The herald., 1895-08-25

poor Nellie Gray. they have taken yo'
away! He Immediately went 10 a musi
store in Columbus and found that IN
song had already become popular. III
wrote the publisher asking him why HI
| had not heard from him. He replied
that his address had oeen lost and sen
him as remueration dozen copies OF TN
song. He had been honest enough tt
| credit him with the authorship OF bott
| words and music, but this was the only
compensation he received. In reply to {
request for the usual royalty granted
authors. he received the following:
Dear Sir:-Your favor received. Nellie
GRAY IS sung on both sides OF the At.
lantic. We have made the money and
you the fame-that balances the ac-
count
The song was sung everywhere in the
was set to band music and was published
in almost every conceivable form. The
publisher made fortune out of II. which
Mr.. Handy would gladly have exchanged
for the reputation.
After graduation he for awhile engaged
in educational work and was later MN
lister of tho gospel, but soon became con-
nected with the John Church Music com.
papy of Cincinnati. He remained with
this firm two years and then transferred
to the well-known music fouse of Root
:, Cady. Chicago, III. Besides the negro
melodies Nellie Gray. Old Shady, Now
Den Now Den! Little Titles Grave and
Angel Nellie, he wrote ths Nameless Her
oiue in com memoration of the woman
who beiriended the escaping prisoners.
William f. Davis, Junius ii. Browne and
4. l.. Richardson Eand aided them in
reaching the union lines. He also wrote
some temperance songs that became very
popular, among which were Revellers'
Chorus and Crowding Awfdlly. Old Shady
,,.,t hf -
OF the burnt cork profession and was first
brought into popularity by the LON bards.
There is an episode connected with the
song which it N ight not be out of place
to mention here. The North American
Review OF October, 1855, contained a war
reminiscence by Gen. W. I. Sherman. en-
titled Old Shady With IL Moral. Accord
ing to General sherman the hero of the
story was colored cook who had stray ed
into General McPherson's headquarters
at Nicksburg. He was known as Old
Shady, name he derived from song
with which he was wont to regale the
officers of evenings. 1T was personal to
himself and posed by himself says
the general. The song is quoted with
many variations from the original. l
wrote to General Sherman concerning it,
anu sent him copy OF the song which
was duly credited by the publishers to
Mr.. Handy. | received a most courteous
reply, and, as anything from the pen of
General Sherman is interesting. | quote
from the letter as follows
Mrs. Kate Handy: Dear Madam-I
have received yours with enclosure and
note the exception you take regarding an
article from my pen in the October (lssS)
number of the \. A. Review. Shortly
after the publication of that article | re-
oeived long letter from the subject of
yourahusha song Old Shady, then liv-
ing, | believe. at Grand Falls, Oak, in
which he disowned the Authorship of
the song but claimed the distinction of
the title. Should | ever have occasion to
refer the subject in future article shall
certainly correct the misstatement. The
expression. Good by. Mass Jeff; COON
by, Misr Stephens" was surely most ap-
propriste for runaway slave. and led
me to the conclusion that such a one was
the author; but you are perfectly right in