Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-21
MANY NAMES
OF ]. ". RILEY
Noted Hoosier Poet Used Sew
seeral Pseudonyns in EARLY
IS .ar Part of Career.

= QAtA - W d1keEf
zKre you familiar with the verse OF
BENJAMIN +. Johnson OF Boone?
No2 That's strange.
r1rdyrn, and Jay Whit, and John c.
Walker, and Benjamin F. johnson or
Boone. even Jamesy O'Reilly, and J.
W Riley, and James W. Riley-all
of them are James Whitcomb Riley
ar" ono stage or another of his re-
mar kable literary career, says the
st. Paul Pioneer Press.
This disclosure was made only very
recently and was the result OF the
search which has been instituted in
an effort to find the lost poems" of
the great Hoosier that the first COM
plete edition Of his works in both
prose and poetry might be published.
THE Investigation has led the COM
pliers of the work into almost every
State in. the Union, but now they be-
lisve that they have unearthed all
of the famous poets compositions
stillzsin existence.
when the investigation was begun
an that the compilers had to go on
was some information which tended
foB show that Riley had begun to
wrftgefor publication about 1870. and
that his first poems appeared pub
1icly in the old Greenfield Qnd) Com
naercial, Search as they would, now
ever. the editors and eompilers could
find no trace of any verse which bore
the name of James Whltcomb Riley.
TTiie enough, there were poems
there signed with the romantic and
classical "Edyrn," but James Whit
comb Riley-the only mention OF that
name was given in the news notes!
And then it was the day of pseudo
nyrns. Samuel L. Clemens was Mark
TxvaIYf::s Eugene Ware had chosen to
he. known as Iron Quill" Robert j.
Fs1lrfiertt was called the "Hawkeye
Mani" Edgar Wilson Nye was tamil-
iarIv known as ''Bll." The real man
of-letters just had to have nom de
pfiine+that was all there was to 1t.
a stroke of good fortune IN 1913
brought Riley commissions TO write
for three Indiana newspapers, tne
Tndianapolis Herald, the Kokomo
Tuiaulle and the indianapolis jour
raTa FINDING himself fairly over
Wheluned with work. Riley had no
time to go searching for pen names
so. in the case of the Journal be con-
tinued to use the name of j. W.
Rihvs. until he should happen to
strliee something better; used the
name of John c. Walker in the ko-
komo Tribune, for be CHANGED to
know a man by that name who pro-
tossed to be a poet and was the per-
petrator of a vast amount of dog
gerel8zhich had been printed in the
Greenfield papers; and he simply
headed his column of poetry in the
Herald "Poetical Gymnastics" and
let it go at that without signing 1t
at all
In going through the files of an old
Indiana polls Journal the editors OF
the poets complete works found that
10 the year 1881 he changed his sig
nature to James w. Riley" and
poems written under this name were
found at frequent intervals in the
files Of that paper.
Also one poem, 1.-The Ripest Peach"
which appeared in the Journal under
tiate~of April H. 1881, bore the name
James Whitcomb Riley. 1t was the
first, according to Mr.. Riley, which
he signed with his full name He
had done so merely as an expert
ment.
.oInaass2 the poet submitted his re-
fnarkabfe collection called 1.-THE Old
6wimmin' Hole and 'Leven More
Poems" These appeared for the first
time, in the Indianapolis Journal and
constitute as fine a single collection
of his works as he ever wrote. These
poems were signed Benjamin F.
ii y
farmer, and Boone" the county from
which he hailed. Recently the edi-
tors of the biographical edition came
across, 2, prose sketch by Riley which
hafigsRiIs hidden for years among his
papers, in which he tells of his i'm
ae5na ry-. m Getting with the old farmer
poet as came to the office of the
Journal with his bundle of poetry
Under HIS arm. This sketch has never
beea- printed and will appear for the
Hfstatfrhe in the new edition of the
poets works.
According to Mr.. Riley, he had
never used his full name until after
the eOld Swimmin' Hole period sim
ply Because he had never thought of
doing so. But when he saw his full
TsFne- IN print he was similarly i'm
pressed as When he first happened
pibon "Edryn'-it was good name
to say, it had good ring TO it,
Today the name of James Whit
comb Riley is known from coast to
coast and from the Mackenzie to the
Care England has honored it. The
continent of Europe has recognized
it, It.has come to stand for certain
homely philosophy and love OF the
simple and humble things.
Hence Riley submitted his first
poems to the old Greenfield CONNER
cfal ttnder the pen name of "Edyrn."
"The Same Old Story" the first Of
his poems ever printed, bore that
nanie It lately was recovered from
the files of the old Greenfield publ
eatien, and viii be printed for the
flrse- time in book form in the COM
6lets7 works. "A Backward Look
one Of his well-kuown verses, also
was among the poems of the 'Edyrn"
days.
In 1872 the poet dispensed with
fEdyrFhy substituting the signature,
''Jay. Whit" Naturally and justif-
Joy proud of his success, the young
poet desired to become a bit closer
identified with his work Yet, he still
feared the criticism of his Greenfield
acqua.ntances, and did not want his
authorship 70 become too apparent.
Hisasecond pen name gave clew to
the identity of the poet, but it did not
reveal it completely. Many of the so
called Jay Whit poems were sent to
the poets brother, John Riley, who
had taken up residence in Indianap-
oils. and who secured their publica-
ton in the Indianapolis Journal, the
INDIANAPOLIS Mirror and the IndianaO-
oils. Herald. al of which have long
siIsos suspended publication. Some of
the" ~51y Whit poems were con-
ibuted to columns of the old Dan
bury, Conn. News, whose reputation
.ig-.A- humorous paper flourished at
shat time. Among the poems written
during this period which are best
known today are "A Ballad" and
eTran-s-Devotion," a delightfully."- hu-
norous composition on the love affair
OF a widower and a widow each of
whom was anxious to keep all knowl-
e.lge Of former marriage from the
0t5er.
l1eor-gtl