Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-07-21
ANNAPOLIS TUESDAY EVENING, 1891.
HOME wEEr HOME"

An Occasion When John Howard Paine
sang the Song Under Compulsion.
was once acquainted with Swe,le
who had been adopted by the Usage
Indians. He was friend Of John Ross,
the celebrated chief of the Cherokees,
and gave his name in the Cherokee Ian
guage-it was written j. Q. q J. o..
pronounced h-weh-s-koh-weh, and
means swamp sparrow. His brother,
lewis Ross, was named, Te-tah-te.
which means spoon. My informant was
himself called by the Cherokees Te-kaw-
wha-lees-ky, which signifies ~The man
who writes orders for -four.
John Howard Payne. the author Of
Home Sweet Home, was warm per-
sonal friend of John Ross. At the time
the Cherokees were removed from their
homes in Georgia to their present home
west of the Mississippi River, Payne was
spending a few weeks in Georgia with
Ross. who was occupying miserable
cabin, having been forcibly elected from
his former home. A number of promi-
nent Cherokees were in prison, and that
portion of Georgia in which the tribe
was located was secured by armed
squads Of the Georgia militia, who had
orders TO arrest all who refused to leave
the country.
While Ross and Payne were seated be-
fore the fire in the hut, the door was sud-
denly burst open and six or eight militia
men sprang into the room. Ross's wife
was seated on trunk containing many
valuable papers and small amount OF
money, and at the unexpected intrusion
she sprang up and screamed wildly. Ross
spoke to her in the Cherokee language,
telling her to be seated, as she would save
the contents Of the trunk. She sat down
again and the intruders told Ross that he
and Payne were under arrest and must
prepare TO accompany the squad to Mil
ledgeville, where they were to be i'm
prisoned. The soldiers lost no time in
taking their prisoners away. Ross was
permitted TO ride his own horse, while
Payne was mounted on one led by a
soldier. AS the little party left the hovel,
rain began falling and continued until
every man was dlenched thoroughly.
Towards midnight, Payne's escort, in
order to keep himself awake, began hum
ming Home, home, sweet, sweet home,
when Payne remarked:
Little did expect to hear that song
under such circumstances and at such a
time. Do you know the author?"
"No, said the soldier, do your"
"Yes, answered Payne, II composed
&C."
"The devil you did You can tell that
30 some other fellow but not TO me. Look
here, you made that song, you say if you
did-and know you didn't-you can say
il all without stopping. II has something
about pleasures and palaces Now pitch
IN, and reel it off, and if you can't I'll
bounce you from your horse and lead you
instead of it. "
The threat was answered by Payne.
who repeated the song in a slow, sub
lued tone, and then sang it, making the
I'D woods ring with the tender melody
nd pathos of the words. 1t touched th,
heart Of the rough soldier, who was not
lnly captivated but convinced, and who
aid that the composer of such a song
hould never go to prison if he could help
t. And when the party reached Mil,
.edgeville they were, after preliminary
examination, discharged, much to their
urprise. Payne insisted that it was be
ause the leader Of the squad had been
under the magnetic influence of Ross's
conversation, and Ross insisted that they
iad been saved from insult and imprison-
nent by the power of @Home, Sweet
lone, sung as only those who can feel
an sing it.
The friendship existed between Ross
nd Payne until the grave closed over tho
.ortal remains of the latter.