Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-01

ductions is song called The Battle
OF Santiago" while still another com
memorates the Windsor Hotel fire.
his themes being generally suggested
by scenes and incidents along the line
Of his route. The titles of some of his
other poems are My Sweetheart Kate
McCue, My Greater New York Girl,
The Sights and Scenes Round Gay
New York, Is the Doctor In? There's
None so Dear as Mother, The Sea Di-
vides Us Now, The Cottage By the Old
Woodford Bay, My Dea. Whaler Boy,
All Around Columbia's Shore, Be-
meath the Apple Tree, Our Brave, I'm
daunted Firemen, Sing Me an Old
Irish Song, Recitation on the Column
bus Parade of 1892, We Don't Forget
Old ireland Yet, or the Boys of '9S,
Lamentation on the Murder of limo
cent Mamie Cunningham and Recita-
ton on the New York street-clean-
ing Brigade.
Mr.. MahOn is described as a we'll
built man of decidedly Irish type.
with pleasant gray eyes, a dropping
mustache, an alert manner and a de-
liberate method of speech: very much
more the conductor than the poet in
his appearance and behavior. He be-
lieves in the inspiration of the street
car, and says man can go over the
same course day after day and see
more subjects for poetic treatment
than he could write poetry about If
he lived to be hundred" Although
Mr.. Mahon refused to discuss his lit
erary methods, Mrs. Mahon, in re-
Spouse to a reportorial question, said:
Pat turns EN- out just as easy.
He'll come home here after his days
work, when you'd think he'd be tired
out, and begin to walk up and down
the room. Then I know he's got took
with poem. He'll stop and rub his
head and say I, why, sty, cry, lie, pie,
by, and then he'll run over and put
down on a bit of paper and
come back and say Hat, rat bat, cat,
sat- and go back and put something
more down. First you know it'll be a
poem. I've known that man. said
Mrs. Mahon, beaming with pride, Ito
write as many as three poems in an
evening, and the next day the child
rem would be singing them on the
street."
What authors does he study
most?' asked the reporter, for the
literary environments of a success
full poet are always interesting.
STUDY" said Mrs. Mahon, "he
don't study any of 'em. His poems
come right out of his head. He don't
copy anybody else. When anything
turns up he comes home just full of
it and writes a poem about it. There's
his Dewey celebration poem on the
wall"
She took it down and read:
The guns of our Navy you will soon
hear them roar
For Admiral Dewey he is with us once
more,
With sailors so gallant and lis Of
fcers, too,
He'll lead the procession of the Red,
White and Blue.
When passing the arches with their
banners so gay,
lie blluSe ct the river ana J16
stands on Broadway
I'm sure he'll remember the red year
ninety-eight,
And that Sunday morning when the
Dons met their fate.
Refrain
He gave no timely warning to the
Dons in their sleep,
But he bid them good morning with
his guns Ger the deep;
He fought like hero for the flag OF
our Nation,
And proudly twill wave in his own
celebration.
That one he wrote about the
Shamrock and the Columbia" con-
,inued Mrs. Mahon; che sent it to Sir
Thomas Upton, and Sir Thomas wrote
him back such a letter! | wish / had
t here. He is that proud of it, Pat is,
hat they say that he wears it in his
hat