Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-06-13
DISCOVERY or FORGOTTEN ODE on LOVE.
WELLS FIGHT.

desire to lay wreath on the tomb oi
our beloved poet and to testify with 9th.
ers to his endearing qualities. I have
had the honor Of his friendship for several
years, and it was my privilege to be use.
full to him occasionally as a book
hunter. first called his attention to
the little pamphlet, the Fourth of July
Grafton delivered by his honored father,
Esquire Longfellow in 1904, which he
never before had seen. l procured for
him, also. at different times some Of the
early writings of our American authors.
Mr.. Longfellow liked much to examine
collections of odds and ends in literature.
1t was pleasure to him to chance upon
some little book Of poems or fiction that
had been printed, forgotten and finally
brought to light again. After the re-
moval Of our library to this city he wrote,
congratulating us upon it and expressing
his best wishes for our prosperity. When
he visited here in August last he passed
an hour or two in our library, examining
the shelves and cabinet with evident sat-
isfaction. He presented us the moccos-
ins worn by the Sioux warrior, Rain. in
the Face, who killed General Custer.
They were sent to him by General Miles
in acknowledgement of Longfellow's po.
EN-, The Revenge of Rain-in- in Face y:
In that desolate land and lone
Where the Big Horn and Yellowstone
Roar down their mountain path
BY their fires the Sioux chiefs
Muttered their woes and griefs
And the menace OF their wrath.
They are accompanied by the photo.
graph Of the Indian chief, who has ra-
ther an amiable countenance. His name
was evidently given him on account OF
line Of dots or rain drops on his left
cheek.
Mr.. Longfellow's taste in the printing
and illustration of books was superlative.
The early numbers of "Outre- -Mer," "
printed under his personal supervision a,
Brunswick, are very handsome he loved
to see "a rivulet of text running through
a meadow Of margin"
At his request l made search for the date
of the storm which inspired his Wreck
Of the Hesperus," and found that il
occurred on Sunday, 18th Of December
1889. 1t was local storm which spen,
its force in Massachusetts, Bay. The fish.
ermen at anchor in Gloucester harbor suf-
fered most; some fifty lives were lost
The schooner Hesperus sailed from Gard.
iner, Maine.
When Professor Longfellow was here
last summer, he intimated that he pos.
sessed an invaluable lock of Washington:
hair which he would some day present
to our society. am authorized by bis
son, Mr.. Ernest w. Longfellow, to state
that this precious relic will be presented
to us on some future occasion.
Longfellow's first printed poem is be-
lieved to be ballad on the subject o.
Lovewell's Fight. This we have searched
for but as yet in vain. | believe that il
contains these lines, but it is possible they
may be from some other author as there
have been number of ballads on the
same theme:
I'll kill you, Chamberlain. said he,
And scalp you when you're dead.
1t was probably printed between the
years 1928 and 1925, and perhaps in
some weekly newspaper that had shor'
life.
A friend has kindly called my atten'
tion to an ode by Longfellow on the same
subject, which appeared in the Gazette Q,
Maine for May "a, 1925:
THE CoMMEMoRATIoN AT FRYEBURG.
The following ode was written for th'
occasion by Mr.. II. w. LoNGFELLow, o
Bowdoin College:
ODE.
Air-Bruces Address.