The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-13
POET OF PINEY FLATS
THE PHILOSOPHER AND PROPHET
OF THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS.
He Writes from Inspiration and Pos
sesses n Vocabulary Surprising
that of Any known Author.

49, VIZ
prophet of the mountains. In that locality
Mr.. Hyder is a great man, and his book of
verse can be found In nearly every cabin.
rue it Is that few of the mountaineers can
cad. or understand the meaning of the
bok, but it is impressive, and for that rea-
p the author is honored and respected.
bw could a people help respect and honor
"a writer who can use, with no apparent en-
b~arrassment, such words as super-trans-
humanized. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., trou-
badourmonodiology and super-pre-consub-
sanitation? That is what Mr.. Hyder does,
and 1t is a mystery to those who have Wis
tied that locality where he picked up such
monsters. This mountaineer singer occu-
pies a unique and distinct field In American
literature. Nothing like him has ever been
discovered. He does not write for the mag
azines.
Mr.. Hyder. who lives at Piney Flats, is a
rugged mountaineer. He has received no
school education. All he knows he has
picked up In reading. In his poetry there
are frequent references to mythology and
astronomy, showing that he has read some
books of weight. In his home life he wears
q coarse flannel shirt and talks in the dia-
lect of the locality. He writes a miserable
hand, but despite all this he is regarded as
a wise and good man by his neighbors.
There Is little doubt as to his goodness, for
LII through MS lines there runs a RELIGIOUS
ptrain in which he shows his familiarity
with the scriptures. A copy Of the poems of
the Piney Fats man has recently been sent
the Journal by a friend, who is spending
the winter in the neighborhood of the
poets home. This friend writes that the
poets home life is simple; that he lives as
the rest OF the natives, but Is regarded by
titled. Double Golden Chains with Blaz-
early date in the book, explains in his own
original way how he came to write the
book. The name Is chosen from one of his
most inspiring flights. Here it is:
THE Sovereign, a pennyless treasure to me
Worth more than the revolving globe upon
A double golden chain with blazing dia-
I've culled from my brain and stranded nv
tongue"
Mr.. Hyder writes from inspiration. as
verse came to him in a dream. He relig.
lousy believes that he was ordained to
a warning note to the w lei ed a The so fitla
book was published at johnson City, and
In the Introduction q short sketch of the
poets life is given. 1t is stated that he
1928. He wandered some from his birth
place. but later he staggered back to old
young, and while serving as an apprentice
for one Michael Masengiil, ION the waters
c 81 the W ps Tug the poet BECAME "fas-
Masengili. who became his wife, After
ward he settled down on her farm. '.over-
tauga," II a river can be supposed to have
2 tide. The following. taken from the in
dreams and aspirations, and gives some
reason why he was led to believe that he
mad the true poetic fire:
In 1884 the piercing hand of afiication
bore oppressively upon his vitals: for some
time It was presumed that his earthly
thought his last earthly hours had arrived ee
90 feeling no fears, no pains. he gently
closed his eyes to this mundane sphere.
only to sleep; but the spirit was borne on
angels papouse pinions to the Celestial
CITY, which fact he clearly states in the
grand eternal forever. All night he
spiritual life. but as the twinkli "ssv stays
closed their sparkling eyes. and the glow
beams upon the quietly sleeping body. the
E stu, Ie angelic choir accompanied the
tenament of clay. He fast convalesced'
ana IN a short time was restored to his
drapery that hides the seen from the I'M
seen remained aside and his mind was
r reuenled na aornied with the pleasures it
would try, In his ,illiterate and fragile way,
70 sketch what he had seen and felt. in
test their virtue. When the attepn ms wa Q
once begun the grandeur and beauty Of
thoughts flowed like autumn leaves before
2 storm, until, in his amazement and joy.
lacked an effort So within the last four
years he has Joined link to ink, till he
n rordea g double golden chain with
IN 1888 no visited a publishing house to
f g,s Terms on original poetic manuscript.
than likely, judged from his personal an
peararce. he was advised to Ego back home
sn1 aonoW MS Old trade as their was moth
"Being determined to see his writing in
some kind of form, and having a will he
soon round a way, though rude it NAV
seem. vet to his delight in 1889 he had
the pleasure of scanning his vision in his
rhyme" :"
1t can be seen by the foregoing that Mr..
Hyder feels the inspiration, nor is that all.
for In his verse he refers to a key. which
1T contains, which men will not decipher
for countless ages to come, but which is
important nevertheless. He fails to give
any clew to this key. SO the reader is at a
loss to know where to hunt for it. 1t seems
that this man from Piney Flats has designs
upon the poet laureatship of the world, for
IN his opening lines he says:
"For. grand sublime thoughts I have nv
banner unfuried,
As the .grasping poet laureate of the world.
- ~ lac CdTtn my licenses
reach,
Out to spaces verge and down to duration,s
beach,
The out-stretched universe I claim as nv
own
With LIES gellucid river from beneath the
The poet goes on to tell of the emotions
which filled his soul when poetic inspiration
entered and he expresses the sensation in
the following lines:
"Heaved up was my encyclopediated emo
ton
AS cyclones would whirling drive the waves
of the ocean.
The Eternal Jehovah that's enthroned or
high.
Poeticised my mind in the twinkling of al
eye,
He that showers the rain from the heaven,
on high down,
Plenipotentiaried me with a poetic crown
The .pulchritude of glory no mortal can
know,
Tbs pellucid gloss of hyperion glow.
This uncouth singer of the mountains
turns his attention to the drink question
and In a flight the uses the metaphor, "witl
the trottle OF your chariot pulled opeI
wide" His neighbours, who have neye
seen a chariot, and who consequently don
know whether they have throttles or not
pronounce this figure of speech sublime
Turning his attention to Congress-, the MAJ
from Plney Flats sings.