The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-08
IRILEY'S CHECKER POEM
STORY TOLD BY An OLD-TIME
FRIEND OF THE INDIANA POET.
w. j. EtheII's "Reminiscences Of q
Night In an indianapolis Hotel
Over Twenty Years Ago.
star correspondence OF the journal.

STAFF Correspondence OF the Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. although one of
the most popular lecturers in the country,
James Whitcomb Riley once spoke TO an
audience of one man. This solitary auditor
was w. ]. Ethel, of Washington. who
formerly lived in Indiana. and at one time
was the poets partner In the sign-writing
business. Mr.. Ethel has fund of good
stories about Riley, but the one he is
fondest of telling is how Riley used him
once for an audience AS with "Old Sport"
a character in "Hoyt's Rag Baby" 1t was a
case of trying it on the dog.
I'm 1850 l lived in Leadville Co.." said
Mr. Ethell the other morning land that
year 1 happened to be going home to In
diana on visit. i stopped in Indianapolis
over night. went to the theater and there
met Riley He came in and sat down in
front of me. OF course we were glad TO
see each other and had quite chat. After
the theater closed we went to the Occi-
dental Hotel. where 1 ordered fire in my
room and We prepared to spend the re-
mainder of the evening. 1 asked Riley to
tell me what he had been doing in the way
OF writing and lecturing. / lighted my
cigar and lay down on the bed, while Riley
er's stand, proceeded to recite everything
he had written in the two previous years
and everything he had recited in public.
Things he had written, but had not pub
lished yet he gave me, and L have often
thought what treat that would have
been for some great audience. One of the
things he recited was The Champion
Checker Player of America This is a
poem he had written to recite, but unfor-
tunately 1t had not been popular with the
public in cities because they couldn't appre-
ciate the story. He gave it to me, and
having lived in q village, it made a hit
with me- L think ii is one of the best
things Riley ever recited The man who has
lived in the country town can appreciate
the poem best. When Riley and myself
were boys, checkers used to be a great
game and wherever you found a shoe-cob-
blerS shop in the village there you found
checker board and a lot OF fellows that
were crack players Riley poem told about
young lawyer from the city who, while
waiting for a train in a village, strayed into
cobblers shop and found checker board.
He was something of a player himself and
proceeded to beat all the boys loafing
around the shop. After the last one had
been defeated they sent out for the
champion checker player who came and
sat down to the board with the young law
yer. AS the story goes the champion
checker player was one of those fellows
VINO whistle When tney play. InlS one mad
some dOleful air and he would whistle
several bars of it before he made a move.
Finally between his doleful whistling and
his vexatious elaboration he managed to
wear the young lawyer out and was de-
clared the winner.
Riley had this down pretty fine," con-
| tinued Mr.. Ethell land he gave me an
imitation of this whistling player. Resting
one foot on a chair he played with an i'm
aginary checker board on the table. He
would whistle awhile and then recite the
lines and now and then he would make a
move. / have never been able to under
stand why that poem did not make a hit
unless ii Is because Riley recited il in
cities where the audiences were not familiar
with the village customs of amusement
Altogether Ii was most delightful evening
rather night, for did not get to bed I'M
! I'll something like o'clock in the morning.
G. A. G..