The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-25
A POETS HUMILIATION
JAMES b. ELMORE, OF ALAMO, PROS
ECUTED BY HIS BROTHER.
Charged with Tapping Sugar Trees ON
sunday-Other Relatives Are
Unap9reciative.

Literary coteries of this city will be
alphabetically interested in the humiIiat-
ing misfortune that has befallen James b.
EImore. the poet of Alamo, Ripley town.
ship. Montgomery county. He is being
prosecuted on the charge of laboring on
the Sabbath. The affidavit was filed
against him by his own brother Jake. The
specific charge is that Mr.. Gilmore tapped
his sugar trees on Sunday.
Mr.. Gilmore is a farmer at Alamo. but
his fame as a poet is national. 1t seems
that he has had some trouble with his
brother. and the latter, In a revengeful
spirit, took advantage of the poets having
tapped his sugar trees on Sunday and filed
an affidavit against him in Squire Bucks
court under the law prohibiting labor on
the Sabbath. Mr.. Gilmore took a change of
venue to a justice at Charlottesville. 1t is
reported that day before yesterday he en-
tered Charlottesville declaring his inten-
tion to venue his case out Of the county
in his determination that his brothers re-
venege shall not be gratihed.
The poet of Alamo. as he is universally
known. has not visited this city for some
time. When his first book. Love Under
the MistIetoe and Poems," was being is
sued from the presses of one of the city's
49, - 80 AAA NAAAV - 1oAAAC
here to confer with his publishers. He
called on James Whitcomb Riley and held
a literary conference with him. He also
visited the home Of Booth Harrington. He
happened TO go to see Mr.. Harrington in
the morning. before the prose-writer had
risen. He took a photograph OF Mr.. Tark-
fngton from the house and left a copy of
Love Under the Mistletoe. and Poems" as
a means of expressing his appreciation OF
T~arktngtOn's ability.
Mr.. Gilmore often compliments Mr.. Riley
and MIR. Harrington, but he at the same
time regards them. as competitors. Mr..
Elmores method of selling his books is to
peddle them from place TO place. He finds
this. method more productive than the plan
or leaving his books on the shelves, of
BOOKSTORES and raising no voice In their
behalf. which plan is followed by Mr..
Harrington and MIR Riley.
BY Way OF REMINDER.
Many persons will feel sympathy for Mr..
Gilmore I'm his hour of humiliation without
being able to recognize his name; they will
have that feeling for him that they have
for all men OF genius embarrassed by un-
appreciative relatives. For the enlIghten-
ment of these person ii may be said that
Mr.. Gilmore is the author OF that famous
ode to Sassafras":
I'm the spring of the year. when the blood
There is nothing so rare as a sassafrass
stick.
1t cleans up the liver and regulates the
heart
And to the whole system new life doth
impart.
sassafrass. oh. sassafrass.
Thou art the stuff for me.
And in the spring | love to sing
Sweet sassafrass or thee
A verse from Bessie. the Belle Of Ala
mo-" one OF Mr.. Elmore's best things, also
may help 10 refresh the memory:
BESSIE. the belle OF Alamo.
She never hirts with transient people
Or swings on the gate for ghoU
But lures by charms becoming
The Belle OF Alamo"
But. perhaps. Mr.. Elmore is best known
as the pOet-histOrian OF the wreck on the
MOnon. that 50 tangled up the plans OF
Tom MiacO's burlesGue company. the men,
bers of which We're passengers on the
wrecked train. IL il in the poem I'm which
that wreck viii 30 down through the ages
that Mr.. Gilmore so imperssively says;
And I'm among the wreck / see
A mans that pinned down by the knee,
And hear him calmly for TO say,
Cut, oh cut. my leg away"
SOME PERSONAL GOSSIP.
Accompanying the news from Crawfords-
Vile yesterday regarding Mr.. Elmore's
legal p~redicoment. was some interesting
gossip OF his recent m His pho
tograph was taken at a picnic the other
day. lie was posed with a copy of Love
Under the Mistletoe and Poems in one
hand. and the other hand stretched elo-
quently above his head. The attitude was
suggestive OF his reading from his own
works. Mr.. Gilmore was I'm doubt whether
10 hold a red-bOund or a blue-bound copy
OF the book The overs the reading public
both kinds) during the taking OF the pic
ture. but the photographer explained that
the color would have no effect in the pic
ture. So Mr.. Gilmore took up the nearest
BOOB at hand.
The gossip further has IL that Mr.. FL
mOre's TIVE sisters. who are school teachers
IN Montgomery county, nave been making
repeated efforts toward confirming their
brothers attention TO his farm. for the
sake or the famiiy's dignity. They have
failed signally. Though Mr.. ElmOre may
have suffered from his sisters inapprecia-
ton and his brothcrs attempt 10 humlliate
him before the public. he viii not permit
his Muse 20 be suppressed.