The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-09

4 nqtpnt
| to the county seats and propose TO the
| business men that We should advertise
| their stores, shops, ETC., In the manner
| II at had hitherto been monopolized by
| the patent medicine men. That partner
OF mine was a great chap. There never
was such another solicitor. i fairly wor-
shipped him. because he was so success
full In getting business, and he worshipped
me because 4 could 90 the work so well
| after he had got the business. As can
| vacser he was systematic and scientiiic.
He would attack the business men OF
| county seat in this way: As soon as we
| we're ready to select our victim We would
study the county paper. and from II would
learn who was the most enterpri9ing dry
| goods man, for instance. In the advertis-
| ing line. Then McClannahan-that was
| his name. though he used TO use another
| would go TO the merchant and say:
You are evidently the most wideawake
! man in this town Now, we have been
| painting advertisements on barns, fences
| and rocks for medicine firms. and we
| know what we are saying when We assert
that such advertising is the most re-
| munerative In the world, especially. be-
| cause once paid for IL lasts for years:
| Now there are eight roads leading out OF
| this town and we will put your ad. In ar
| tistic style on every one Of the fences and
| barns along these roads for three miles
| out, for so much money
| "The business man would generally kick
/ at the price named, but then McClana'
| han would draw out the county paper.
| We we're both familiar with advertising
| rates on country papers, ana McClana-
han would say:
| "You pay so and so much-within a
| few dollars of what we ask-every year
| for your newspaper advertising, and your
! rival is allowed to advertise his business
| right here in the opposite corner OF the
| sheet. Now, we won't take your rivals
| ad. at all; we handle one man in each
| line only; and by closing contract with
us. you will shut up the eight roads
| running into this town to every other
dry goods man. II you don't want TO
go in, we'll see the other fellow.
That alwlys succeeded. Do not nGw
| never had any trouble I'm getting the use
of the barns. either. Matchmaker had
way Of admiring the farmers horses
or his cattle, or presenting, his wife with
very taking. Business grew so with us
that in time we were Obliged to engage
assistants to the number of seven, or
eight. After we hired them, I used TO
simply do the designing in colored chalks
or sometimes m brush, and they would
come along afterwards and I'll in
II did good deal OF window painting,
too. When we made that specially
we rarely left a town until every business
window on the main street bore the
marks Of my brush. AS | was at work
work much cheaper and quicker than the
local painters. and we could undertake To
decorate two windows with an dlluring
statement CONCERNING ;he business behind
TIE bidHS AOi stSS HOutN IMAM tnb lOCdl
man could do one-a good deal less. in
fact But sometimes after | had finish
ed the work in, say half an hour, there
would be big kick from the business
man, because | was earning money too
fast. After n while there got to be too
many in the business. and the old big
money could no longer be realized in
sign writing. SO we dissolved partner
ship, and | went to work on the Ander-
son Gnd.) Democrat.
There | wrote all the rhymes 7 could
enjoyed the telling Of the news in
rhythm. But my wages were barely
enough to live on. and l longed for
wider field and better pay.
HOW ''LEoSAISIE' CAME TO BE WRITTEN
THE junior editor on the rival paper in
Anderson, good fellow, by the way, too
think now, though | didn't then, used
to tease me about my verses, which he
assured me were very silly.
why, jim he used to say. your
rhymes are pure rot, Just rot, and moth
- differed with him, of course, but
the fact that l could lot get my rhymes
accepted by the magazines was declared
| by him to be proof that he was right.
He used 10 drive me frantic. tod him
that my matter was poetry and not rot,
and that some day he would find II out.
l said to him that If my verses were put
| out over a big name they would go. He
| laughed at me most eXaSperatingly, and
| | determined to put the matter to the
| test. Then followed one of my gravest
mistakes, about which much has been
| written and said, and | hope you will
| tell the story just as / tell II to you.
II wrote to the publishers of the ko-
| komo Qnd) Gazette. They were TRENDS
! OF mine. and l proposed the scheme that
| resulted in the publication Of the verses
| called LeOnaine. / said that II could be
| made 10 appear that an unpublisheq
| poem by Poe had been found In an old
| book, and that If it could it would make
a great literary sensation. They told me
| 10 get the poem ready and send 1t along.
| So | studied Poe's methods. lie seemed TO
| have a theory, rather misty, 10 be sure
| about the use of Ms and Ms and melll-
| fluous vowels and sonorous words. | re
| member that / was long time getting
up the name Leonainie, but at last the
| verses were finished and printed In the
KokomO Gazette.
"As you remember my prediction that
| the poem would create great literary
sensation was fully verified and TINS, III
nv mind, INDICATED my contention that
my verses We're really Q. *. II Is strlcuy
true that the viz dication OF the ldea was
the only thing / thought or Wheh PldH,
ned Leonainie and It's publication. dl9
NOT wish to swindle any one, but OF
course, | did not want to be FOUND OUT
But for a blunder on the part OF tlle e tI
tor of the Kokomo Gazette the decepIiui
might never have been discovered AN
ticioating that the authenticity or the
verses might be doubted, he printed a
paragraph saying that II ny one thousHl
the poem DO gus the manuscripts Hii5t-'
seen. Now, there was no MANUSCRIPT.
But a great number Of persons cdiied 70
look at il. There were reporters from pls
CITY dailies. literary folks in dfoVes; anu anu
finally Poe's biographer sent Tor H. linen
there was a wall from the editor;
'"What shall we doY he asheu me
over and over again H.. - mann
OF said. its as easy 10 make a IIldhu-
scrint surely as it was 10 write NeiST9
that have made so much OF sense ~ 81, 6
80 we got SOME fac Smiles OF TV~ ,
uitiro from a. magazine. l wrote OUT
- tersas with proper indentauOn anu
~ artist friend OF mine copied them III
~ old hook in which we cldllheu 10
have fond them. The forgery VAS NtIy
weu Gone-better than were the verses
/ fancy. and for a long time me IhaHu-
scrint was declared genuine But tne e
exnosure came at last, ana Whlle Aeo
nainie had demonstrated my view OF MY
verse to be correct. II got me nv 80
end of trouble. l lost my SITUATION oH
the Anderson Democrat, ana IVI ud ~
il seemed that l would not be aple 10 se'
"Before / so any further. l want 20
cav that one Of my chief regrets IN tlls
Whole matter has always been the ms
Lion renort that Edmund Clarence Steu
80 was deceived by the forgery, ana
Nd nronounced II and the poem neon
tcstahiv Poe's own. He never SAID such
a tbtn6 He did say that IN matter anu
n handwriting the poem was the pes'
in,itation of Foes work he had ever seen
hut he has since shown me mdhusCiIp y. %
| nv poe which differed so completely ffoifi
| orr Imitation that Stedman surely Souiu
| not have been fooled. roe useu 70
ri