The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-11-27
"BEAUrIFUL SNOW"
The story of u Famous Poem, by the
Author of It,
J., W, WATSON,

], W. WATSON,
Copyrighted, 1856.
"WilI give the history OF the poem 0
Beautiful snowP'" Yesi | don't kno,
why should not, although have inyarl
ably refused to say anything in print, o
discuss the matter any mora personally
for the simple reason thu. 1t seems to d
no good, and only raises buzz Of would
be literary hornets about me, who knoy
as much Of poetry as mule knows abou
geometry, AS for myself, | only say, as
have said before, ii did not write "Beau
tiful Snow" who wrots the hundreds o.
other poema under my name, some tiftl
Of which are comprised in two publishet
volumes, and all OF which have q stronI
family likeness, that cannot, by any pos
sibility, escape anyone who pretends Il
any literary experiment. But as you Say
the public would like to know the cir
Cumstances under which / wrots thu
poem, will give them, with notes, Of
nearly as can remember.
In October, 1858, became Interested in
q revolver, invented by q young engineer
oil New York city since dead, which Wat
to make twenty discharges, picking up the
cartridges from the handle deiJly, and
loading from the breeCh. My engineer
friend tholGht, before We went farther
with 1t, that 1t would be well tn show it Ia
some experts, and suggested Sam Colt oil
Hartford as the lrst. did not believe
In the test, but yielded and went to Hart.
ford with the model, and interviewed Mr.
Colt. 1t was upon this trip, ut the Allyn
House, In Hartford, that | wrote several
stories and poems and forwarded them IA
Harpers, for whose publications only
wrote at that time, their Weekly and
Monthly being the only vehicles used fol
my writings,
beautiful Snow" was first published on
the front page Of No. 100, Nov. s, 1858, oil
Hafpsr'I Weekly, and was Immediately
copied all over the country but, oil course,
az It had not my name attached to it..
anonymous publication being then the
policy Of the HRrpers-nobody knew me
as the writer, aud to tall tho truth, ] did
not wish 10 become known az 81 author,
knowing, Rs l have since had bitter causc
to be certain Of, that the reputation Of an
apthor and q poet would ruin me as q bus.
ness mRh.
There Ia one angular circumstance con.
neCted with this poem, which has always
been mystery 10 me. l have always
Contendsd Ehpt popularity Is an accident /;
but In this case, and only this Gpse, with.
in q few days alter The publication OF
beautiful Snow" l met two friends In
the gt;set who said they recognized the
poem rs ln:ns by the style, and predicted
to mo that It would 6ees@p one Of the
most popular poems OF the time. both
these gentlemen are still alive aud can re-,
member tho circumstance. Tho first was
Thomas Powell, then an attache OF LIS
lies and Ia still, OF this $50 Of eighty; the
second, Clarence Eytinge, the brother Of
the weIl,known srtiSt, Sol. Eytinge, and
himself en- artist OF great ability.
] will confess freely that meyer did re-.
gard "Beautiful Snow" with rs much al.
lection as some OF my other literary child.
rem, which feel have more merit and
finish; but friends Say that the public Is
the best Judge, and peThapa II Is, for the
poem has held its favor for twenty. eight
1Shl6I Auu VIC tOluulp containing ~ Ilhh
been, and 10, Notwithstanding iss high
price Of 81, Tor small book, the beat uell-
log book Of poems Issued in this country,
having passed through editions amount.
Ing TO go 900 copies !" the first year OF Ito
publication.
Within one year from the date Of It's
first publication, the various claimants to
the poem began TO arise. The first was a
dead woman, who was lshed out OF the
Ohio river, at Cincinnati. The reporteru
discovered that she had beon beautiful,
accomplished and Of high family. and as
upon her person a written copy Of the
poem was found, Of conrse they concluded
that ahe was its author; and on the
strength OF this reputation, am glad to
say, abe found decent burial. Then came
other authors, principally from the West,
who announced themselves In q multi
tude OF ways, but none worth noticing
until one McMasters, q portrait painter Of
New York city, came prominently for.
ward, and sending copy Of the poem to
the New York Sunday Times, with letter,
mUdestly admitted himEelt TO be the au.
thor, but gave the reason for Withholding
his name 90 long, this being 1905, seven
years after its arst publication.
Mr.. Stephen Mascot, who OF that time
had mania for authors Of beautiful
Snow" he having read the poem all over
the world In his entertainment o! "Dhft.
ing About" with great euccesa (thouYh
be has sircs got over his hallucinatlon
and publicly acknowledged bis error, i'm.
mediately adopted this new author, aud
finally persuaded against my will, TO call
upon NcSiaSters, which | did, RS0ompa-
MED by CHARLES 9ardettc, q poet and
writer well known twenty years ago, aud
In bis pICeenca McMasteis reiterated his
assertion that he wrote II for some chin.
erical Western psper Of years before, and
promised 10 eubstantiRts his assertion.
He has had twenty years to do 1t, and,
presumably, has not got together the
proof yet.
From this time onward, until 1870, the
newspapers exhunsd various Suthors,
amoug the rect Mrs. Elisabeth Akeis,
Dora Thorne, Henry W. Fsxop, and 9th.
ers, all Of whom had too much talent oil
their own to with TO claim that OF smother
and who promptly disowned the imputa'
ton.
But in thst year arose fellow who mol
only found backing but fought bis bat.
tie until II became 90 serious 10 me that
was forced publicly to deisndit. This
man, whose real name was silloway
found an endorERr In the Galaxy Mdod
sine, then one Of the literary tribunals o.
the country, He claimed the au
thorShip 40 William u. sigourney
declared himself the nephew VI Ms
Lydia II. sigourncy, the poetepg, and
related how be came 70 wfiseit. Mrs 81
Courtney Al once denounced the fellow Il
Q fraud and thief, stating that he had
visited her during her hu'band'a absence
claiming to be Mr.. Glgcurney'q nephew
and had stolen pltCs Of oliver from hoi
aldCboaTd. Then hO was heard Of all oyei
the country, reading Beautiful Snow" o
| AL l. 4.