Omaha daily bee., 1915-05-24
GENIUS OF THE POEM
AT LAST UNVEILED!
II Was James Barton Adams Who
Wrote the Metrical Gem
Called Nebraska"
CARL E. HERRING ExoEERATED
BuLLETIN.

BULLETIN.
ROME. (vts Paris, May 23,
1920 4. M.-General mobilization
will begin Sunday. The ministers of
war and marine have proclaimed a
state OF war in the Italian provinces
bordering on Austria, in the islands
and cities along the Adriatic coast
rs well as all the fortresses, which
will be declared in state OF de-
Tense.
(The above dispatch confirms the
That fascinating serial story,
1.-THE Mystery of a Poem or Who is
the Plagiarism" in which the last
published chapter was the repudia-
ton by Attorney Carl Z. Herring Of
the authorship of a piece of poetry
entitled Nebraska" printed over
his name in the April number OF the
National Monthly Magazine, is now
ready for its conclusion.
Its mighty good poetry, whoever
wrote It," was the unanimous verdict
Of all who read the piece, and it
sounded so well that The Bee gave It
wider publicity by reproducing with
due credit TO its inspiring genius.
But, 10 and beholdl in the very
next mail came a vigorous dis
claimer, which, there being no other
Carl q. Herring known to literary
fame, amounted to a charge Of either
plagiarism or forgery. Worse than
that. the editor of the National
Monthly became the target at once
for an indignant fusillade from vari-
Gus readers, one in Wisconsin de-
claring that the masterpiece in ques-
ton was originally written with the
word wisconsin wherever the
word Nebraska" appeared. and
should have been so printed with
credit to a wisconsin poet.
This letter or challenge to Editor
Chapple reads as follows
| LANCASTER, wis, April 15.-Editor
National Magazine, Boston, Mass. Dear
Sir: In the April number of the National
Magazine, ON page 104. a poem is pub
lished as an original poem under the
title Nebraska" and over the name OF
Carl e. Herring. That poem, using the
name wisconsin" instead OF NE
braska,'' and a few other minor changes
was written by Colonel e. d. Townsend
of Shullsburg. Wis, when he was %
years old. and read by him at a home
coming at Darlington. Wis. In 1908, and
was published in the local papers.
"As proof of this / am sending you the
poem clipped from The Teller" pub
iIshed at Lancaster. wis. This is a most
fragrant case OF literary piracy Such
lcontemptible and despicabie acts cannot
be too strongly condemned by publishers
and other fair minded people. Knowing
the facts. I deemed 1t my duty to adj
wise you Of this. that you show up the
alleged poet as he deserves 10 be.
]. A. WALSH"
Real Writer Found.
with such stimulus the search for the
real author. and for the perpetrator OF
the hoax. II wishing II on Mr.. Herring
could be called hoax. has been stead
tasty pursued with the result that souns
of the questions may be now answered.
Who wrote the poem. ''Nebraska7'
The late James Barton Adams wrote It.
When and where was It first pub
published9
In the Denver Post In the year 1880.
How did Carl e. Herring's name be
come mixed up with it2
He once recited It at a banquet In Balti-
more.
How came IT to be printed in Bos
ton publication over his Nance
II was presumably sent in by an ad-
hiring friend in Wisconsin, who limo
Gently assumed that Mr.. Herring was th'
author.
Here lot It be stated also that the poem