Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-07-27
JAr1ES WHITCOr1B RILEY.
A Biography as Given by himself.

The unhappy subject of this sketch
was born SO long ago that he persists IN
never referring to the date. Citizens OF
his native town of Greenfield, Ind,
while warmly welcoming his advent,
were no less demonstrative, some few
years since, to "speed the parting
guest" It seems, in fact, that as they
came to know Kim better the more re-
signed they were to give him up. He
was ili-starred from the very cradle, it
appears. One day, while but fodder,
| he climbed, unseen, to an open window
where some potted flowers were ranged
and while leaning from his high chair
far out, to catch some dainty, gilded
butterfly, perchance, he lost his footing
and with piercing shrek fell headlong
to the graveled walk below; and when
an instant later the affrighted parents
picked him up, he was-he was poet
The father of young Riley was law
yer of large practice, who used, in mo-
ments Of deep thought, to regard this
boy as the worst. case he ever had i.
This may have been the reason that, in
time, he insisted on bis reading law,
which the boy really tried to do; but,
finding that political economy and
Blackstone didn't rhyme, he slid out of
tn office one hot, sultry afternoon and
ra away with a patent medicine and
concert wagon, from the tail-end of
which he was discovered, by some re-
latives Of his in the next town, violently
abusing bass drum. This was proud
moment for the boy; nor did his pc
culiar presence Of mind entirely desert
him till all the county fairs were over
for the season. Then, afar off, among
strangers III strange state, he thought
it would be fine to make flying visit
home. But he couldn't fly. Fortunate
ly in former years he had purloined
some knowledge of trade. He could
paint sign-or house-or q tin roof
if some one else would furnish him the
paint-and one of Riley's hand-painted
picket fences was rapture to the most
eXacting eye. Yet through all his
stress and trial he preserved simple,
joyous nature, together with an ever
widening love of men and things in
general. He made friends and money
too-enough at least to crafty the
highest ambition of his life, namely, to
own an overcoat with fur around the
tail of it. He then CROPPED his way back
home, and worked for nothing on a
little country paper that did not long
survive the blow. Again eXcusing him
self, he took his sappy paragraphs and
poetry to another paper and another
town, and there did better till he spoilt
| it all by deVising Poe-poem fraud by
| which he lost his job; and in disgrace
and humiliation shoe-mouth deep his
feelings gave way beneath his feet, and
his heart broke with a loud report. So
the true poet was born. "He come
high, but we had to have himn' So,
haply soliloquizes his first literary
patron, Judge Z. B. Martindale, then
proprietor of the Indianapolis Journal,
with which paper Mr.. Riley and his
better work are still identified.
Of the poets present personnelle we
need speak but briefly. His dress is 1T
once elegant and paid for. 1t is even
less picturesque than all-wool. Not
liking hair particularly, he wears but
little, and that of the mildest shade.
He isa good speaker-whens spoken to
but much better listener, and often
longs to change places with his audience
so that he also may retire. In his
| writings he probably shows at his best.
He tries to, anyway. Knowing the
manifold faux passes and "breaks" in
| this life of ours, his songs are sympa-
| thetic and sincere. Speaking coyly of
himself, one day, he said: 81 write
from the heart; that's one thing | like
about me. [ may not write a good hand
and my copy may occasionally get
mixed up with the market reports; but
all the same, what challenges my adj
miration is that humane popularity of
mine, i. e.-writing from the heart
| and therefore to the heart"