Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-15
We quote a portion

fer October, 1898 We quote portion
verbatim:
Not foreseeing the notoriety that
was destined to attach to these verses,
did not mark down in my diary (if I
kept one) the exact date when ! wrotel
them. The nearest l can come to it Is
to say that it was in February or
March of 1868. / was at that time a
resident of Delaware county Iowa. One
pleasant Saturday afternoon was rid
ing from the northwestern part Of the
county, by way of Forestville and Man.
chester, to my home at the then coun-
ty seat, Delhi. My (borrowed) horse
could go no faster than a walk, the
most Of the way, as the last of the win
ter's snow was thawing from the
ground, and the roads We're very mud
dy: so the journey Of about twenty
miles was not finished until after dark.
I was editor and proprietor Of
a weekly newspaper-the Delaware
County Journal-but the prospect was
that the mortgage I had given for the
purchase money Of the office would be
foreclosed In few months; it was
doubtful what sort Of a farmer would
make, and it was certain it would be
a long time before I could earn money
enough to buy farm, and my muscu-
warrant me success in saving wood.
In short was. as respects a purpose
In this life or theory of my destiny in
another, drift without chart or COM
pass upon boundless seat of uncer-
tainty. The fundamental
question as to whether there was any
such thing as a personal existence
hereafter was one upon which I was be-
slowing most serious consideration.
was yet half dozen miles from
home when nightfall overlook me. and
the stars began to shine out one after
another. The splendid constellation
Orion, the brightest visible in our
northern ATTITUDES, was just past his
meridian, riding in triumph down the
western sky. The subdued and tran
quill radiance Of the Heavenly host
relieved the sombreness Of my medta-
tons and impaired more serene and
hopeful tinge to nv thoughts and feel
ings. Just at this juncture the first
four lines Of the poem came to me in
their completeness. BY this
time it was between 8 and 10 o'clock:
l had reached home, and the duties of
practical every day life occupied my
attention to the exclusion Of all imagin-
alive or poetical IDEAS The next morn
ing l set myself about making some
more of the poem. But I labored-1
use the word advisedly-I labored at
a disadvantage. The exalted and i'm
aginative mood Of the evening before
had vanished. The inspiration"
though earnestly invoked, refused to
inspire. But in the course of the fore
noon l constructed. in a mechanical
sort of way, several more verses and
laid them aside for while to dry.
The poem finally completed, it was
sent to Arthur's Home Magazine of
Philadelphia, in which it originally
appeared in the issue of July, 1863
A week or two later Mr. McCreery
reprinted the verses IN his own Iowa
newspaper, giving credit to the Home
Magazine.
The story of how the poem came to
be attributed to Bulwer Lytton is even
more interesting. Mr. McCreery sent
clipping from the Delaware County
Journal to newspaper friend in
Dixon, ILL.,, who reprinted the verses
in his newspaper. One of the sub
scribers to the Dixon newspaper was
man, Eugene Bulmer, who was a
correspondent Of the Farmers Ad.
vocate, an agricultural paper then
published in Chicago. Writing an arti.
Gle on Immortality" he concluded
with McCreery's verses, borrowed
from the home newspaper. A Wis.
consin journal that exchanged with
the Farmers Advocate cut off the
poetry part of the article on "Immor-
tality" and printed it, with the name
attached "E. Bulmer," the first name
of the supposed author being abbre-
waited by the lazy compositor. Then
another Wisconsin paper printed it,
and either the editor or the COM
positor sagely suppposing he had dis
covered typographical error in the
name, changed the "m" to "w," and
the deed was done. "E. Bulwer" was
now of record as author of a poem
that the distinguished Lord Edward
seen nor heard Of.
Thereafter, for many years, until
the matter was finally Strengthened
out, Mr.. McCreery had the rather
doubtful pleasure of seeing his verses
praised as the work of another.
After being repeatedly accused Of
plagiarism, because he claimed and
uaed the verses, Mr.. .,lcCreery was
finally vindicateo. He dies the undis-
puted author Of the poem which has
been incorporated into dozens Of
school books and poetry anthologies
and been recited by hundreds of pub
lie speakers.
HERE Is BAIT "As is BAIT"