The National tribune., 1899-10-26

has recently appeared in the papers il
her own defense, and alluding to the Colo
mel. as a 'fakr" and other pet names. the
| Colonel called upon me and placed the
following letters in my hands, which NAV
| throw some side-lights upon the author
ship.
We may question if Homer wrote the
"llliad,' or Shakspere was author of his
I plays, but in the aftertime there could
hardly he a question who wrote Laugh,
and the World Laughs With You"
The first is letter from the Hon. Thos.
| c. Fletcher, of Missouri.
Statement of Hon Thomas C. Fletcher,
of Missouri.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 1s, 1898.
To oil lCitOm 1t may concern:
j have personally known Col. John A. .
joyce. late of the oath KY Reg't, since the
Spring of 1869, when he came to St. Louis
as a Revenue agent, and | have often
heard him sing, speak, and recite at political.
social, and Masonic banquets.
have heard him recite his famous poem.
beginning Laugh, and the world laughs
with your; and in the campaign of IS72.
IN Missouri, when Gen. Grant ran for the
Presidency, l heard the said joyce recite
TINS and other of his poems to private and
public audiences.
THOMAS c. FLETCHER. late Briga-
diertieneral, U. S. A; late Governor
Of Missouri.
Among others who strongly support
Col. Joyce's claim are Mai. Richard Syl-
vester, Chief Of Police, Washington, ID. c.,
who, when young newspaper man in
81. Louis, attended a Masonic banquet,
at which the author recited his poems:
DIR. z. S. O'Reilly, of st. Louis, who saws
the poem was written in 1863, at Louis
vile, KY, as the result of wager; Frank
H. " Nell, well-known newspaper man.
who remembers Col. Joyce's early claim
To the authorship before Mrs. Wilcox could
have written the poem; r. T. Walker of the
Merchants Exchange st. Louis, who heard
Col. joyce recite the poem at the old Plant
ers' House, ST. Louis, during the Democratic
Convention in 1876, and who has the verses
pasted in an old scrap-book Of an early
date; and also many other prominent
people who knew Col. joyce after the close
of the war.
MRS. OLIVE LOGAN
While the fioodgates of memory are
open the embodiment of a striking Der
Logan. 1t is not necessary to tell the peo-
pie OF this country who she is For many
years she has been one of Americas favor
ed daughters in the histrionic and literary
world In her early youth she was on
the stage with her sister Eliza Logan but |
a physical affiiction. that of deafness, |
very early came upon her, that forced her
TO seek other fields of action. Had it not |
been for this disability she would without
doubt ranked as peer to her sister Eliza:
and when Eliza Logan appeared before
the public she had not had her rival
among American actors
Olive entered the lecture field, and when
she was in her glory she thrilled her audi
ences. She supplemented this art by her
pen and for years her ready, trenchant
letters were eagerly sought by the reading
public. Quite early in life she married a
Frenchman, De Lille by name. He mis-
her property, and dissipated the
larger part of it. She was forced at last
TO separation, and her two bows were
cared for and educated in Paris by their
fathers relatives. That took Olive to Paris,
where she lived many years. She again
TOOK the platform to retrieve her lost for
tune, and Mr. Writ Skies was her business
manager. In after years she married
hlm. He was made Consul to Wales.
and they again left America for England.
This marriage proved to be most happv
one. For several years Mr.. Skies held this
position, and she went on with her literary
work. Mr.. Skies died in London, and
she was again alone in a foreign land.
When her son, John De Lille, arrived to
manhood he chose 10 live with his mother.
He partook of her literary genius and they
worked together in London in journalistic
pursuit 1t was during this time thatI
the Hon. James G. Blaine made his visit