The age-herald., 1898-09-13

niscences of their earlier days, when one was the head of brilliant minstrel troupe
 and the other star performer. They were
 Neill Bryant and Col. John Kilkenny of the Louisville and Nashville railroad. And this is one of the themes which the two
 friends discussed over their wine and ter
 rapin:
 Ut makes me weary" said MT. Bryant
 with emphasis, ito read in every other pa-
 per l pick up about Will s. Hayes being
 the real author of Dixie when everybody
 in the land knows that my old colleague,
 Dan Emmett, wrote it, and was the first
 man to sing it when he was performing
 with Bryants minstrels. Dan Emmett is
 alive yet, out in an Ohio town, though the
 old boy doesn't sing any more, and has
 long since retired from the stage. It is a
 stupid thing to try to put the authorship
 of the stirring confederate battle song on Hayes or anybody else, when there are
 scores of people living who can substan-
 tiate the statement 1 have made as to the
 real author"
 It would seem that the old adage that
 what is everybcdy's business is hobo iys
 business is carried out in this instance, CT
 one of these scores of people would verify
 MT Bryants statement with a personal
 recollection. However, the matter has
 passed into history, and the friends of the
 author of Dixie" would do well to look
 after the old minstrel and see that he wants for nothing during the remaining days of his pilgrimage. In this way they might anticipate the monument that will doubtless be built to his memory some fifty years after he has died. It was on Saturday night in 1859, when Dan Emmett was member of Bryant's
 minstrels that Dan Bryant, of the famous Bryant combination, went to him and said Emmett, can't you get up something new for a walk-around? I want something lively and catchy for Monday night new tune full of 'go?"
 "I'll try" responded Emmett, and he went to work, but could not please himself
 until he hit on the first two bars of "Dix-
 ie,' and then he was pleased enough to fin-
 sh it, but it was Sunday afternoon before he had the words 'I wish I was in Dixie" This colloquial phrase was not, as people | suppose, southern expression. It did not | originate in the south as is popularly be- ieved but was in use in northern crcuses that had traveled in the south and enjoyed southern warmth and hospitality. When the cold winds of the northern states blew through the circus tents the boys would shiver and say, "I wish I was in Dixie,"
 Dixie being the dimnutive for DiXon-south of Mason and Dixon's line The air took like wildfre, and half the audience went home humming it. There was no hint of war then, but the music | stirred the blood, as only war music can. | The song became the rage, and other min 1 strel companies paid Dan Emmett $5 for its use at their performances Pond of New | York paid Emmett $500 for the copyright,
 and Will S. Hayes claimed the song as his own by publishing it in a collection under
 his name Finally these questions of pos session were settled by law, and the author ship adjudged to Emmett.
 
 t"Dixie" got Emmett in trouble during the war. Northern editors declared it to be a
 secession song, although it had not a polit- ical line in it, and was written two years before the war of the rebellion. But the south adopted it as soon they heard it sung, which was in zouave march led by Susan Denim when Mrs John Wood was playing at the Varieties theater in New Or leans in '61. The audience became frantic
 with delight, first over the air, then oyer the words, and they demanded encores until the singer was exhausted. The rebel lines so-caled were added to the original song, and gave it a martial bias Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrahi Hurrah!
 | For DiXe's land will take her stand, To live or die for Dixie A thrilling scene attended one peaceful | rendtio nof Dan Emmett's glorious air. It wasn't so many years ago, but far enough l back for Pat Gilmore's band, when they l played their last in Madison Square Garden 1 the year before Gilmore died The band was playing a medley of national airs, ''Yankee Doodle,'' Marching Through 1 Georgia" and a half dozen more. A young l man in evening dress, who had been seeing l the seamy side of life in New York, had his l head bowed one of the tables, leaving 1 his glass of wine untouched. In point of I fact he was asleep. But at one strain of l the music, as the airs glided into each ! other, he sprang up, and in a loud voice shouted:
 | "Dixiei"
 "Get out of here!" shouted the employees. l "I won't do ftp
 "You must You have raised disturb l ance, and if you don't go we'll put you out" "I am sorry made any noise, but it will l be bad for the first man who lays hand on 1 me for cheering Dixie"
 l And at that moment from tables near and | far twenty men arose and advanced with | blazing eyes, and as they pushed the en- | poyes aside they said in various tones of | menace:
 | Hell not go out!"
 Mot until he is quite ready
 Leave the gentleman alone and leave | him at once
 | And the crowd 'encored that medley three I times, and every time it reached Dixie | they gave rousing cheer. The young man | was from the blue grass state, and he ap- | preciated the fair play that was accorded | him.
 | Apropos of the author of Dixie" it has | just been suggested to me that Dan En- | melt is not in need of either a monument or
 any financial help at present.
 You forget Hooley's benefit" | "When was that?
 "Well, some years ago to be sure. Dr.
 Kane the explorer, saw him playing the l1 Io ae-i,,e a,.d far. nod