The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27
DEBT REPAID WITH FAME.
ORIGIN OF THE REPUTATION OF COL.
tom ADAMS, HUMORIST.
by Mr. Billy MidGeiy. but Not Paid for
by Him - Au Army Omcer's UnnvniiinE
vtrht nr,,n,e , Rtood of rro,e and Verre.

YiEht Against q Flood OF Prone aud Verse.
eff you look back over the files Of the periodi.
calls of twenty years ago" said Col. Tom Adams
at the Lotos Club. you will find a lot Of what 1
may call, for lack of a better term, fugitive
verses signed William Midgely,' or Billy
Midgely.' as the publication in which they up.
pear happens to be dignihed or %fippant. They
were good verses then, and I have no doubt but
that they would DO appreciated now. What
ever faults Midgely may have had. and his
dearest friends have credited him with many,
he was undoubtedly clever. II you had access
to the files Of the Register. published in English
o little less than twenty years ago at. let us say,
Cairo, Egypt, you might be surprised to SEQ In
every number Of 1.-THE Re0ist r was q weekly
devoted to the interests Of the English speak
ing population of Cairo-a poem or a humorous
story, very similar in style to Midgely's work.
each signed Col. Tom Adams, U. S. A. Now,
I never wrote a poem in my life, nor anything.
in fact. for publication, except an occasional
letter on the Indian question. signed simply.
old Army Officer / may say, however. that
my reputation as O humorous writer is still
cherished in Cairo. and that l am on the rolls
Of the Sphinx Literary Club of that city as a
life member"
The Colonel chuckled at the "Reminiscences
and relighted his cigar.
ut was a case of getting a literary reputation
ready made" he continued, land l have always
been undecided whether to accept it as u joke
on me or to resent it as an unwarranted use of
my name. Midgcly did 1t in payment of a
small loan that / had made to him, and he pro-
tended not to understand my resentment.
IF you had the soul OF a lobster, Colonel. he
said to me, you would appreciate tho fact that
l have done for you what you could never have
done for yourself. have brought you fame
..Tba ,ySn-t,rnta NM ~ nf tln n ffair Nyaa Tint
I found thrust upon me a reputation which I
could not support. and my trials were many. It
was probably unique in tho annals of debt pay
ing, and as some Of you may have known
Midgely by reputation. ! don't mind telling the
whole story. When ! returned to New York
In 1877, after ten years spent on the frontier,
l wanted relaxation, and ! found 1t in q little
group of men who were the survivors of a crowd
that once met in a celebrated beer cellar and dis
cussed politics. journalism, ana literature, and
drank beer.
Billy Midgely was by all odds the most i'm
provident and entertaining man of this group.
He seldom had any money, and that fact wor-
ried his friends more than it did Billy. Such
verses and short stories as Midgely wrote were
not 30 well paid for as they would be now.
Midgely was a new type to me and In return for
my matter.of.fact stories Of Western campaign
life he told me tales of the town that wero
vastly entertaining. Midgely never returned
my loans and didn't expect he would.
My surprise was great when Midgely sent
me a note asking me to attend a farewell din
nor that he proposed to give prior to his, do;
that he had been appointed Vice.Consul ut this
port. The restaurant selected by ,Midgely was
rived on the night OF tho dinner the proprietor
'a! @iM II %ei 4. a friend of yours, isn't he,
Yes said l unsuspiciously.
Vel. you guarantee him as all o. K;f
Why, OF course. he Is %. H.. i replied. He
Is one or the most entertaining men of my ao-
THE proprietor's question didn't make any
impression on me at the time. found all OF
MidRely's friends In tho dining room. pleased
at, his good fortune and anxious to help him
to sail the next day and as no said himself:
damn the expense, boys, ! want to have a
There is just one thing that ! want to say to
you. Just remcmber that Billy MidGoly is
E ESoyr f fhst btlT M Mnnt eysr latch %n stri Prss vent a to
ways be out in Cairo. You must stop in and
stay with me when you come to Cairo
been to Cairo or ever expected to go, but tears
came to the eyes OF nearly every one at this
great and Characteristic evidence OF Billy
ut was just ike old Billy said one of his
guests. Nothing that he had was ever too good
1--WE all escorted Billy Midgely home that
night with much noise und we were sleeping
HNdy u EkTltl III ltAL IlOIDlnR WUtH ITO ehlltu
/ missed him for a few DAYS. and then / made
other acquaintance. Two weeks later l ro-
~ Gs' in th sn shape haPlSS Of bi rf'P FoP Ris f Gt nsislH d MinGsT.
The proprietor of the restaurant called my at
t%ention to the fact that l had guaranteed Billy
siiling he had forgotten to settle his bili. i
had 70 pay 1t, OF course, and, ! suspected that
should never hear from Midgcly Again. Two
months later | received u marked copy OF the
Cairo Register. and when ] saw In II a poem, en-
titled Lines to an Arabian Steed, by Col. Tom
Ahnma II - ' lyua RAJ He'd. RnnlI mt NyrifA
a verso OF poetry to save my commission, and l
knew that this was ,Midgely's work. From
and ] dreaded to open each bundle OF the papers.
i didn't know but that reports of these, writings
knew what would next be credited 10 me. Col.
Tom Adams discussed lightly In verse all sorts
of subjects OF local Cairo interest, and then.
contributor to the Cairo Register. and my only
consolation was that the circulation OF tho
paper was small. and in those days not SO many
Americans went to Cairo as 20 now. lived
letters to Billy Midgely. which he never an.
swered. Finally. after AN a%trocious poem, polk.
Ing fun a. the English people. Wa published
Midgcly a letter that must have made his hair
sizzle. i told him II he didn't publicly, apollo
had credited to me. | would so over and cut his
heart out. l thought that would settle tho
s Sasi the next ss Climber 9aSsbl rH OF tho Sf HeSist SSn'p imagine
view with Mr.. William Midgely, American
Yice-Consul, on Col. Tom Adams, L.. S. A., tho
Registers most valued contributor Il. was
an Astonishing combination OF truth and false
hood. ,Midsely said that had killed and
ming my promotion, and that l was looked upon
now as the leading American humorist. To
add to the indignity, the Register published a
picture OF a patent medicine manufactures
whose face was familiar TO all readers OF ad,
yertisements In American papers, and labelled
shameless affair. though II hadn't been the vic.
tim OF 1t. ! should have enjoyed It ms a joke.
knew that after such a send of az that ! should
and sure enough ] did. The first letter came
from q brother officer in Washington.
"'You ely old fox It said, Il have found you
out. Why did you make your reputation In a
foreign neWspapeF1 We have slated you for