Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-17

Memphis convinces him that Emmett sans
Dixie in the south before he produced 1t ir
New York City.
Prof. Herman Arneld, the eminent must.
clan, formerly of Montgomery, Ala, who IS
still living in Memphis states that Emmett
came to Montgomery with a minstrel com,
pany in January, 1859, and played and
sang Dixie. The professor asserts III he
became so taken with the melody that he
requested a copy of the music. Emmett
told him that none had been made and
Arnold was forced to transcribe as the
author played the air upon his violin.
Prof. Arnold has the original score in
brass and proposes to present it to the
Tennessee Historical society. Prof. Arnold
further states that after he had played
the melody of Dixie on public occasions for
more than a year before the words to the
songs made their appearance in Mont
gomery and that the song was sung there
before the war. Several persons living
verify the statements of the professor.
1t is a fact that Alabama soldiers sang
Dxi as a marching chorus long before
the beginning of hostilities in the civil war.
Based on facts Cleaned from authentic
sources Mr.. Field is of the opinion that
Dixie was suns in Eufalia, Mobile, Mont
gomery, Selma and possibly Nashville be-
fore it was produced in New York. Emmett
was travelling and visited the cities above
mentioned during January 1853, nearly one
year previous to the introduction Of the
song in Bryant's Minstrels in New York
City.
Emmett's right to the honor of the au-
thorship of Dixie is so firmly established
thot AZ gaarng aIu,ngt a,,n--RI-.,,z 81 All.
late date to contradict silly statements
born of ignorance. A lady writer in a
cheap magazine has revived the oft de-
MED statement that VIII S. Hays was the
true author of Dixie.
At a banquet rendered Emmett in Louis
Vile, KY, in 1896, Mr.. Hays was a guest
and there made a statement denying all
responsibility for the claim. In his state
ment, which is not a record of memory,
but one of black and white, the newspapers
having published it at the time, he told
of the manner in which the mistake occur
red. A lady friend, a teacher in a female
seminary, desired to use Dixie in an en-
t~ertainment, but the poetry of Emmett
Jared upon her aesthetic nature and she
requested Hays, who was a prolific song
writer, to prepare other verses, which he
did. These lines found their way into
print credited TO him and in this way the
statement gained credence that he was
the author of Dixie.
Daniel Decatur Emmett was born near
Mt. Vernon, Knox county. Ohio. He left
home in early manhoo n spent the
greater portion of his life between the
ages of 20 and 40 in the south, visiting
New York for a few weeks each summer.
He did not visit his home for many years
until the death of his parents and the &C
QUESTION of the little homestead recalled
him for a short time. He lived in Chicago
for many years, and, when too old to fol-
low his profession, he returned to his home
and lived alone. Near the end OF his life
he was reconciled to his second wife, from
whom he had been separated, and she cared
for him until his death in 1904. He is buried
in the Episcopal church yard at Mr.. Yer
non, o., beside the body OF his first wife.
ALLYN G. FLEMING.