The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-12
ROMANCE OF A SONG.
Origin OF "Ever Of Ihee"-How an IN
known and Jagged Tramp Made a
Music Publsher's Fortune.


Perhaps ie most popular song ever writ
ten was eve Of Thee"
1t is not untrue to state that no song ever
had such a sale, and certainly no publisher
ever reaped mGcI profit from song as did
Mr. Turner from the publication Of Ever
/ of Thee But there IS rOntnce attaching
10 it, which until now has not been written.
| II happened ia this way: On a cold day
/ in the January Of 1850 the door Of Mr..
| Turner'S inu SIC shop, IN the Poultry, Lon
/ d n was nervously opene /, and a N Jst IN
! clean. ragg q specimen OF humanity dragged
| himself . He looked as though ne hadn't
( been washed for months. His beard was
! unkemp-, and dirty and matted For boots
/ be wore some folds Of filthy rags, ID il
/ all he was sDecimel Of the most degraded
| class f the CO immunity.
One Of the clerks said 20 him: "You get
| out Of Eers.n
Two ladies', who happened to be in the
/ shop, noticed his WOe-bsZoue 10 and were
/ about u OF r bin soma money, when Mr.
/ T "a clerk In the establishment j. seeing
! the or fellow shivAriug with cod and ap-
| parent hunger, pltied III n and b. Sht him
/ Iat7 the works .Op, 50 that he might ave
/ "#arm-up" by tue s We. A few minutes
| after .1r. Turner, tAe proprietor, ca ne in.
! and, seeing tie ragged Individual asked
what he wanted aud ''wno allowed MIN
| lnF
II did" sal Mr. T; 1.-The poor fellow
| looked 50 I'D and miserable ! cOuldn'tsend
! HIM cut il It's piercing wind win ut Civ
/ uim a warm, ami. besides, he says he
Das got some business VITA you"
'Busnes vita me"
Yes sir. | have a song l should ike
| you to listen to-
Turner eyeI him from head to foot and
| then Iughed outright.
The miserable 10 king object at the stove
began to grow uneay and begged t. be al
loved to play the air of MS song which he
! then uueartned from his rags and handed TO
the music publisher. Turner looked at it
Z aad said:
"WhD wrote tnis"
81 did, sir" came from the rags.
you Well, IN have it layei over and
if it's any good I'll give you something for
81 beg your pardon, sir, I'd prefer to
| play 1t for myself"
"Wh Il You playa Well, bring him up
| to e ptano-rJom when be gets warm, and
| we'll humOr hi n.o
In few minutes the bundle OF rags was
seated at the concert grand piano, and
! Ever Of Thee was played for the first
| time by its composer, James Lawson.
His listeners were electrified wien they
| heard this diiapida i-lookIng tramp make
! the piano almost speak. hls touch was
amply marvellous, aud his very soul seem ID
| to be at ais fingers tips. " hen he had
! finished, he turned to his little audience aud
said
"pd like to sing it for you, b 1t have a
| terrible cold. | haven't been in bed for
five lights. Pm hu gry, sir, AID l feel
that l could not do it justice"
Turner was almost dumb with amaze
menU. The air would take; he knew it
would be a success. and he de ided that this
man had a history wh CHI, perhaps, might
| advertise the song. So he determined to
| cultivate him, and In hattery, as he thought,
| pressed him TO sing lust q staAZt." Law
son protested, but finally agreed, aud if
| Turner was amazed wnen he heard MIN
play, he was lsltively enraptursd when
That hungry voice, hungry with we; hul-
| CRY physically, poured out in The sweetest
| of teuUrS the first stanza of the song in
which mis- soul lived.
1t was the story Of lost love, but he
oh srished it, aud as be sang i was easy to
| see that ne lived aud breaUhed only for that
love. Ever of Thee" has never been so
sung since. But tnat trial verse made its
success, aud to the experienced publlsher ,
Mr.. Turner. it was decidedly apparent that
he mad secured a great song.
Addressing Mr.. r, he SAID: "Mr.
! T., ta4e tlls man along; get hun bath,
a shave, some decent clounes-in TACT, fix
aim up Ike gentleman and thea brlag
MIN here aud we shall see aoout this song"
t took him along" lie took him
t. bath, ld while the unclean was being
m2de clean he bought for hum a shirt, a
pair If SHOES, some socks, collars, cuffs and
under wear Thea he he'd him shaved
Then they hied to a clio hers AID having
removed ULe rags Lawson was quickly clad
in tiue raiment. The change was begin
ming to tell.
Alre dy the tramp seemed to be the guide
and treasurer. lie vas a splsndid-looki inc
fellow, ana Gad quite a diStingUe appear
ance. B 1t the nat was sJllI there, a
mirror-lAe cnimney-pot vas purchased to
plete the makeup. T laughed when
all was finished. lie was in his working
clothes and this uuf rtunate looked like a
duke. The good clothes fitted him, and
they suited HIM and his appearance much
too we'll to continue the aSsumu tIun that
Mr.. Lawson was tramp. lie was gen
tleman all over, and he looked it. r
said 10 him:
Mr.. Lawson, wish you would go int o
the shop before HE. They won't know You
and It Will be such joke
II don't mind that, Mr.. r, but won't
you let me have drlnkl l want it-please
let me have a drink"
r refused to stand the drink. He told
Mr.. Lawson that If he waited a dinner he
: could ave 1t, but drink he could not have
Finally the two went into the Ship and
turtle dining -foOtnS, ana over CaOCOl tie
a ID srloi4 steak the author OK Ever of
Thee told the following story:
II was oUce rich. Mr.. T.. You know
what | am now. You were astonished TO
hear me play the Piano 50 well. That little
song has been the only companion from
which gained any comfort for the past
twelve mo this. 1t brought back to me the
) days when l was rich, loved, looked up to
and happy. OF course i has its sad side
! for Inc. Blu the memory Of what it recalls
is the dearest thing in my xistence."
. T interrupted MIN at tins point and
: indicated AZ 1t was growing late.
: 81 lease bear with me-" re- Jined his COM
, panion. Let me tell you how and why |
composed the little SO 6. Two years ag > I
met Il girl in Brighton. If God ever al
lowed one of his angels to come on earth
I she was that one / adored her Sac
seemed t. return the affection | escorted
Ler every where, was at her beck and call
morn, noon and night, d it was current
" believed thai Miss Blank and were en-
gagged. | mad to return 10 London on bust
mes B, and wh,u l vent back to Brighton
she was gone.
Three months after Imet her at a ball.
: She had just finished a waltz with a tall.
goo1-iooking man. and was promenadIug
tue nall on his arm. she recognized me.
Bu wnel | said, How do you do, Miss
BlsnNF sue quickly repl ed:
I'm well, Mr. Laws N, but l am sur