Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-02-02
THE HoosIER POET.
low James Whltcomb Riley Forced Him.
Self Iato Public Notice.

| Inc applause which followed the ap-
pearance of James Whitcomb r ley,
the Indiana poet, at the recent con-
vention of authors in New York has
naturally attracted attention to him
and has lent additional interest to his
early life and to career which. while
attended BY many vicissitudes. always
had. like Riley himself. its comic side
and distinguished him from those with
whom he associated. Riley is native
OF Hancock County. this State. and is
now about thirty-tive years of age. Il 5
early education was limited. not be-
cause his father was wanting either in
the means or The desire to give him a
classical education. but because the
son preferred pursuit less dry than
porting over books and wading through
the declensions and conjugations OF
Greek and Latin nouns and verbs. B :
fore his school days were completed
young Riley abandoned his books
and took up the trade of sign-paint-
er. and soon began travelling from
place to place. apparently contented
it his days work brought him money
enough 10 pay for the nights lodging.
Even his signs partook IF his comic
nature. and both the groteslue letters
and the peculiar expressions were en-
tirely original. and served to attract
attention 10 him and his work.
Nature gave to r ley a peculiar
pair of eyes. and they often served
him in his summer tramps over the
country as a painter. H e would fire.
qnently enter Il town as a blind sign
writer. and solicit work while being
guided from house to house by a
boy, and when his ability to do the
work was question he demanded a
trial Running his hand over the sur
face rs if to take the dimensions. the
"blind sign writer would hurric,lIy,
and apparently without effort write
the sign while the people would
gather around him ana express the
greatest establishment ut the accura-
cy of the work. On one of these
summer tramps Riley fell in with a
vender of patent medicine, and
for time the Two travelled tog ether.
Riley amusing the crowd with his
banj' and comic songs and sayings as
''the medicine man" extoled the Writ
ues of his wonderful catholicon and
sold it to the people. As sing
painter. Riley became perfectly
familiar with the language of the
street. the ignorant and the unsophis-
heated. and thus laid the foundation
of his future success rs n writer of
iialect prose and poetry.
Riley's first productions appeared in
print between 1875 and 1876. but they
attracte little attic ntion because their
publication was Ii mited to the country
press. the author not being able to
reach the public throu gh the periodi-
Gals of larger circulation and more
cultured readers. Believing that his
writings possessed merit and were re-
jected by the publishers of periodicals
simply becauss the author W rs without
name among writers. Riley hit Upon
plan to bring himself into public
notice and to prov, that his proluc-
tiOns were not with out merit, even if
the writer wan without fame. With
the consent rt the editor of the
Kokomo Dispatch. he pub ished a short
poem which was "a excellent imitation
of Edgar A. POe's style, introducing it
$,f Sh,t 10 ,>oo,,, l,,.l
been found written on the blank le.,f
of book once belonging to Poe. and
found by relative Of he deceased
poet who moved to this S ate from the
East many years ago. The poem
and the accompanying statement
of the discovery were repro
duced by many papers and heated
discussi on was The result. some insist
ing that the poem was unquestionably
the work of Poe and others that. while |
strikingly simi!a +. it was wanting in
some of the es sentials that distin-
gnishcd Poe from al other writer's |
Finally on, Of P oe's publishers sent
for the book in W hich the poem was
alleged to have be en- written. and the
truth came out.
Though Riley was severely criticised.
the encomiums which the poem re.
ceived from tho sc no really believed
that it was the production of E gar A.
Poe. cow inced him that he himself
was lacking more in name than i'm
merit rs = writer. and he soon after
secured employment on the journal.
Of this city. at a moderate salary. and
while thus engaged wrote tho most Of
his dialect verse. Within tho past few
years he has contributed number
Of pieces for E .stern periodical Is. and
has published book of selections. in
which. however. tho piece in imitation
IF Poc's style does not appear. -Indi.
gn0polis Cor. ~ y Tribune.
The develOp ment Of tho faloO ranh