Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-05
IFS ENGLISH. YOU KNOW.
The Lawsuit over Harry Dixey's
 Famous Song.

The Lawsuit over Harry Dixey's
 Famous Song.
 BOSTON, June All E. Dixey and E. E.. Rice, owner and writer of the popular song ''It's English, You Know" appeared in the Supreme court to-day as witnesses in the formers petition for an injunction to restrain Charles F. Atkinson from singing or causing anyone else to sing the song,it being claimed that the song now giveE in "Peck's Bad Boy'' at the Boston Theater is an infringe ment. MT. Rice testified that H. s. Hewitt composed the verses and he wrote the music and sold it to Dixey; that it had not been published and belonged to the play seAdonis'' and that the song sung by Harry Mills in 'Peck's Bad Boy" was essentially the same, also the song The English Swell.' Dixey described how he had sung the piece seventy-seven nights and how the people came ten and fifteen miles to hear it. He thought the song was worth s1 200 He sang it as if MT. Irving was singing it with twenty gallon can of milk under his arm.
 George Purdy, leader of the Boston Museum orchestra, was called and, to the amusement of the spectators, tuned his vio- lin and played the score of the songs in question and also one entitled "Quite Eng fish" and one entitled s'When the band be- gins to play" He said that he thought there might seem to be a resemblance between the song ''When the band begins to play and the songs in suit W. A. Byron, leader of the orchestra of the 'Peck's Bad Boy'' com pany, also played the songs and said that as Mills sings the song in the latter play 1t somewhat resembles the song as sung by Dixey
 MT. Mills was called for the defense and said that he had heard the song sung by MI. Dixey, He purchased his song at No. 229 Bowery, New York, as he was pleased with the air; did not recognize it as being like any other unless it was like s'When the band be- gins to play" Cross examined Miles said: "I was not warned not to sing this song. have in the last day or two sung about MT. Dixey being defeated man in New York. D The following are the words of the encore verses as sung at the Boston Theatre:
 Over hedges and ditches, cross country we ride,
 It's English you know, quite English you know If we break our necks, why we fashionably died
 It's English, quite English, you know.
 The ladies, dear creatures, how they will vail,
 If lightly you step on the little oog's tail,
 But they Ii see the fox slaughtered without turning
 It's English, quite English, you know.
 The queer things we see and tEe strange things we Are English you know, quite English you know
 They English, quite English, you knoW'
 They re trying to keep me from singing the song
 It's English you khow. quite English, you know Some folks say am using the property wrong,
 This English, quite English you know On Monday we all congregated in court Expectine of course we would all have some sport But the other side weakened and skipped back ts York,
 From English, quite English, you know. It went to the judge for decision it's true, This English you know, quite En slish. you know The result is still sing this song here for you; But that's Yankee, not English. you know. Counsel for the defense said the who'll matter was ephemeral and unworthy of th, attention of the court. Decision was re served.