The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-11
DID FATHER RYAN
Write the Poem '.If Should Die To-
 night"p

Norfolk Landmark.
 On the 23rd of January, lSS2 and and asain gan mark republished from the New York Journal of Commerce. whose editor. Mir. David M spondents that indefatigable adjuster of claims, the following testimony with regard to the authorship of If l Should Die To-
 After a search of nearly year we have at last reached reasonable certainty as to the authorship of the poem. If l Should Die To night about which there has been So much dispute. In mangled form, with some or it's finest parts omitted (because tEey did not suit the characterl, it's authorship was ascribed by H. Rider Haggard to his heroine in the novel entitled Jess the assumption being, or course, that 1t the congestion or the author of that work of fiction. We soon found much finer version in a little work published without the name of the author. by Mir. A b F. Randolph of this city, under date of 1878. Mir. Randolph replied to our inquiry that he scissored it from newspaper l,s where with its truth and tenderness he had reprint ed 1t for preservation in a more durable form. We then set -te work to trace the author. we found it in print with Henry Ward Beecher given as the writer. but his family at once disclaimed the credit. We next discovered 1t i'm IIiips Manual of Social and Business Forms published in 879 by Moses Warren & Co. of Chicago, which contains Selections ume In that book 1t is credited to F. K. Crosby. We followed the evidence until we were satisfied that the ascription was an err
 'Soon after the correspondent sent us a newspaper statement that the poem was wrlt- lI lished volume of her poems, first issued in IS4e and the later editions of 1852 and 1857 but neither of these contained It. Continu- ing our investigation, we found work en- titled One Hundred Choice Selections. in which the poem is credited to Robert C. V. Meyers Obtaining no corroboraton of this statement we pursued the inquiry Recently we received letter from MT; William M Brooks President of Tabor College, in Iowa. in which he asserts that the author is Miss Belle ,E Smith. formerly student or Tabor College and now a teacher in that institu- ton. He states that he has known Miss smith from childhood, that she wrote She in the Winter of sI2s Ss Tnd st Union June 1e. 1873; In 'corroboIatIon or this.'if any was needed. we have found the poem in the paper of that date over the m itials B. S.. and we have no doubt that Miss Smith is it's author"
 The celebrated poem. as credited to Mis- Miss merce as follows:
 CORR ger COPY OF A LOVELY POEM.
 If I should die tonight My friends would look upon my quiet face Before they laid it in it's resting place And deem that death had left it almost fair; And. laying snow-white flowers against my Would smooth it down with fearful tenderness, And fold my hands with lingering caress. Poor hands empty and so cold tonight 'If should die tonight My friends would cali to mind with loving
 
 Some kindly deed the icy hand had wrought, Some gentle words the frozen lips had said. Brands on which the willing feet had sped; | The memory of my selfishness and pride, | My nasty words would all be put aside, l And so I should be mourned and loved tonight. | If I should die tonight. Even hearts estranged would turn once more to me.
 Recalling other days remorsefully; The eyes that chill me with aVerted glance Would look upon me of yore, perchance. And soften. in the old familiar way, For who could war with dumb. unconscious clay?
 So I might rest forgiven of all tonight ''Oh friends pray tonight. Keep your kisses for my dead, cold brow; The way is lonely, let me feel them now; Think gently of me; l am travel worn My faltering feet are pierced with many a thorn.
 | Forgive oh. hearts estranged, forgive. plead :: When dreamless rest is mine, shall not need | The tenderness for which I long tonight We imagined the controversy had been set tied: but We are now in receipt of comnlunl- cation which seems to throw doubt upon the claim made for Miss Smith. friend in Washington writes:
 .'I may be a trhe late, judging from date of The Landmarks clipping, received yester- day but I cannot let go by an opportunity to throw a little more light upon that much quoted poem If I should Die Ionlghj; .'I incl0se clipping which makes Father Ryan its author and as his copy antedates l all others by ten years, there must pc some