The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-19
POET WHO DEFIEs PUBLISHERS.
Chicago Times-Herald.l

NOHlCdSO 1lmeS-1erdl0-)
Indiana has long been famous for her
hoop poles and her poets. II is said. and
ii is probably true, that Indiana produces
better hoop poles and more poetry than
any other state in the Union. We shall
not attempt to specify as to the numbers
OF carloads of hoop poles or volumes OF
poetry that come out of Indiana annually
Tor these matters are not covered in the
census reports. But one thing is certain.
The people of this country are 10 be de-
prived, for a while at least, of a book Of
Indiana poems that they ought to have
right away These songs were written by
James b. Gilmore, who lives near Craw-
louisville. where poets spring up even as
the blades of grass in the fields. Mr..
Gilmore announces that ne now has sew
enty-eight poems which have been dashed
or at various times when the divine
afflatus could not be kept from rising, but
owing to the fact that the publishers will
not guarantee royalties which meet with
his approval he declares that the public
must suffer. In recent interview MIR.
Eir-ore said:
My poems are just about the article.
Poetry writing comes natural to me.
have wonderful imagination and don't
have TO see what l write about
In proof of this latter assertion the poet
wrote a poem about a wreck on the
Moncn railroad. He was not a witness
of the accident. but he went into the de-
tails of the catastrophe with a facility
claim TO the possession of an imagination
that is nothing short of marvellous Ow-
ing 10 lack of space We must satisfy our
selves with a few extracts from the wreck
poem, which opens with this direct state
-,e-t of fact:
1.-The train is coming yonder near;
The conductor calls the station clear.
Then outward move the busy throng,
Ready for the stepping on
The approach of the train. the crossing
of Sugar Creek bridge and the hustle
about the station are beautifully deserted.
and then we are brought plump against
the wreck as follows:
"She strikes against broken rail.
When all the cars il does dersiil:
And down they plunge into the deep,
A depth of more than sixty feet.
"She rolled over Just fore and aft.
The occupants turning just like shaft
Before she reaches this mournful place,
Where each the others soul embraced
"A silence fell upon the crew.
As if they knew not what to do.
Then came sad and lamenting cries.
From a wreck of cars as thick as flies
There Is terrible realism in Mr. Ell
more's description of the tumble of cars
and the suffering of the unfortunate
passengers. yet please remember that all
this proceeds directly from his magma
ton When he arrived upon the scene
all that remained to show that there mad
been a wreck was the broken bridge. But
let US return TO lne DOelHs WHICH SOA-
cludes with these sts=nZas:
s.Rut there they lay on the crimson snow;
Their hearts have ceased TO ebb and flow.
Quite as cold as a frozen chunk.
With a lady's heart upon a stump.
And yonder in the wreck see
A man that's pinioned down by the knee.
And hear him calmly for to say,
Cut. oh cut. my leg away
J. Gordon Coogler has just published a
new volume of poems. and while 1t is tue
that there is not likely 10 be any actuaI
continues TO favor the public with the
beautiful products of his fancy. we can
moi helm thinking how much more pleas
ant in would be for all concerned II Mr.
Elr,ore could come to some sort OF an
ereement with the publishers. The world
i waiting for his songs. and sooner or
later. we hope it will get them OWNS.
however. to the fact that the poet owns
!. thrashing machine and does not have
ro write poetry for u living. there may
be exasperating delay In the aplearaAoe
Of his rhythmic gems