The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-05-01

He passed securely DER:
And never wore a pair OF boots.
For thirty years or more.
Few people who have sung the
song "Old Crimes" during it's exist
ence OF close 10 a century, have en-
tertained the remotest idea that any
such character ever existed. They
have no doubt assumed that the
good old man" depicted in the song
was an imaginary parsonage in the
mind OF the author. But not alone
is this idea incorrect. but instead OF
there having actually been one "Old
Mr.. Grimes there seems 20 have
been three TO inspire this poem. and
the peculiar part OF Il IS that one Is
described as a Virginia save and
the other as New England Yankee,
and the third as a Massachusetts,
Village cut-up.' One was known
as William. another as Billy"
which may have been one and the
same person. with a little vagueness
thrown in regarding the race. and
the third Ephraim. Everything
considered. Mr. Kilbournes story as
related is no doubt the correct one.
Dwight L. KIl5Ourne. OF Itch
field. Conn. who recently published
history OF the bench and bar OF
his county, relates the following
story IN his book:
zone OF the characters connected
with our legal fraternity was Will
fam Grimes. universally known as
Old Grimes II is generally sup
posed that he was a mythical char
acter. but he was not He was
runaway slave who came 20 Itch
field, probably about 1905 and was
general servant 70 the students at
the law school He was born In
Virginia and was the body servant
Of a man by the name OF Crimes.
whose name, In after years. he
adopted BY the fortunes Of busI-
ness adversities his master was
obliged 10 dispose OF him and he
fell into the hands Of cruel mas
tiers. from whose barbarous treat
ment he ran away 70 the land o.
liberty. which at that time was
Litchheld.
Judge Reeve had acquired quite
a reputation for defending fugitive
slaves and Htchfield was thought
by them 10 be the home OF the free.
Grimes was thrifty and frugal and
acquired some property and land on
which he had q small barber shop.
Some Of the Southern students Of
the law school ascertained his
status and made matters unpleas-
ant for him by notifying his master
who took steps 10 recover him.
Crimes disposed OF his propertv
through his friends. DR. Abel Catlin
and William II. Thompson. who
took the proceeds 10 buy HIS free
dom. His last appearance on the
Litchield land records was August
6. 1924. In the latter years Of the
law school Grimes moved 20 New
Haven, where he acted in the same
capacity as he had at LItchfeld. 10
the students OF Yale College He
published in a little pamphlet a
sketch Of his life, containing a por-
trait. He died about 1850 in New
Haven.
Grimes great notoriety lies I'm
the well-known lines Old Grimes IS
dead the history OF which as given
to me by an old resident Of Itch
field and from other data which I
have secured Is as follows: Albert
G. Greene. OF Rhode Island. who
afterward became a distinguished
man. United States Senator. &C. was
a student Of the law school in 1912.
and was very fond OF making
rhymes about all manner OF things
and upon all occasions. and Grimes
importuned him to make some
poetry for him, the result being the
lines above referred to-"
That sounds like a very plausible
story. facts and figures being so
carefully given that they seem in
disputable But then we learn from
still another source, which has been
printed pretty generally, that "OId
Billy Grimes" as the hero Of the
rhyme was known in his day. was q
New England Yankee OF most pro-
nounced type, with all the lankv.
cadaverous spareness of build.
drawing nasal popularity OF
speech and shrewd business ca
pacity at trading that mark the
sons Of the Wooden Nutmeg State
from which he hailed. He was q
peddler OF Yankee notions. who
with pack-load of handkerchiefs
worsteds. and suspenders ("gal-
luses" he called them on his back
and couple Of big tin cases con-
tanning pins. needles. jackknives.
salves. and suuills in either hand
wandered about the country.
He came for the first time pere-
grinating through Franklin County
country about the year 1920. Rel
ishing the Canadian malt whisky
that sold at Fort Covington cheaply.
because 1t never paid duty, and an
preciating the advantage OF living
near the line. where a man with a
packload of goods might unwilling
" wander across into Canada al
most any dark night without paving
any import. he proceeded 10 hang
up his hat Ca furry, black stove-