New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-14
OLD MEMORIES OF AN ARTIST.
.1rTTER FROM FRANK BELLEw.

as rup,R yoUTH-poUGLAs JERRoLD AT BoU-
LOGNE.
20 the Edifor Of The Tribune;
SIR: About thirty years ago was living In the
,r,lla0e of liver, Buckinghamshire. England and
fbsre metWlkie and Charles Collins, then young men
unite unknown to fame. Wilke was reading for the
bar and Charles was studying art. liver was typi-
cal English village peaceful and picturesque
where Dr. Primrose might have walked or Cowper
written volume of liver Hymns. There was the
old Gothic church with Its square tower, lts
ton rocks and starlings lazily sailing or lussiy
Huttering, and the Norman doorway shaded py
spreading yew tree. A few miles OIL was " inu'oi'
with its castle and its park little nearer tno nain
let of Stoke Poges the scene OF trays Elegy' anu
IN another direction the county town Oh okoriuse
where Ben Disraeh told his constituents ,ha' ne
rtood "upon his head" Within pistol shot Though
the mere mention of a thing so rude as hrearns
.eems ont of place in connection with such tran
quill spot as Iver) flowed the placid httie ri,er
folue fsvorite haunt of old Isaak Walton. On Its
hanks then stood. and probably still stands, the
came front Inn where he was wont TO
reoale himself on his fishing excursions.
We'll in this little village of liver resided the Col
Inns brothers, with their father and mother; the
father n Royal Academician rusticating for his
health and only toying laDguidly with his art
Here also lived the Locker family, Frederick and
Arthur, with their father and mother and sister
Bertha. Of the Collins brothers, William Wllkle,
the elder, who has since dropped the William, was
rather short in stature with large, irreguarly
shaped head, and looked very much IN the upper
stories as we know him now by the photographs :;
the beard however, has made vast differ
ence in the basement of his facial arch-
lecture. Charles Mortimer, who afterward
dropped the Charles was tall and slender, with
brazen hair hair of that deep copper hue which is
often so beautiful on woman. He was quite good
looking in spite of very light eyes and numerous
freckles Both brothers were most fascinating talk
crs commanding itseemed. a fresh vocabulary, with
which they clothed number of equally fresh,
sparkling ideas This was not perhaps surprising,
since they had been brought up from childhood
among the brightest and most original minds IN
England; the father as a Royal Academician, and
artist of celebrity naturally finding his associates
among men of culture and genius. may mention
here, though it has no relation to the young mems
collooual powers-on the contrary quite the re-
verse; for honest Davy was anything but gifted
in that linethat David Wilkle, the great painter,
was godfather to William Wilkie.
One bright June or July day. when found my
self in their company it was agreed that we should
take bath in the River Colne. and we started off
swinging our towels, down the lane and through
the meadows till we reached shady spot where the
turf was soft, thistles few and sticks stones,
shells and other angular substances unpleasant to
sit down on, altogether absent and there we
iaved ourselves among the minnows and crawfish.
As we were about to return home 1t suddenly oc-
Cured TO me that some time before had discovered
apool in secluded spot which thought would
make an admirable place in winter for skating, and
III 10 vic the nlare hack.
This pool was Deep still scrap of water, hidden
away in an angle formed by two hedges behind the
church. and overhung by fine old elm trees. AS
as we had reached it were surprised by an excla-
nation from Charles Collins:
GOOD God what is that Why, there is man
there at the bottomP
We peered into the depths of the dark water and
there at the bottom lay what appeared 10 be the
torso of man, the legs and arms being buried in
the deep mud. l suggested that 1t might be merely
a coat stuffed with shavings-a relic, perhaps, of
last Guy Fawkes day.
"No. MOI insisted Charles Collins, Il have not
been drawing from the life for two years at the
Academy not to know that there are muscles inside
that coat"
Twas about to undress in order to go in and fish
it out when the old woman who was cutting this
Ties warned me TO desist as the pond was six feet
deep in mud aud if ventured in / would never
come out alive. So we borrowed her reaping-hOOk,
and with this attached TO pole pulled the body to
the bank. Then we procured the aid of some rus
tics who carried the poor corpse on shutter to the
village ale-house where it was given in charge to
the local constable. who obsinatey refused TO al
low any efforts 10 be made to resuscitate 1T, on the
ground that the Coroner must it just as found.
The next day the Coroner held an inquest in the
Inn parlor. Charles Collins was the only one of
our party who was examined He was asked the
usual questions as to his namo, age place of resi-
dence etc. To the last question he answered
"painter," much to the amusement of his brother,
and the irritation of his father.
Painter p exclaimed the latter when he heard
of il; "pooh! painter, indeed! he is not painter
anyway; he's only student" His brother
auizzling said: I'VE shall report
of this case in the next number of The
Ugbrdgo Gazette in which they will say that
"a young man of the name of Collins, painter by
trade, gave his evidence in clear, straightfor-
ward manner very creditable TO q person in his
class of life"
The Coroner's Jury brought in verdict Of felo-
desc "Gentlemen," said the Coroner 81 do not
wish TO influence the verdict of the jury but you
know the consequences-the deceased cannot have
Christian burial and any property of which he
may have died possessed will be forfeited to the
Crown" The foreman answered that they
well aware Of the law, and that it was in order to
prevent his wife, who a virago, aud had driven
him to the act from getting any of his property that
they brought the verdict they did, and they
wished it to stand. And stand it did. though the
poor fellow buried in the churchyard after all
The next day the comic part of the drama was
performed by the vagabond of the village, man of
the name of osh, who made demand on WilKie
Coljns for half a crown for having helped to carry
the body TO the inn, and on being refused declared
his intention In all future cases Of the kind to
cure his payment in advance He also made the
came demand on me, accompanied by threats, but
routed him IN terror by the display OF some bar
barre Burmese weapons belonging to my father.
Twenty years afterward, when dining with WIlkie
Collins In New York l exnressad my snprlse that Inc