Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-09-07

~ ttrIfIHtItfi UirttU nearer ana res
doubled It's fIiH ina th& little for,
pfavely answered back gun for gun,
Prisoners. for Three Days.
For three days Key and his COM
panionF were held prisoners and
watched with the greatest concern
the landinr Of thousands OF soldiers
and marines Al North Point. prepar-
atQry 70 The. attack on the fort.
I Through the long hours OF Septem-
Der 10 Key. aroused to the highest
nervous excitement, paced the deck.
watching the battle with strained
eyes and a heart that thrilled and
Ieaped and sank with every thunder
|of gun and flash OF shell. The day
WIS calm and still. with no wind to
lift the flag that drooped around the
staff over Ff McHenry. At eventide
IN hreeze unfuried its folds, and as II
|fIoafed out shell struck IL and tore
|ouf one OF It's fifteen stars.
Night fell and Keys exhausted
companions went below to seek rest
lin such unquiet slumbers as might
visit Them. but there was no sleep
in the heart OF the poet. Not until
the mighty question which filled the
night sky with thunder and flame
and surRed through his own soul
found its answer In the court OF eter-
nal destiny could rest come to thc
man who watched through the long
hours Of darkness. waiting for dawn
To bring triumph or despair.
Flag Was StiII There.
Then the darkness passed away.
and by the dawn's early lisht' the
anxious Key strained his eyes toward
a.. frxf ia "a. ~ ttlA. fluu xx.u xfIIi
there" II was lhere' II was there
Thank God, II was still there. AT the
same time the British fleet withdrew
and Baltimore was saved.
In the first thrill OF JOY and tri-
umph Of the anxious watcher our ma
jestic anthem was formed. Key took
from his pocket an old letter and on
one OF the blank pages penciled the
opening lines OF the song. In the
boat which took him back to Balti-
more he finished the poem. and in
his hotel made copy for the press.
The next day the lines We're put
into type by Samuel Sands. an APP
prentice In The office of the Balti-
more American. who had been desert
ed in the general rush 10 see the bat
tie as being too young to be trusted
at the front. That evening II was
sung to the tune 81 then popular
melody. "Anacreon In Heaven" at
the Holiday Street theater. Balti-
more.
Air Becomes Popular.
The next day the air was heard
upon every street OF Baltimore and
from every boy who had been gifted
with voice or whistle, and The
Star-spangled Banner was soon
waving unsteady over the domain as
vIctoriously as II had floated from
the famparts OF Fort McHenry.
shortly thereafter II had reached
New Orleans. whore II was played By
q United States military band.
Key died In 1S4S. while visiting his
daughter In Baltimore. His grave Is
in Olivet cemetery In the old. hiss
toric city Of Frederick, Md Over II
stands marble column supporting a
statue of Key, his poets face illumi-
mated by the art Of the sculptor. his
arms outstretched, his left hand
bearing scroll inscribed with the
lines Of "The Star spaneled Banner"
while on the pedestal sits Liberty
holding the flag for which those inn
mortal lines were written. A large
national flag. which is never taken
down except to replace II with new
one. is kept floating over the grave.