The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-22
PLAYED FOR KINGS.
Aged Musician and Composer COmmit- ted to POOrhOuse at His own
 Request


 ted to POOrhOuse at His Own
 Request.
 Baltimore Special to N. Y. World.
 Leo Wheat in the poorhouse>
 Together with motley crowd. hope less specimens of humanity. the once noted musician and composer, associate of Sir Arthur Sullivan and Paderewski, scion of a Southern family, wat rattled off to Bayview-that last refuge of the homeless and friendless.
 Leo Wheat had been arrested the night before for assaulting a man bn liquor at the time. The musician was walking alone the street, a picturesque figure with his old gray felt hat pulled careLessly over his eyes, his clothes in disorder and a bright red carnation in his buttonhole. Taking offense at the way a passerby looked at him, the "Old Johnny Reb," as he calls himself, raised his cane and brought 1t down on the shoulders of the surprised citizen, and the old man was hauled to the station- house.
 Here Mir. Wheat explained that he had been to a concert and to the ex- hilaration of the music he had added that of liquor so that he did not know learned who his assailant was he re- fused to prosecute. Then the old mu- sician, broken in health and purse, ask dthe magistrate to commit him to
 
 plea and he sank wearily upon the wooden bench.
 Soon his dropping spirits revived and while waiting for the prison van the the old piano in the station house. Police Lieutenant Cole had been asked if the old man could harm the instru- ment and had laughingly replied that tS he couldn't SIs hurt 1t bd" f he played cover down with all the gentleness with which he might have treated the finest piano made. Slowly at first and with little animation he played the old airs. He livehed up considerably on Dixie 70 making the Away, away away down South in Dixie echo and re-echo through the station house. He talked of Fort McHenTV when he played '9rhe Star Spangled Banner" and he tried to sing when in some truant fancy his hands wandered into the strains of the Doxology. But when he struck his own Cradle" Song. which he told his hear CTS was the best thing he ever wrote, he began to interpolate remarks of his own in his playing.
 Now" he said, 'now she's putting the baby in the cradle. Sh! Quiet! Now she's singing to it--softly, slowly. Now she's rocking the cradle with her foot a little woman's foot. Now she's sew ing, sewing" The old musician took his hands from the keys for a minute and bent them as if using the needle.
 
 asked many question. and to one of them he replied: You ask me if ] have not played for royalty. Yes, for Albert Edward. I played twice, once in '55 and again in '66. I have played for Emperor Frederick of Germany and for the Emperor of Austria. Paderew- ski met in Poland. He was then a young man and requested me to give him what we call listing lessons.' Leo Wheat was born near Richmond and early manifested an unusual talent for music. He went to Europe and | studied there for two years, forming d close relationship with Sir Arthur Suili- van. On his return to America he was considered to be among the foremost pianists in this country. He has been organist in many large churches in both Northern and Southern cities, and has played as premier soloist in many a concert. He is a brother of Col. Rod eran Wheat. Of the noted Louisiana Tigers, and himself served in the Con. l fedeFate army on the stan of General Lee He ts a wtdoWor, but has several REeg7a nll dreEA sn. HlgRinlass