The Washington herald., 1911-03-26

For number of years there was con-
siderable controversy as to who wrote
the poem, What My Lover Said" and
1t was either printed anonymously or ac-
companied by the initials n. G. These
initials led many people to suppose that
the poem was written by Horace Greeley
and quite few papers, including the
New York Evening Post. printed Mr..
Greeley's name attached to the verses.
After a number of years of controversy,
during which Mr.. Homer Green entered
his claim to authorship, he finally made
the announcement in the New York Sun
that he would deed away his beautiful
and picturesque Highlard Cottage pro-
perty at Honesdale. Pa, to any one who
can show a prior and more perfect claim
than mine" Mr.. Greene eventually won
out and is now recognized as the writer
of this. one of the most beautiful poems
OF its character in our language.
There were three especial aspirants to
the distinction of having composed these
verses, and despite the fact that Mr..
Greene gave every proof necessary of his
authorship, in the issue of New York
paper, after all doubt was removed, ap-
peared a letter from Mrs. B. c. Jones, of
Abbeville. Vermillion Parish, La. in
which she averred that about twenty
five years before the writing of her COM
"
Lover Said" anonymously to the New
York Evening Post. Since that publica-
tio1, she said, she had seen the poem
printed numbers of times and occasionally
attributed to Horace Greeley. She con-
fessed that, OF course, she felt very much
fiattered by this implied appreciation of
the public, but added that, as the real
author had all this time remained un-
known to fame, she thought 1t but fair
fI,.A
dered ito whom honor was due by re-
publishing the poem under her signature.
This claim of Mrs. Jones startled a
class of readers who had long learned
to regard the poem as that of Homer
Greene, and the query at once rose, why,
IL Mrs. Jones be indeed the rightful
author, should she have been content to
blush unseen for so many years, while
Horace Greeley was wearing the laurels
that should have been adorning her brow?
And it was suggested that she must have
indeed II she had heard no rumor of
the poems being claimed by still another
than the editor of the Tribune.
N The cudgels thrown down by Mrs Jones
were taken UP Immediately and welded
most vigorously by his friends on behalf
Of Mr.. Greene; but before his plea to be
considered the author had been duly ex-
amlneQ there came forth a protest from
Mr.. Graffins. of Pennsylvania, who de-
clared that the poem was really indgen-
GUS neither to Abbeville nor to Homes
dale. but to Pittsburg. having been writ
ten by the late Richard Realf while he
was city editor of the Pittsburg CONNER
cial. and that it was originally printed
under the title of My Lover and l."
Unfortunately for Realf, this story
seemed to meet with scanty acceptance
and he, poor fellow. after many yicissi-
tudes having terminated his career some
years since with an overdose of morphine,
could not lift his voice in his own de-
Tense. A careful examination, however,
Of all the possibilities In his favor re-
suited in little more than a probable con-
fusion on Mr.. Graffins part of the poem.
What My Lover Said,'' with a similar
piece of verse. entitled Sunshine and L."
the latter of which was undoubtedly from
Realf's pen.
Attention then turned to Mr.. Greene
and expectation has not been disap-
pointed. II appears from the evidence of
the Rev. Mr.. Morris, of Port Jervis, Pa. =,
that the poem In question was published
some years ago in a slightly different
form (some trifiing changes of punctua-
tion) in the Boston Pilot over the initials
HI G." The following week, however,
the mistake was discovered and recti-