The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-07-19
IRONQUILL, The
POET, is DEAD.
Pen Name Under Which the Late
{. F. Ware Wrote.
SAMPLES OF HIS RHYMING.

FIRST In United States to Publish Pun
on Dewey After Battle Of Manila.
Was Pension Commissioner Under
President Roosevelt.
It was under his pen name of Iron
Quill that the greatest fame came to
the late Eugene F. Ware, an ex-com-
missioner of pensions, who died re.
Gently. Under that name he published
'~rhe Washerwoman's Song" and
many other poems. 1t was not only as
a poet that he was known. He was
author of many books on law and also
translated and edited many ancient
legal books. His history of Iowa's
troops in the civil war is accepted as
authoritative.
Mr. Ware considered his poetry writ
ing as a pleasure, and although some
OF his books of verse went into several
editions he refused to accept the
profits on them, giving the proceeds to
some worthy cause.
Besides being poet, Mr.. Ware was
noted as a soldier, lawyer and polit-
ical leader.
Ware was born at Hartford, Conn.,,
in 1S41. While still a child his parents
moved to Burlington, Ia, where he
was educated in the public schools.
He enlisted for the civil war in Com
pany e, First Iowa volunteer infantry,
serving afterward in Company L,
Fourth Iowa volunteer infantry, and
Company f, Seventh Iowa cavalry,
finally becoming captain in the last
named organization. His re-enlist-
ments were for such periods as to
keep him in the army for five years
and three months.
His Career.
In the various Indian wars which
followed the close of the civil war Mr..
Ware served on the staff of General
r. B. Mitchell, General G. ]. stol-
brand, chief of artillery; under Gen
eral Thomas, General Washington NJ.
Elliott and General G. M. Dodge. In
these campaigns he saw much severe
service and was badly wounded.
After leaving the army he removed
to Fort Scott, Kan, where he was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1871. He was
elected to the Kansas state senate, of
which body he was a member for FIVE
years. He was twice a delegate to the
Republican national convention. He
removed to Topeka in 1898, entering
the law firm of Gleed, Ware & Gleed
and took part in much of the impor
tant litigation in the west. Mr., Ware
was a prominent railroad attorney,
having been associated with the at
torney general of Kansas in conduct
ing litigation involving irrigation ques-
tions between Kansas and Colorado in
the supreme court Of the United
States.
f, As Pension Commissioner.
President Roosevelt appointed Mr..
Ware commissioner Of pensions on
April II, 1902, to succeed H. Clay
Evans of Tennessee.
According to friends, when Mr..
Roosevelt offered Mr.. Ware the place
of pension commissioner Ware de-
clined, saying he did not like the work.
TO this Mr.. Roosevelt replied: "That
is just the reason / want you to take
it. The longer you hold the job the
less you'll like it,
The Kansan accepted the Office May
10, 1902, and it is said his resignation
was placed at the disposal of Mr..
Roosevelt May II, 1902, to be accepted
two years later.
Mr., Ware married at Rochester, in
1874, Jeanette p. Huntington. They
had three daughters and one son. He
was the author of many sketches,
pamphlets and legal essays, and under
the nom de plume Of Ironquill had
written many poems. Some opposition
was made to his confirmation as COM
missioner of pensions by persons who
took offense at alleged expressions of
agnosticism in his "The Washerwom-
ans Song" the first verse of which
follows:
In very humble cot
In a rather quiet spot
In the sudS and In the soap
Worked a woman full OF hope.
Working, singing all alone
In sort of undertone,
with a Saviour for a friend
He will keep me to the end"
Mr.. Ware is said to have been the
first man in the United States to pub
lish a pun on Admiral Dewey after
the battle of Manila. The verses fol
low:
Oh, Dewey was the morning
That Dewey first of May,
And Dewey was the admiral
Down in Manila bay.
And Dewey are the Regents orbs,
Those eyes OF heavenly blue,
And Dewey feel discouraged?
We Dew not think we Dew.
Sendai a Great Town.
Sendai, with 100000 Inhabitants, Il
regarded as the greatest town II
northern Japan. 1t is not only grea
In industry, rice. wheat and tea, bu