The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-01

there to invite him to. lecture before a
society belonged to. Our friendship pc
death. When 1 met him he was slight
and graceful, five feet six, not weak, al
though his hands and feet were small and
well formed. He had fine features and
large 1.g;s open 2Es gray eyes, .n ou,,oa -.
the publication of a remarkable series of
poems of sorrow and suffering based
upon the conditions he saw in the work
Thomas Hoods Song of the Shirt
Among, this series of poems were 'Magda--
saw him the day I left for Kansas the
second time, in June. 1856, and he was all
strife invoked in the east One of his
most powerful poems was written at that
time and was a denunciatory of Brooks
on account of his attack on Charles Sum-
ner. Som of his NEST beautiful SOnnetS
and love poems were written about that
period and We're generally written to a
Miss Hattie Burleigh, niece of Charles
Burleigh the Garrisonian and abolition
'Realf left New York the last of Aug
ust and at Iowa City Joined the second
entered Kansas under the command of
ex-senator Pomeroy. ex-senator P. B.
early in October and located in Lawrence.
He wrote for Abraham Lincoln'S paper,
he G Q Journal nal ana abe for the
Tribune While in Kansas. to my knowl-
edge, he wrote some 40 poems and have
the manuscripts OF maDy OF them Ten
of them were known as free state lyrics
and each one has some relation to- his
torica1 events of the period There were
several ni-humorous poems. One on
Governor Walker, and another on Editor
6. w. Brown. Among the poems written
in Kansas were a half dozen sonnets of
much merit. Among the poems of that
period was a song entitled Our Hero
Dead which became later one of the
marked songs of the Civil war, a num-
Der of passionate and pessimistical lyrics
denouncing pro-slavery spirit and a re-
markable descriptive poem written in
Washington upon the. inauguration of
mo
entitled Kansas written later in the
summer has been widely copied In collec-
of 1857 he joined John Brown and went
with him to Springdale, Iowa In that
killed at Harpers Ferry with John
Brown. While in Springdale, Realf wrote
Lawrence and dated from there to dis
guise his whereabouts. These were most
" personal lyrics and two or three were
to his mother.
From Springdale he went in April 1853,
with John Brown and u others. who af-
ty, to Canada where what was known as
the John Brown provisional constitution
was adopted. From that time Realf prac-
movement. He visited England and lee
Brown with the proceeds but he failed.
France with a New York friend. He had
but a. small amount of money and came
back in the steerage and landed in New
Orleans. He worked on southern newspa-
disappeared until the blow was struck
at Harper's Ferry. His whereabouts was
Browns carpet bag and its contents
were captured it was found that the
been an anti-sIavery man in Kansas.
He was In Texas. Upon advice from his
where he was and that he was willing to
testify. He was named as secretary of
state in the constitution found in the car
Texas and was taken to Washington and
received $3.50 in witness fees, but knew
nothing when questioned. He divided the
money with two members of the John
Brown party, who had escaped and were
HE enlisted as a. private in the Civil
war in June. 1852. and was mustered out
June 1Sss with the ol rank OF captain and md
the Chicago Tribune and signed his ar
ticles ex-orderly.' He was in the hattie
siege of Chattanooga. in the battles of
Chickamauga- and Mission Ridge, was
Burnside and in the campaign against
Atlanta He was three times named in
Realf ranks with Mrs. Howe and Brownell
as one Of the three great war poets At
ter the war he taught school and edited
papers In the Francis Murphy movement
of 1870 and 1871 Realf was the most mar
velous speaker on the temperance plat
form, excepting John B. Cough. For
seven years he was editor of the Corn
mercia1 Gazette of Pittsburg. In 1877
he nearly lost his sight by his eyes be-
coming diseased, He went to San Fran
cisco in June. 1873, worked on the Post
and as a 1aborer in the mint
HE was driven to suicide by his ne
mesis. In 1865 he was married At one
time he disappeared When young he was
wounded in q fight and always after his
mind was affected. He did many queer
things. One was his disappearance. His
wife thought him dead and returned to
her father and took her maiden name
and when Realf returned he was unable
to find her. He thought her. dead and
married again. It was when he wrote a
poem under his own name that his first
wife discovered him. Ever after he work
ed for her and his children. He spurned
his second wife. She followed him wher-
eyer he went. He could not evade her;
She confronted him in San Francisco and
October TO- 1878, he committed suicide"
Muncie, Ind. Feb. 1.-The livery barn of
Boer & Munshower burned early today.
Cecil Weekly, a cab driver, was burned
to death and forty-seven horses also per-
fshed Adjoining buildings were damaged
by falling walls.
John DIR, Poseyville, Ind, says, 81
never used anything as good as One Min
ute Cough Cure. We are never without