The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11

| Her love for me had Ned.
| She'd got married to a butcher
| The butchers hair was red
| And more than that the letter said
It's enough TO make me Swear!-
That Sally had a baby.
| And the baby had red hair.
Some versions of the song add another
stanza. which is written in such doggeral
and is SO uncalled for that most Pikers
! declare that it is by another hand than
| that which wrote the original ballad. 1t
| follows:
Now I've told you all can
About this sad affair
Bout Sally marrying a butcher.
That butcher with red hair;
| But whether twas boy or gal child
The letter never said:
IL only said that the baby'S hair
Was incliacd to be red.
| The authorship of the Joe Bowers ballad
| is shrouded in mystery. Many Plkers
have sought to pierce the veil, but with
slight success.
The Hon. Thomas j. c. Fagg, formerly
a Justice of the Supreme Court OF Missouri
and now, in his old age. postmaster OF the
city Of Louisiana, the metropolis OF Pike
county, while in California not long ago
met a man at San Francisco who professed
to have been well acquainted with the
| author of the song. This man said that
the author was one John Woodward, who
during the sos and for many years there
after was a member of a minstrel troupe
that played in the mining towns up and
down the god coast.
"Joe Bowers" was first sung in San Fran
cisco, where it made tremendous hit.
hoI IN,
California shortly after the discovery OF
gold in 40 Originally Pike county COM
prisad very large part Of northeast Mis-
souri, and became known as the state OF
Pike. Most Of the Missourians who joined
in the rush to the gold country were called
~Pikers" by their fellow miners
Whether there was a man named Joe
Bowers from Pike or elsewhere in Missouri
among the Argonauts is not matter OF
historical record. There are many persons
in the present county Of Pike who resent
Indignantly any expression Of doubt as
to the actual existence of Joe Bowers.
There are aged citizens who aver, with
emphatic assurance, that they knew Joe
Bow ,rs Sally Black and the red headed
butcher who so unfeelngly cut out the
toiling prospector. Some will even declare
that they knew the red headed baby, and
Piker poet has written ballad in which
the fortunes of Joe Bowers's brother Ike"
we're related. This ballad was first pub
lished in The Sun on March g. 1895.
Up in Salt River, north of Louisiana,
is a log cabin which sometimes is pointed
out as the early home Of Joe Bowers. Mid
yay between Louisiana and Bowling Green.
the county seat, where resides Congress-
man Champ Clark, the hack driver fire.
quenty slows up and points to rude tomb
stone over a mound beside the turnpike.
THAT'S the grave of Joe Bowers" says
the driver.
If perchance the passenger is sceptic
and denies that there ever was a Joe Bowers.
the driver plunges into loquacious proof
of the once material entity Of Bowers.
4Why, knowed his brother Ike myself"
this hack driver is likely to remark; but he
is unable to explain when and how and why
Joe Bowers, 4 character forever sacred to
all Pikers, happened to be buried in such a
lonely and neglected spot. He will merely
saw that that grave by the turnpike has
always been known as the resting placcOf
the defunct Bowers.
In the picturesque little city OF Louisiana,
nestled among the hills on the bank Of the
, Mississippi, there are various Joe Bowers
articles Of trade. jeweller advertises the
Joe Bowers souvenir spoon, with patent
applied for" on one side of his card and the
old song on the other. There is Joe Bowers
smoking tobacco Of local make, and the
Joe Bowers cigar is manufactured around
the corner.
In st. Joseph, Mo-, dwells commercial
traveller by the name Of Joseph M. Bauer.
For many years he has travelled through
northwest Missouri selling cigars and gro
ceries. Years ago fellow drummer who
Familiarity called him Joe Bauer conceived
Joke TO bs practised upon the merchants