The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-08

length the light came and they saw thai
cur flag Was still there.
When Mr.. Key beheld the flag Of hi.
country above the frowning battlements
hisecstasy found expression IN the frs,
and second stanzas If the Star Span-
gied Banner, and his full heart over,
flowed in the second chorus:
What Is that which the breeze DER the tower,
ing steep.
As. nifalI blows, half e,ne,al,,. hall
New = catches the CLEAN "f the morning
In fun giowry reflected now ii ne> ou the
STREAM
It's the stsr'spangied Banner, Oh . ols
4 Ger the land of free anI the hoalr of the
brave.
lie had not to wait long before h. saw
the army fetreating to the shiIe and the
body Of an officer Of distinction solemn.
ly borne ON board. 1t WAS tsrnrrai Ross.
who had been killed by
AN AMERICAN SHARPSHuorEH
Blandensburg was avenged, and the
vandalism at Washington had met with
bloody reprisal at North Point. The
defeated enemy SIT sail. and key and
his friends returned To Baltimore.
The poet began To write hls verses on
the back Of a litter he found in his ,,ock-
ct in the fever Of the moment when he
saw the American ilig floating over the
fort AMI the land forces retreatiny Ia
their ships. He finished the poem while
still on the vessel and while On his WAY
t. the shore. In order to remember some
of the lines, rs the paper was scant, he
made notes instead of writing them out
in full. On his arrival at Baltimore he
Immediately went toa hotel and wrote
out the song AS it now stands from the
rough draft he hal made on the boat.
a friend, to whom he showed the
soEH the next morning, Was delighted
with Il. Mr.. Key then gave il to q print
er to strike otf some copies in hand bull
form "a distribute among the citizens.
This VIA Captain hen jamin Fades vi the
Twenty seventh Baltimore Regiment.
who had taken part in the fight at North
Point. Ills printing office WAS at the
can-r " Baltimore AMI Gay streets.
Fades MAS enthusiastic over the song,
and seiz'ng fresh copy from the press
he hastented Ia the lannon's tavern IT
Col. Mc onkey, next dnr to the Holt
day street theater. " h re- actors and I,ok-
trs-On were in the habi. IT gathering Ia
see the citizen defenders ~ through
their daily drill in t;ay street Il WAS u
quaint. old one story frame house, for
merry kept by til. widow Berllns. Ma.
jR Fadiley AMI Captains ] ong and War
ner0 the Thirty ninth Regiment Also
accompanied Captain Fades to the huS.
telry to hear Mr.. Keys psm read. II
was early in the morning Of the 18th Of
September. 1914. the defenders hal ~.
sembled for drill, and joy bean,ed in
every lace over the victory. Mr.. Key
hal directed Fades to print the words
"Air-AnacreOn in Heaven" At the top
81 the poem. All gathered to listen ~
the verses were read by tho printer. and
that they struck the popular heart was
NJ longer = question " doubt.
But who shall sing the songg "F.r,li.
nand Dnrang." criesl one: Ferdinand
Durang," exclaimed II hundred voices.
Mr.. Durang was clever vocalist, and
teing thus appealed ~ he mounted an
Old-fashiOne,l rish.bottomed chair and
sang "The Star Spangled l,ann !" for
the first time in the United States. All
present joined in singing the grand cho
rus. The effect was like u flash of cleo
tricity. Soon the whole town. tho whole
State, and the whole Union was singing
the song. There WAS clever actor then
playing mt the Holiday Street Theatre,
named Paddy Mcfarland. The man.
ayers, Messrs. Warren Il Wood, adver. !
tiss.l that Paddy and the whole company
would sing 1.-THE Star Spangled Banner"
every night after the play. and the the.
atre was not large enough to hold the
crowds that cana. Mr.. Kew. like BY
ron. woke next morning to find himself
famous. Buffalo News.