The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-08-03
"sHERtpAN's RIDE
Two Accounts ot How ;hc S,trr.ag Poem
Was Written.

Jarvis Rlume, II, ro,upl Yves, sd.
Justice ot the p.ac,. tsus new and n
.'rcs,,rg story " how Thomas RucNaa
an Read clme 90 write his famous wa,
poem "Sherlan's Ride" I. Is iu.cr
.cs;ing alike yor J,s novelty and t,r "a,
entirely new verASu oy The condition,
under which the verses were prna,l ard
given 90 the public Many stories ahou.
the origin ot ,he poem have been told
| All varying widely In dr;au hut Justice
Ri'ima saws thar I'M accoup, is the only
one having the mer, of accuracy
.s'T'eN' story has fewer been published.
to'fny knowledge" said Mr RDume. and
.H'S North hearing Thomas buchanan
Read, the author. vas genius IL there
teyar was one, but. Ike many men "
ln,eHec.ual capaciEPoc. Tor instance
Sc 'Har a falling Read had ,h.rs;
I ,ho, !; seemed lniaosjble 10 lssuage.
aad his efforts To n So kcp; him tn a
chronic s'a,t u 'b,osaess.' lie was in
e.,., Vs., e" -, ,,,' w." ''.,y ,''' NV
/ '''' '''' ''' ''''"''l ''
can actor, who was plying an engage
men, a; Pixies Op.ri hous' Whea a
come 20 looking 'hgr'osh 'ae bottom Of
a glass. Murloca himself was ao ,,ouch,
ana IN, c'as'qaen.,S MAS ,hAt ,he .w'
wen. IA" l.mi, anI ,ysisl 90 drink up an
'he U0"'f III ''Mg-
They were ro'''Is up ns stree. arm
In arm n.s oue a:sFS.o'n and found Che
Sidewalk unc'mmYly marrow 'or Their
join; ocupn'y"Ha they came 'pp'-
Site the G'z';;, Ill In 'h' window
was exhibited .4-ISna'e-page prur' ~
sheridan on h.s " + from Wia'h'str-
Ia magnificent ln,sr4'i'n 'h'' H'rp'r.s
Weekly had pu9'iSei. Real ana Nur-
doch STOPPED agI looked a. H with
drunken sravsG
Ole ehi SEEa, h.c''nsoel Nur-
dgca Kan Lr-ts IN" Nh'''n. he Ia
boy fr me,
A's'~ snen -sIfi' r.. a5S.n'ed hr'a'
, Les9 ~ Z :4Inj'nk On ole Ph'L'
The TWO h''H SN1y"d back aad t''Th'
when an inSpir3.52n came go Murdoch.
y sisis Ncaf'sssyslH' 'Hr az suoJr'' tF
''otm' You TG' an TIL Trsh't'
1Ags
= W. >-:.anSws(Si Read It's 60
rhe EsIIsNAppei go ge' drlnk'
9nf1hen S%!% W's"'I's, place
much &C., %. 5y-sE Bohemian element
oF CINCINNATI Tr'nns' days. Read drop
.gsd into ~ h1fEknl began to write,
%p'e- MGEd'cT SRei approyng'y on.
In less than an h"ur Read had turned
out The poem that ,t;erwari became 80
famous. ara gaN<1; to Muriock. H'
toek an!-Ven' M 20 get couple "
hours Sleep beforr-he evening perform
adeS
That n.ga: Mhdoch reci'ei .Sh'ri-
dams ~ a, PE.'s Opera hous" and
carried Ma audience m heir Zee; with
enthusiasm 1. ~ "A, ,m' when 'he
war feeling was al rs height and you
can imFsin' .he ,'eae. The audI-a'"
cheered and chear.l in a p.riac. frenzy
ot~Ioyll,y 'M~7 Hay.l .he.r hats In
their del.rm, lni'women their hani- .
k"rchIefs There is:no .-'.ing how long
he damonsra,.or7ryouh have coa..n- .
dFd' Dutsst-r-7r MI ls,"l f'r az least .
ten mInu@S the @ches ra struck up
The Star %rlhgI@a Banner The au-
iieAee S1n9--st fr~N beginning 70 enl
and i seemed. 20 b-lusi The thing 10 re-
eve thef'-feehngs' from the energy
.heyPut in:o'it Al"r that they ie, the
performance Continue
-And has the Thy 'Sh"fidin's RIDE
ana % b. writes continued Justice
3lume. ITS concegiIon was The I'spIr-
alton Of a dLunken, ,man, It was written
~ q drunken gen11I, but 1t VIII live as
ong as the American i'g waves
whitelsw Reid IN his book, ohio In
he War however, gives an altogether
llfferent version of'the circumstances
mdeT Which Read fwrote his famous
'oenE NJ Reid says:
The -Asblest of the poems thus In
plPSd, ihffIdf he bblest lyric OF the
yaSS-sas' Especial interest here, both
" reason u It's competition with Shrrl-
Ian,,and beSause Of ~ Ohio authorship
dr. Murdoch the tragedIan had devot-
d himself during the early years Of our
trugRfe With a noble and self-sacrhclng
,atriotism, II the task Of raising money
or the sanitary commission, and.all oth-
r benevolent projects Intended for the
eneft N our boys'lk blue. He had de-
yered lectures and fecltations all over
he country, the proceeds going 20 the
b1ects we have named; and at length