The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-03-22
Death OF the Author or "Reautifuz
SnOW.''

customary vigOr.
neath or the Author OF Beautiful
SNOW.
llhe Following from an English journal
appeared in the New Y ork Independent, April
l7th 1850, and is republshed by request.l
few years ago there appeared in an
American paper, published in one of the
western states, All exquisite poem. entitled
"Beautitul Snow" The beauty of the COM
positioh secured its republication in pumer
Gus Journals, and at length it found its way to
England, accompanied by the narrative that
the original had been discovered upon the
'lsen OF young woman who was frozen to
death In the streets of New York. For a
inng Time the writer preserved his inco0nito,
While numerous claimants sought to establish
| thelr right to its authorship and the honors
apl er'alnlng thereto. Some who knew the
true history of the poem knew also the cause
OF the authors riticence in giving his name
TO the world. Some months ago the secret was
| revealed, and Major Sigourney, nephew of
,he ceieofaIed poetess OF that name, became
known as the writer. The April number of
| HdrperS Magazine contains a companion
poem, 'htltltd "Beautiful Child,' which is
marked by all the elegance of dlction and
| deep religious feeling characteristic of its
predecessor. Who could have Thought thar
IN few weeks its gifted author would fill a
| suicide grave; yet such is the case We
learn from an American contemporary, that
on the night Of April 22d, Major w. A. Fl.
Sigouiney was found dead in the outskirts of
New York, under circumstances leading to
| the belief that he had shot himself He had
III early life married a Miss Fillmore a lady
oi great personal attractions and with her
made voyage to Europe. During their
| absence rumors ulfavorable to her character
reached the Slgourney family. The reports
seem 10 have been well founded, for, shortly
after her return to New York, she showed
| that the curse of the nineteenth century-the
| ilaamnn drink-had added another name to
| the ii2t OF his victims. She abandoned her
| husband, became an OutcaSt, and was next
| nearu OF as an inmate of the penitentiary at
Blackwells island. Her husbands love was
| still sufficiently strong to induce him to make
| another effort to save her, and through his IN
hlence She was released, only again to desert
her home. III the winter of 1853 the papers
spoke of young and beautiful woman found
dead under the snow, in disreputable street
| III New ork. Something seemed to tell
Slgourney that the body was that of his wife
Upon raking inquiries he found his surmises
were but too true; and after claiming the re-
mains he had them inferred in that pictu-
rescue 'slleht city which overlooks the busy
harbOr of New York. The story of that er-
"oeautitnl Snow" What wonder that he
stunned the publicity that its authorship
| would have conferred. The late Henry j.
Raymond, then editor of the New York
Times, was for Years the friend of Major
S'gourney, and obtained for him employment
as journalist, which falling h~alth compell-
ec MN TO abandon. The circumstances con-
necled with his death remain mystery
Not even his child, for whom he almays dis
played the tenderest affection, can throw anv
heht upon 1t. The latest effort of his genius
Is displayed i'll the poem referred to.
BEAUTIFUL Snow
Oh! the snow the beautiful snow
Filling the sky and earth below,
- over the houSetopS, over the street,
over the heads of the people you meet:
pi nianring-t a.! tlirti,lg- Swimming along,
RHauiltul snow! it can do no wrong;
FLYING 10 kiss a fair ladys cheek
lltnsing to lips in 1rOlcSOme frt ak;
Beautiful snow from heaven above,
fure as an angel, gentle as love!
Oh the suow the beautiful snow
How the flakes gather and laugh as thew 60
Whlrling about IN maddening fun;
| Chaslng-laughing-h BY
IL llsntS on the face and it SparkeS the eye
And the dogs with a bark and a bound
snap at the crystals as they eddy around.
| Ihe town Is alive and its heart in glow,
| 10 welcome the coming OF the beautiful snow |!
How wild the crowd goes swayinc along
Hailing each other with hUmor and song
| t1oy the gay sleighs like meteors dash by
Bright for moment. then lost to the eye;
MISUNDERSTANDING daShing they go
over the crust of the beautiful snow;
Snow so pure when it falls from the sky
To be trampled and tracked hy thousands of
feet. ~
Till it blends with the filth in the horrible
street.
Once was pure as the snow, but fell.
| Fell like the SuOW-fidkeS from heaven to hell.
Fell TO he trampled aS filth on the street,
Fell to be ScO1fed, to be spit on. and beat:
| Observation-Disclosures to die.
| Selilng my soul TO whoever would buy;
| Dealing in shame for a morSel OF bread
Hating the living and fearing the dead.
Mercitul God. have Liza lien SO low?
And yet was once Ii ke the beautiful snow
How strange it should be that this beautiful,
|
Should fall on sinner with nowhere TO go!
How strange it should be when night comes
| again.
| If the snow and the ice struck nv desperate
| brain,
Fainting-freezing- dying alone,
| TO wicked for prayer too weak for a moan
| 70 be heard in the streets of the crazy town,
Gone mad in the joy OF snow coming down
| To be and to die in my terrible woe,
| With a bed and shroud of the beautiful snow.
Helpless and foul as the trampled snow,
Sinner, despair not! Christ stoopeth low
To rescue the soul that is lost i'm Sin,
And TO raise into life and enjoy yment again
Groanng-bleedng-dy for thee,
The Crucifed hung on the cursed tree!
His accents of mercy fell soft on thine ear
"ls there mercy for me? Will he heed my weak
. | prayer"
. God in the stream that for sinners did flow.
wash me, and shall be whittier than snow!