Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-01
WROTE KNOCKING BIRD."
Septimus Winner Dead--He Made Lit.
 tie Money Out of 1t, but the s13f Publisher Much.

Septimus Winner, the author of "Listen to the Mocking Bird" died re- gently in Philadelphia, says the New York Tribune. He wrote Listen to the Mocking Bird'' in 1852, and sold 1t for S5. The man who bought this song from him is reputed to have made s. 100000 out of 1t.
 Listen to the Mocking Bird" is said by some experts to be the most popu- has ever appeared in America. A conservative estimate of its aggregate sale in the fifty years of it's life, as made by these experts would be: In America, 14.5O0,000 copies copies; in Great Britain, 3,275,O0O; in Europe, 2,25,0O0. Total 20,000,O0O. Mir Winner was 75 years old when he died. He was 20 years old when he wrote the words and music of Listen to the Mocking Bird" How he came to compose the song his wife told recently, in voice that quivered q little. ..,
 "In 1852, said Mrs Winner, i've had music store down near the Dela- ware river, i'll Philadelphia. A young colored man of the name of Richard Milburn used to clean up for us occas- ionally, and this young man was called 'Whistling Dick on account of his powerful and sweet whistle. MT Winner liked Dick. liked to hear him whistle and liked to hear I him sing. If you only had song that you could sing and whistle both,' he would say, that would be q fine combination And Dick would agree that it would. and he would ask MT Winner why he didn't fix up such song as that for! him Well, Dick I | will my husband said one afternoon. and he wrote the words and music of Listen to the Mocking Bird that even l ing-wrote them in about three hours. and showed them to me before he ! went to bed"
 These were the words of the song as Mir Winner wrote them that night: I'm dreaming now of Hally,
 Sweet Hally, sweet Hally, I'm dreaming now of Hally, For the thought of her is one that never dies.
 She's sleeping in the valley,
 The valley, the valley, And the mocking bird is singing
 where she lies. Listen to the mocking bird,
 Listen to the mocking bird, The mocking bird still singing OCT her
 grave,
 Listen to the mocking bird, Listen to the mocking bird, Still singing where the weeping will
 lows wave.
 An, we'll yet remember Remember, remember, arH An, yet we'll remember.
 When we gathered in the cotton side by side;
 Twas in the mild September, September. September. Twas in the mild September, And the mocking bird was singing far and wide. a~ Listen to the mocking bird, etc. The next morning Mr Winner ran over Listen to the Mocking Bisd' with 'Whistling Dick and the latter had l soon learned both the melody and the words. And thereafter Dick was al- ways singing and whistling his new song and before a week had gone by 1t seemed as If all Philadelphia had learned the song from him. for, wher- ever you turned, the strains of Listen to the Mocking Bird fell on the ear" Mir Winner was a music teacher and he also had shop where he sold mu- sic and musical instruments. He wrote songs with great facility. When
 
 down and compose song in an hour or two, never asking more than $5 or $1O apiece for his compositions. He published his songs nearly always under an assumed name He would become confused when they were spoken of.
 He left behind him two pieces that had great popularity-'Listen to the Mocking Bird and one as familiar to the world as the Mother Goose rhymes Ten Little Injuns." 'Ten Little Injuns" was written in l 1864. Mrs Winner said of 1t: T was in the sitting room with the children. and Mir Winner was In the parlor, drumming on the piano softly. 1 1t was 9 o'clock in the evening, and he had been away from us about two hours. Suddenly. We heard loud laugh, and he came in with a page of manuscript in his hand, and read the Ten Little Injuns' that he had l just composed aloud to us. He chuck l led as he read over the foolishness of the words"
 The words were: t5ss
 Ten little Injuns going out to die; 1 One choked his little self, and then
 there were nine. ! Nine little lnJunS, crying at his rate: l One cried himself away, and then
 there were eight.
 Eight little Injuns slept until eleven; One overslept himself, and then there S were seven.
 Seven little Injuns, cutting up sticks: One chopped himself In half and then there were six.
 Six little Injuns, playing with hive;
 The humble bees killed one, and then
 there were five.
 Five little Injuns, going in for law:
 One got In Chancery, and then there 1 were four.
 Four little Injuns, going out to sea.
 A red herring swallowed one, and 1 then there were three. Three little Injuns, walking in the Zoo: A big bear cuddled one, and then there I VA were two. l Two little Injuns, sitting in the sun:
 One got frizzled up, and then there | was one. | nn1 rl4Arc, 4rx,4,., rs,,oIY ,,t