The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-25
ONLY The CLOTHES SHE WORE
The Death Song of Talented Member
of the 'sPfaff Bohemians."
Iisfery of an Old Ballad, Sent 10 Sam Sharp
ley, the Minstrpl-The Music as Writ
ten By julius Arnecker.

bne of the celebrated Pfaf coterie CT literary
Bohemians. His name is frequently mentioned,
Sy survivors Of that brilliant but disspated set,
along with those Of Artemus Ward. George
Arnold Miles Reilly, Edward Hodse and 9TH
srs. One day Shepherd took poem TO the Of
fee OF Appletons Journal. literary weekly or
twenty years ago. sold the verses to editor o.
ID. Bunce for SO, got drunk as quickly as posi-
bile with the money, and died within two days, In
the gutter. This is recalled by those who knew
of il then as an incident in the BRET history OF q
clique of talented men, who lived sort OF life
happily no longer common to authors in New
York
The ransackine Of an old trunk that had lain,
nobody knows how long, in the attic of an up
town boarding house has brought to light
interesting, if somewhat dismal, romance that
extends back to that death poem of Shepherds.
This trunk was only one of several such articles
that had accumulated during the landladys
business career. Each one represented the
person Of some boarder Of the past, defunct il
not in the actual at least relatively to her profit
and loss account Some of them, doubtless,
had been retained by force and arms in order
thus 70 bring 10 terms recalcitrant dodgers;
Others had been left voluntary pawn for I'M
paid bills; and others still had been forgotten,
or neglected by their former owners. It came
into the landlady's head. the other day, that it
would be worth an hours exertion TO examine
the property that numbered her attic, and dis
pose of the bulk of it to make room for modern.
accretions to the supply. True, every one of
them had been eagerly inspected a. the times
OF their respective capture. and from some had
been realized slight additions to her incomes
but the trunks were there. If empty. and many
of them suggested remembrance, no vaguely
defined features of their quondam possessors
Such the concerning the trunk of
which this narrative is written. When the land
lady raised its lid. in the course of her search,
she could not for her life recall the absentee
who had left it On her hands sight of cor
fusion of papers and letters however. brought
TO mind how a ledger of many years ago ha4
disappeared one day never to return. His Rc-
count had been squared the day previous, and
ns he had been fairly prompt in making pay
ments. the landladv had held his room for him
more than month and refused several offers
for it. At last she became weary of waiting,
tucked his trunk into the attic, let the room,
and thought little of it. until few weeks later
she read of the discovery Of her lodgers body in
the river It had been identified by papers in
his pockets. 1t was an old newspaper in which
she read this, dated within week OF the dis
appearance. So 1t had dropped out of public
attention. She opened the trunk to see If it
contained anything that relatives of the dead
man might desIre-a vain search. for the I'M
foTtunate's body had been consigned without
protest to Potter Field. she only saw scraps
of paper, music and letters, none OF which she
examined carefully until her recent investiga-
ton For unimportant reasons, the writer took
y hand in the latter search. and the later result
was this story of her lodger.
His name was Julius Arnecker. He had come
from Germany in 1866 and 1t appeared. from
certain letters in the trunk. that he had fed to
avoid service in the army during the Austrian
war of that year. There diary or daily
journal TO give plain account of his life, but on
the margins Of some letters from hsme he had
iotted down suggestive sentences in German,
and on the many music manuscripts were noted
dates and circumstances of compositions, and,
besides these data. was small blank book con-
tanning record of his business with publishers.
That he had had hard time of 1t was evident
from this account book; for of all the manu-
scripts entered upon it, there were only three
that we've marked accepted" and only two that
had been paid for. slight source of income.
appareurly had been arranging airs for popular
Instruments and scoring for small orchestras.
the inevitable hack-work by which impoverished
composers seek to a living.
/. So much for his circumstances. 1t is evident
shat he had love affair, that the great object of
for his sweetheart in Germany; but this is not
love story, and that phase of the subject will be
touched upon only as it affected incidentally the
main incident developed by the search through
his trunk. 1t seems that after many discour-
agements, his faith in the American musical
market sadly shaken he had hit upon an idea
upon which he had to stake his desires and even
his life This idea can be given best in letter
which he wrote to Sam Sharpley. who at that
time had his negro miustrels in 3 Broadway
hall II had been returned to him with note
from Sharpley scrawled upon it's back. This
was Arnecker's letter:
NY Dear Sir-I wish to submit to you the inclosed
song for the purpose of having it sung in your min
etrel entertainment 1t has peculiar history and it
seems to me the composition would make hit if the
story should be printed the programmes. The
words were written, as you will see by Mr. Nat q.
Shepherd he was literary man, but dissipated and
MP in the morgue. the clothes that had been taken
from an unidentified body OF young girl found IN
relatives might learn the fate and declare the of
har6x 7ro+a he abO Them and
70 Appleton's journal The verses accepted and
published and paid for and I understand that Mr.
Shepherd took the money they brought him and
spent 1t for liquor going into such terrible intox
cation that he died in the gutter from its effects
that his own body taken to the morgue. Now,
sir, have taken the poem and made slight change
in it adding the refrain so that it might be singabIe
and wish to say to YOU that this melancholy history
will be given additional shade of gloom if the
resources. My money is almost gone and l cannot
sell my productions assure you, sir, that il this
self also to the river and body too will pass through
the morgue on its way TO paupers grave. Ibeseech
YOU sir to give this piece trial and thus help a
man who has suffered much gain not merely liy-
ing but TO establish a home. will not intrude my
private affairs further uuon you but beg again that
you viii give this song your favorable consideration
Respectfully, JULIUS ARNECKER.
The letter was in German, and the negro
minstreIs note in English was as follows:
J. Arnecker Sir-I had to hunt up Dutchman to
give any notion of what your screed meant.
cant write your language, but speak plainly in
my owp Do not think you are the only man who
meets bad luck. Because you meet it don't sit
down and cry il. can't your song. end it
may comfort you to know that reason, if there
wasn't any other, is that have failed in the minstrel
business. My company disoands this week.
Yours truly, SAM SHARPLEY.
The penciled note was not dated, and il may be
that, sick with waiting. Arneeker unable to
endure the blow of rejection; NAV be that he
the piece to other managers or pub
fishers, though his account book has no such
entry; at all events the episode was terminated
he had threatened. and his body went to Pot
ters Field. via the dismal morgue.
aR In
Journal had four lines each Arneckers music
required their formation into longer stanzas,
and the addition of refrain each. In that
shape, and with music, they are here given:
ONLY THE CLOTHES THAT SHE WORE
On the morgue wall
Hang things that recall
The girl who found lying dead on the ground,
And TO whom they gave a Potter's Field grave.
A month has naSsad