Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-04-18
MARY AND HER LAMB
She Took II to School in Massaehu.
setts Ninety-Eisht Years Ago.

ton whether there was ever a MARY"
who "had little lamb" as the widely
known nursery poem recites, Mrs. L..
w. Owens of Pueblo, Colo. travelled
to Massachusetts, distance Of more
than 1000 miles-to make thor
ough investigation. '.-.. .. .-..
She has done It. She has found
that there was a real MARY" and
that she had a real lamb. The lamb
went to school, too one day, as the
famous verses. assert. The young
poet, John Roulstone, who immortal
lied Mary and the lamb. took some
poetic liberties with the facts, Mrs.
Owens found. but the poem Is correct
in the main points. Here are the
verses as they were written and hand
ed to Mary, the owner Of the lamb:
Mary had little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow; r
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
To see the lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned 1t out,
But it fingered near. ..-... ...
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
What makes the lamb love Mary
SOP"
The eager children cried.
why Mary loves the lamb, you
know.
The teacher then replied. So
The Mary" of the poem was Mary
Sawyer, and later Mary Sawyer Tay-
lor. She lived at Sterling, Mass, and
when she was years old, sS years
ago, she owned the lamb.
Mary's lamb was a pet. She kept
its fleece nice and clean, and some
times tied a ribbon about its neck.
One day she took the lamb to school.
When she went to the platform to
recite the lamb clattered after her.
That made a laugh.
Mary then took the lamb outside
and fastened 1t to a shed. She took
the lamb home at the noon recess.
John Roulstone, who was studying
for the ministry with Rev. Samuel
Chapen, of Sterling, was on a visit to
he rode up to the school and handed
Mary the poem.
Mrs. Owens, who Is president Of the
Loyal Boys Club Of the West, made
the trip from her distant home for
the sole purpose Of delving into the
past and getting the truth about the
lamb episode. Mrs. Owens will write
book on the life and death Of Mary
and her lamb. In a talk about her
investigations Mrs. Owens said:
IT came from Colorado purposely
to learn If 1t were true that there ex-
listed a Mary and 8. little lamb, who
beyond question.
| Years and years ago in the town
Of Sterling, near Worcester, lived
Mary Sawyer, who later became Mrs.
Taylor, and, like her lamb, which was
celebrated in verse by a clever young
Harvard man of the times, John
Roulstone She also became noted.
| Mary Sawyer, at the time she
came into possession Of the lamb, was
s years old. That was in 1914. The
lamb, I find, after interviewing old
residents Of Sterling, was born about
March l Of that year, and, therefore,
was spring idInp. 1He Ittie liliHS
lived until the net November, when
II met an untimely and tragic death.
II find that on Thanksgiving morn
ing Mary was playing in the barnyard
at her home. The lamb, which had
before this become very fond of her
and had created the incident Of the
school, was following her about, frol-
licking. Unfortunately for the lamb
and also much to the sorrow Of Mary,
the little thing got within range Of a
seized the opportunity to dispose Of 1t.
II have been led to believe that the
cow became Jealous Of the affection
which Mary showed for the lamb and
lseized the opportunity to dispose of
it.
"The incident which John Roul-
stone made famous by verse as re-
lated to me by Mary's old school
teacher, Rebekah Kimball, deviates In
some ways from the verse.
1T is true that the lamb on the
morning in question followed Mary
and brother Nat to school. They dis
covered it as they were crossing q
stone wall. and at the suggestion of Nat
the lamb was brough into the school,
house and hid in one Of the desks,
but it was discovered by the teacher
and the woolly little animal was re-
moved by Mary."--New York Ameri-
can.