Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-02-25
( OLD FOLKS AT HOME"
The Authorship Of the Famous Ballad
Disputed What Proofs Joe Mur-
ply Has that His Brother
Wrote Il.

Disputed -What Proofs Joe hur-
ply Has that His Brother
Wrote II.
ST. Louis Times-Journal, 2ist.l
In taking a retrospective survey OF
a few years it is interesting to note
how often the ruthless hand of the
l~cOnoelast has reached out and torn
down the idols hat have for many
years received the alteration of the
public. Authors and composers who
have long since paid the last debt of
nature, but whose memories are re-
vered for the works they have left be-
hind them, are branded as plagiarists,
and the works that have made them
famous are claimed by Others, who in
many instances prove that their claims
are just.
The latest instance of this charac-
ter relates to the well known ballad,
Odd Folks at Home" or the "Swa-
nee River" the composition Of which
has for years been credited to the late
Stephen c, Foster, the most popular
song writer of his day. 1t now APP
pears that Mr., Joseph Murphy, of
Kerry Cow" fame, who is now play
ing at the Grand Opera House. has
proofs which are in the keeping Of his
sister at San Francisco, and which
show that his brother, James Muir
ply, and not Stephen G, Foster, was
the
AUTHOR OF THE BALLAD.
A Times Journal reporter called
upon Mr.. Murphy yesterday and
handed him the following item, clip
ped from an exchange:
"A Mr.. Murphy comes to the front
and claims to be the author of Old
Folks at Home, the best song, in the
opinion OF many people, ever written
by the late Stephen G. Foster. In or
der to satisfy any reasonable mind
that he is indeed the author. the
claimant assures us that he is the
brother of the Murphy who shoes the
hOloO III AtIIg OUM.
Mr.. Murpmy's brother John is tray
cling with the Kerry Cow company,
and the reporter asked Mr.. Joseph
Murphy if John was really the author
of the song,
No, he replied; not John. but
my brother James, was the author of
1t, and have letters and documents
to prove the truth of the assertion"
Under what circumstances was the
song written 2"
My brother wrote it in New York
in 1850, and Colonel Heating, now of
the Memphis Appeal, was in the room
with him when he wrote it. He was
a fine singer and composer, and was a
member Of a glee club that was very
popular at that time. He died in 1851.
when | was thirteen years old. He
gave a great deal of attention to music
and wrote a number of popular songs,
among them Dearest Dine" and
No, Mary Blaine" When he wrote
"OLD FOLKS AT HOME
he and Colonel Heating had a room
together. He was a gold pen maker
and Colonel Heating was typc-setting
on one Of the New York papers. As
| told you, he was a member of a elce
club that a number of young men or
ganized to go around and serenade
their young lady friends. Ny brother
played the tambourine, and n night
while be and Colonel Heating were
sitting in their room, he wrote this
song on the parchment on the inside
of the tambourine. My sister has the
tambourine now in San Francisco. 1t
was written with a lead pencil, and in
order to prevent it from being rubbed
cut, ! had the parchment vanished,
and the letters are almost as distinct
as they were when they were written.
My sister preserves that tambourine
very carefully, and would not part
with it for anything"
Why did your brother not receive
the credit for having written the
song?'
" 1t was first published as having
been written by Il. p. Christy, but
Christy didn't write any songs. He
knew nothing about music could not
read a note, and couldn't tune a vio-
lin. My brother was unknown, and of
course a mans reputation has a great
deal to do with the sale of his compo-
sitions, Before | became we'll known
in Irish characters, / would have
given a thousand or fifteen hundred
dollars to have had BOucicault'e name
as the author Of one of my plays. This.
song was very much admired, and my
brother
SOLD 1T TO Z. p. CHRIsTY,
who promised to give him $40 and five
tickets a week to The Christy minstrels
during the season. He gave him the
money and the tickets for the first
week, but when he went after the
tickets for the next week Christy
didn't know him. Perhaps | oughtnt
to say that, but at any rate. he said
that he had given him all that he had
promised to give him. The arst time
the song was ever suns was by George
Christy, who was then on one of the
ends with the Christy minstrels r
NJ. Hooley, now Manager Hooley. was
then Christy's %violinist, aud he knows
all about the song
How did stephen G. Foster happen
to eet the credit Of writing the song p"
I'm those days Foster wrote a great
many songs, and they had a ready sale.
and like thousands Of Others, this was
published under Fosters name. in
order 10 make 1t sell. There were a
great many songs published under
Fosters name that he never saw, and
nrnhahlY never know WIN ihn nnrtins