New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-04
AUTHOR OF "BEN BOLT"
THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH HEARS OF THE
PLAN TO HONOR KNEAss IN
MISSOURI

DR.. Thomas Dunn English the venerable author,
poet, publicist and ex-Congressman from the With
New-Jersey District, was In mis- cosey home. at No.
81 State-st-. Newark when Tribune representative
called to see him yesterday. Although more than
fourscore old. the Doctor is vigorous OF body
and but for a serious impairment Of his eyesight
he would be active he twenty years ago.
He shown this paragraph from THE Kansas
City STAR:
The grave of the man who wrote "Oh. don't you
remember sweet Alice. Ben Bolt?' is in Missouri.
Two generations have been moved oy It's patnle1ic
hneass es In tne CnSotne cemeery where
Association has for its object the erection OF a
handsome monument to the author of Ben Bolt"
DR.. English said after reading it:
This is one of the absurdities that crop UP from
Here is Volume sS Of The Ne@YoTk New Mirror
Original Ben Bolt 1' WITH the signature IT D. E
Grhomas Dunn ENGLISH In iS4S Nelson T. Rneass
Porter's company at the Pittsburg Theatre. Porter
drama, 1.-The Battle of Buena VISTA" and told
Kneass that II he could get new song up he
A hanger-on OF the theatre named Hunt. told
Kneass that he had seen some words copied in an
He remembered three stanzas of them imperfectly,
words to I'LL the blank Kneass adapted them TO
an old German melody, and the. song was sung
on It's course and became extremely popular.
kneass sang it all over the United States for
In 1869 the theatrical company to which Kneass
was attached broke up at Chillicothe. Mo. Kneass
was taken sick. and died there. The people of the
place, who knew no better, placed stone over his
grave. describing him as the author OF Ben Bolt,
of which he did not write the words, and merely
adapted the music. The good people of Chillicothe
are undeniaby not versed in American literary his
tory. The words and music of Ben Bolt" as now
sung, were published until 1s4S. when the song
published by Peters, OF Louisville. and Ii did
not have the name OF Kneass author Of the
words, but of the arrangement Of the music.
Kneass himself claimed the authorship at
any time. The words were frequently claimed by
Hunt. on the strength of his alterations OF them.
but when this exposed Hunt boldly asserted
that the words were originally in "CampbelFs New
Monthly Magazine" in England. in 1929 The most
diligent search, however failed to hnd them In that
magazine, anywhere else. prior to their appear
In 1.-THE New Mirror in 1873 I was in Vir-
ginia in 1855, when Hunt commended that he was
the author Of Ben Bolt and introduced
the author. / wrote to THE Richmond Enquirer
singing letter, in which I exposed Hunts false
claim and said that he would get first prize II lying
OF the fine arts
1t then he said that neither he nor wrote
the words, but that Henry ]. Bendle, OF Stan
wix Hail. Albany, the author. Bendle was
barber, and knew nothing about the song. The
people of Chicothe. with village presumption,
think they know II all, and propose, according to
that newspaper item. to erect a monument 70
Kneass, who never said that he was the author OF
the words of Ben Bolt but only arranged the
music of It. Peters tried TO stop Kneass from pub
fishing the music but Kneass used the original
German melody and Peters could do nothing.