome, is lifted out il
drudgery by this?"
Here was load indeed for the shoul-
ders of a poor and Woodworking jour
nalist. Poor, that is, to the general APP
prehension, but to these poorer people
his kinsmen and women, he must have
seemed very Lord Bountiful; he was
by virtue of his talents, and of his sue
cess as compared with the fate of his
kindred, the head of that peasant fam
lily, and doubtless It's pride and admira-
ton. He failed of the worlds apprecia
ton, but he was the king and sun of his
own little circle, whose trust and affec
ton must have gone some way toward
atoning for the sights of fortune Mr.
johnson comments upon the letter WE
have quoted:
THAT such an accumulation of bur
dens should be heaped upon one man
seems incredible, but [ am satisfied
from other information than his state
ment was literally true. The supreme
court of Pennsylvania doubtless con
sidering in its wisdom that a trife more
would be nothing to a man already
weighted to this extent, decreed that
he must pay $50 a month as alimony
to a woman who had disgraced his name
And that money was paid regularly til
Christmas, 1877, when he was no longer
able to raise it. But meanwhile she
made lther business to pursue him with
an avenging fury. One day, when he
was returning from drive into the
country, with his new wife, her gigantic
form suddenly doomed up across the
road like that of Neg Merrilies;; but she
was even more forcible than Meg, for
together with curses she hurled brick
into the carriage. Another time Mrs
Realf had affecting come over her that
that woman was somewhere near.' and
going to her front window and looking
out. there she beheld her standing in
the middle of the street and gazing ur
at the house. Her battery of epithets
was Immediately opened, and Mrs
Realf was obliged to retreat from the
window"
We pass on, and take up Mr.. John
sons narrative at later date:
early last spring (1878) my eye fel
upon 9 paragraph in New York daily
to the effect that woman named Real
IN the northern part of the city had re
Gently given birth to triplets, and tina
she was in destitute circumstances
Then followed a sentence which Oh
securely limited that the husband and ia
ther was man well known in literatur,
and otherwise. Though the name wa
mlsspelt, there seemed little reason tx
doubt the identity, and nv wife and