The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-08
THE PASSING THRONE.

Mr.. Herman Rohifng, Of 0snabruck,
Germany. and his nephew. Mr.. Charles
RohIfing. of Milwaukee. are tourists stop
ping at the Rainier. Mr.. Rohifng. senior,
Is piano and pipe organ manufacturer OF
nigh reputation in the old country, and Is
an exhibitor at the Worlds fair. II do
not expect 10 build up any trade in this
country" said he. but the prestige Of
being q prize-winner at the greatest
Worlds fair ever held would help me
greatly in Europe. The pianos I brought
over are already sold, and the German
government wanted me to exhibit pipe
organ, but the expense was too great. and
IN case we could not sell it here, we should
have TO take 1t all to pieces and ship IL
back TO Europe. have attended every
worlds fair that has been held, but the
present one surpasses all previous ones.
In fact il Is too large. and the next one
should be rather more condensed. in
tend TO stay over here until after the fair
is over"
Ar. Charles Rohlfing Is O member Of the
great music publishing house of William
Rohlfng IL Sons, of Milwaukee. the largest
publishers and importers of sheet music in
the country outside of New York. He Is
accompanying his uncle on an extensive
tour of the West, they having spent two
months in coming across the country by
the Union Pacific and in California They
return to Milwaukee by way of the Yell
lowstone National park. ''0ur house pub
lished about year and q half ago." said
he, ''the first song written by Charles X.
Harris. the author of After the Ball. We
bought it from him, and he wanted TO
make contract with Us TO publish all his
songs for five years. We laughed at HIM,
and told him we wouldn't make a contract
with the angel Gabriel. ! advised him to
publish his own songs and told him how
he could manage il, and he said he had
little money which he would invest that
way. He has made big fortune the
past year on his song. which is on
everybody's lips all over the country.
Harris lives in Milwaukee. and my father
wrote rue the other day that Harris told
him that one Boston music houses last
monthly check for copies of the song
married soon to Miss Cora Lehrmann. the
Chicago woman the song is dedicated to.
and is going to buy the Plankinton resi-
dence in Milwaukee for $685. 900 cash, and
he says he will have plenty TO live on
dsttt lloW 10 tiidt toE 4ou
know he can't write note of music. He
Is banjo player, but writes the words of
has songs and then finds an air to fit them
which he whistles to some musician who
writes out the notes. He is clever fellow
though, and after he got out the song he
made it q point 10 get solid with all tn
variety and comic opera singers who came
to town. He took them ont to suppers,
entertained them handsomely, sang them
his song. gave them copies of it and they
in return for his courtesies learned it and
sang IL to their audiences. 1t was we'll re-
ceived and he got notices put in the papers
about the song making hit. The singers
carried the song away to other cities, and
everywhere il made hit, and so it went
all over the country. We are now getting
out new edition of his first song, Thou
Art Ever in My Thoughts and expect 1t
will be better received now that its author
has become famous"
Hon. David w. Higgins. memper of the
provincial parliament and speaker of the
house of British Columbia, Is spending
few days with his old time friend, G. G.
Phinney. at Woodland park.