Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-28
HANNIBAL HAMLIN,
Some Further "reminiscences of His
Early Life.

sions in my sketch of his life, prepared a, your
solicitation, and published in your paper of the
9th ult. 1t was an unintentional oversight on
my part and with your permission will make
amends, but in order TO do this shall. as be-
fore be obliged to refer also to the junior as well
as TO the now distinguished senior of the we'll
known firm Of Hamlin King publishers in
1880 Of The JTsrsonian, a true-blue demo-
cratic, Old Hickory weekly paper on Paris HILL
Maine. In the first place, forgot to mention
the rather singular circumstance that
soon after our dissolution of CO.
at-law in the Office of Joseph G. Cole. later
judge of the supreme court-the same little
one-story. 10xl2 building which had previously
been occupied. consecutively, by Albion h.
Paris and Epoch Lincoln. both afterwsrd
governors of Maine. 1t was in that Office. also.
that Hamlin L Kings apprentice, Henry Carter,
now Massachusetts judge, commenced the
study of law; and to round out the sentence il
might as well be stated that it was likewise
there that the junior partner performed, as
assistant under Postmaster Cole, his first post
Office service. 1t will be observed. therefore.
that said little lawyers Office which was painted
white with green blinds and still stands "A
monument of greatness. has a history that
should not be forgotten in the chief city (of
ZOO lnhabltants) of Oxford county.
Next am TO relate that in this lively city"
We had an embryo band. consisting of one
printer. judge of probate. the principal land
lord OF the place. and one or two other musical
genluses. Their instruments were a bass
Vlol- clarlonet and two or three fddles: and
they used occasionally OF pleasant evening TO
risk their necks by climbing to and giving a
concert on the bell-deck of the old Baptist
Westinghouse belfry. which was very high.
ana with Its massive hewn timbers. could they
have been sawed in pieces at present, they
would have afforded enough material TO build
small cathedral. As already intimated, to reach
that height was no slight undertaking. and not
little dangerous; nevertheless. those were
very enjoyable concerts. for the musicians as
well as for most of the citizens who listened to
their sweet harmony waited through the sum-
mer air. There was. however one maiden lady,
Wen along IN years-a very good. pious body.
at least in her own estmation-"Annt Kelly"
who regarded the fiddle as the DEVILS instru-
ment and she missed no occasion of giving ex-
preston to her disapprobation of all that sort
OF music. She at length carried her opposi-
toni might say resentment-so lar that. re-
turning one evening from a religious meet
| ing and finding on the card-table in the sitting
room of her boarding house fiddle she DELHI
erately took il, and, with tallow candle
creased both bow and strings, and then kicked
| IT across the room! This coming to the knowl-
| edge Of the boys in the printing Office the
| junior partner. who, while at the country
school. had been somewhat addicted to
rhyming-a penchant which. unfortunately he
has never since been able entirely to suppress
| set about writing song which was printed and
| sung to the tune of Aud Lang Syne" with yio-
lin accompaniment by the landlord at his hotel
evening after evening, not only to a crowded
| barroom of jolly fellows but to scores of other
citizens, embracing doctors. lawyers and judges
within hearing out of doors. / wish Ihad a
| complete copy of this popular ballad that
might reproduce it here. can give only six
stanzas. the first four of which. and several i'm
mediaroly following, know were written by
| the junior partner; the fifth was by Henry
| the bright apprentice. and the sixth or chorus
by the senior partner. as am gratitied from his
letter before me to be able vIvidly to recall as
| he has given IL to me. l am the more pleased,
having, in my previous inestmable narrative
| spoken of him as a poet, thus TO have il in my
| power to furnish specimen of his handy work
| In that time. No one will venture to say that
mounting their Pegasus as he did, behind
both the junior and apprentice, he failed in the
slightest degree TO compass the height of their
| soaring genius. The song commenced:
| Awake. We muses., and attend
| While tale narrate:
Poetic gods assistance lend,
To make the whole scdate.
Then, as my memory serves me, after brief
| mention of local events and biographical sketch
of Aunt Kelly" the song ended as follows:
At church. one night. some hours she spent
She thought when TO her home she went,
A hddler she must be.
So to her neighbours room she few,
As if ON unknown wings,
hddle from the table drew,
And creased the bow and strings.
But. finding I would not go at that,
And being hard TO learn,
She piled her foot to greasy-gut
And made it's bowels yearn!
Thus she her piety did show
By trying with the fddie-bow
To aid the cause Of grace.
CHORUS.
Come grease again the fddle-bow
And grease again the strings,
For further shall the middle 20
And louder it shall ring!
Ofcourse Aunt Kelly" was not little ANNOYED.
and Brother Walton" sober, sedate and kind
old gentleman, who wore deep green spectacles
and walked with dignifed gait, finally came
to her aid in long poem-long, remember.
in length of lines and number of verses, in
which he resolutely took up the cudgels for
her. We got the job of printing it, he then
not suspecting the rogues. This was rich for
us boys, and We at once went in for a response,
devoting. remember, several evenings to the
work. We had in our Office wood-stove (anthra-
cite coal for fuel was Unknown aHi not to suffer
hunger during our laudable undertaking, We
bought with Brother Halton's contribution anv
quantity of eggs at ca cents dozen. cooked
them in tin pan over the stove. and with Med
ford crackers and a sprinkling of salt we Jared
sumptuously. l would not undertake to say
how many stanZas we got off, but am sure
they would have filled half column of our pa
per at least. all of which, together with the
body of the ballad and the whole of Brother
Walton's effusion. are unfortunately lost to the
literature of the age. Some of the ''old folks"
got wind of the contemplated rejoinder, and
en- their earnest appeal and protest that the
thing had gone far enough, the rejoinder was
suppressed and never adorned type.
HoRATIo KING.
WASHINGTON, March 81, 1885,
SUIT GROWING 0UT OF GOVERNMENT Con-
TRACTS. L. James. by Messrs. Shellabarger
and Wilson, to-day filed bill in equity for the
appointment of a receiver. aud decree for a
specific SUMS. SS2. 27-againstp 2. j. Kennedy
E. John Ellis, ID. A. Mcknight, and John
James. This money is alleged to be due on a
judgment of the Court of Claims, and the bill
states that Kennedy in 1882 entered into a con-
tract with Major Stickney, of the engineer
corps, U. s. A.. for the construction of a levee
known as Hardscrabble and Bond Durant on
the Mississippi river; that Kennedy applied to
complainant for assistance, which he rendered,
to carry on the work. and agreed to pay him %
cents per cubic yard for the work, and he
charges that Kennedy received in December
1893, SO, 344. Sc for the work but paid none of
it over and suit brought in the Court of
Claims for the balance, and Judgment was given
for S26.379. He asserts that defendants now
want him to accept -, 500, when he is entitled
to 81, sS2.27, and asks that they be enjoined.
THE DEATH OF Miss VI. b. BRIGGs-Tbe
large circle of friends and co-laborers in edu-
cational work in this city were shocked to-day