The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-11
PRECIOUS SCRAP OF PAPER.
A Woman's Care Preserved "The
Conquered Banner" For Posterity.


Philadelphia Times: Apropos of the
little ripple of agitation about return
ing the Confederate flags captured dur
ing the civil war, here is a pretty story
anent the writing of The Conquered
Banner Father Ryans well known
poem commemorative of the defeat of
the cause he loved and served The
story was first told several years ago
by "Aguila' in the Colorado Catholic.
But "Aguila' had it of young south
ern girl, whose telling l quote:
One Christmas, when l was a very
little girl, ] went to Father Ryan, tax
ing a little book-mark, a scroll of The
Conquered Banner which 1 begged
him TO accept. I can never forget how
his lips quiyered as he placed his hands
upon my head, for kindly remem-
branee touched him so.
Shall I tell you q story about this
picture, little one?' he said
Are you going to tell me how you
came TO write The Conquered Ban
ner?''' asked eagerly
Yes he said, 1 shall tell You how
wrote the poem, and how but for a
woman's care it would have been swept
out of the house or burned up, and I
should never have had this pretty book
mark or this true story to tell you.
I was in Knoxville he began,
when news came that General Lee had
surrendered. 1t was night, 1 remem-
Der, and I was sitting alone in my room
at the house where were quartered
many of the regiment of which l was
chaplain, when an old comrade came in
and said To me: All is lost. Lee has
surrendered I looked up at him and
knew by his whitened face that the
news was too true. Leave me- / said,
and when he went out of the room l
bowed my head upon my hands and
Wept. Then a thousand thoughts came
rushing through my brain. The ban
ner was conquered, its folds must be
furled, but its story might be told 1
looked about the bare room for paper.
but we were very poor in those days,
and all that / found was a bit of brown
wrapping paper that came around a
pair of shoes which a friend had sent
me. Upon this paper l wrote THE
Conquered Banner" and then I went
to bed. leaving the lines lying there
upon the table.
- The next morning the regiment was
ordered away, and l thought no more
Of the poem written in such sorrow
and desoiation of spirit on that fateful
night. What was my establishment
few weeks later to read them above my
signature in a Louisville paper? Aft
6ENdIu the poor woman VINO kept the
house where l had stopped in Knox
vile told me she had found the bit of
brown paper in my room and was just
about to throw IL in the fire when she.
saw something written upon it. She
said she could scarce read it for her
tears. but that afterwards she had
copied the poem and sent it to be
printed.
And that said the poet-priest, is
how 1.-The f-Onnfia~ad To
be published; that is the story of the
pretty little scroll you have painted
for me-
Then ] looked up into his eyes
those dear. sad, patient eyes that chill
dren loved-and said:
When get 10 be a woman 1 shall
write that story.
.~rAhi' said he, it is dangerous
thing for woman to write storiesl
Little one, if you must write, will you.
because 1 ask it, call yourself .'Zana?''
K is a pretty indian name. and means