Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-19
MRS. MAVERICK SANG IT.
''The Holy City" Composed by Her Husbands Brother. Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
 Hear the angels sing: Hosanna in the highest.

| l Hosanna in the highest,
 Hosanna to the King.
 It is not difficult to imagine Mrs. Florence Maybrick, once sentenced to death for the murder of her husband and now released, after spending many years in an English prison. I singing the refrain of Stephen Ad- ams's popular sacred song, s"The Holy City" But it is not generally known that hers was the voice which l first gave utterance to the strains which were destined to become as world famous as those of Sir Arthur 1 Sullivan's ''The Lost Chord" or 'sThe Palms." by Faure.
 l The song was the work of the l younger brother of the man Mrs. l Maybrick was convicted of poison. l ing. It's composer was her most re lentless enemy and was mainly in- strumental in securing her convic- ton.
 Few English composers have more 1 successful songs to their credit than | Stephen Adams. Few have made such a fortune out of royalties as be- It has been stated that Nancy Lee'' alone netted him quarter of a mill lion dollars. His Warrior Bold,' l s'Midshipmite'' and "Blue Alsatian Mountains were scarcely less sue cessful.
 He is now extremely wealthy, q 1 justice of the peace and member of l the Victoria Yacht club, and he has 1 served two terms as mayor of Ryde, Isle of Wight, in which capacity he has frequently entertained the king of England.
 Stephen Adams is merely the name under which Michael Maybrick publishes his songs. MT Maybrick began his musical career as bari tone singer at local concerts around Liverpool. He is the son of we'll to-do shipping agent of Liverpool.
 He and his brother were widely dissimilar in tastes, character and physique. The elder was a weakling, feeble of mind and body, hypo- chondriac, addicted to the use of drugs and with a mind fixed upon commercial enterprises.
 The younger, Michael, was a mag l nificent specimen of humanity, tall, broad and athletic. Of artistic tenn perament, he quit the counting house and studied music in Milan and Liep- sic. The elder remained at home, all l ways ailing always scheming to se- cure more wealth.
 The brothers had only one trait in common. They were both enthusias- tic yachtsmen.
 Mrs Maybrick was a good musi- elan, had a great liking for music, an excellent voice and a love of conyiv- l iality Thus she drew together to some extent the brothers who had drifted apart.
 Her husband owned a fine yacht, a feature of which was a music saloon. There many well known singers and musicians were entertained. Michael Maybrick, who had just Ieaped into fame as the composer of Nancy Lee" but as yet had not gathered in enough of the profits to indulge his passion for owning a yacht, was q frequent guest.
 It was one of these musical even ings, while the yacht was anchored in the Mersey that Michael May brick produced from his pocket a manuscript song which he said ne had written that afternoon, while dreaming the time away in his cabin and listening to the rlash of the wa ters. He had caught the inspiration of Weatherly's words, but the voice part only had been jotted down. The accompaniment had still to be filled in.
 Sitting at the piano he vamped an introduction and asked his sister-in- law, Mrs Florence Maybrick, to sing 'sThe Holy City" from the voice part She was an excellent reader and readily did this, he filling in an ex- temporized accompaniment
 Thus it was her voice which, for the first time, stirred the air with strains destined to become almost classic.
 It was some years after the trial of Mrs Maybrick, and while she was shut off from the world, buried within prison walls, that s'The Holy City, was published and became popular. Publishers t0 whom 1t was submitted shook their heads and declared it too sombre in character and tone.
 Bring us another Nancy Lee,'" they said, land name your own price. Another waltz song with the swing of The Blue Alsatian Mountains would be a sure winner. This is very fine, but it isn't in the Stephen Adams style, and the public would not stand for it.''
 How erroneous was the judgment of those gentlemen has been proved by the popularity or the song. BeTore a year had passed they were clamor- ing for more of a similar character. s"The Star of Bethlehem" '"The Val ley of the Sea" and Children of the City" followed, but none of them equaled the success attained by the song which was first sung by Mrs Maybrick, whose tragic history has at last been brought to peaceful conclusion, and who may with special meaning hereafter sing:
 HnSanna in Ithn hi0hnSf