The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-04

SHENANDOAH, Aug. 4.-rhese
lines from the James Whitcomb Riley
poem, "That Old Sweetheart OF Mine, =
recall the courtship incident to the
writer Of the lovers tribute.
She "of the slender little hand" was
an Iowa woman who back In Indiana
as Kate Myers was the sweetheart of
the Hoosier poet, whose death has
saddened lovers of his great poems.
She was a member Of the faculty OF
the music department Of Western Nor
NAL school at Shenandoah and met a
tragic death, which caused Riley to
send a stanza to be placed on the bier
OF his childhood sweetheart. It reads:
One guides US through the watches of
the night
BY the endless intercession OF our
loved ones lost to sight.
He is with US through all trials, in
His mercy and His might
With our mothers there about Him,
all our sorrow disappears.
And the silence of our sobbing is the
prayer the Master hears,
And His hand Is laid upon us with the
tenderness of tears,
In the waning OF the watches Of the
night.
Her death was on Christmas day,
1890. A few weeks before in com
pany with Mrs. w. A. Crcan, wife OF
the president OF the college, she was
driving through the streets in car
rage behind q spirited team which
became frightened at the crack OF the
carriage. The coachman attempted to
Ia ny1f
Her Death.
Mrs. Croan succeeded in steppins
from the vehicle, but just as she at
tempted to get out the horses plung
| ed forward and threw her to the
ground. Two operations were per
formed in an effort to save her life
but she died on Christmas day.
It was then Riley sent her husband
Prof. w. J. Kinsley (as she did not re-
main Kate Myers after the break IN
the courtship with the poeD, the fol-
lowing telegram:
I'm the death Of your noble wife
heaven is made brighter even on this
Christmas day. Be OF good heart AMI
perfect trust. Brother Will, Sister
Jessie, father, mother, all.
JAMES wHITCOMB RILEY"
Riley Attends Funeral.
The body was taken back to Ander'
son. Ind, for burial, and the poet was
one of those who felt her death the
keenest, the passing OF his childhood
sweetheart.
Beneath the three line announce
ment in the Anderson, ull.) Bulletin
Of Dec. %, 1890, that James Whit
comb Riley, the Hoosier poet, was In
the city yesterday attending the fu-
neral OF Mrs. Kinsley," there was buri.
ed a story Of romance and tragedy.
The Hoosier poet never married.
That perhaps was one reason why the
early romance played such an import
ant part in his life and he remember.
ed the tender sentiments and wove
them into the poem long after she had
married and had home Of her own.
AS evidencing this, he wrote:
When should be her lover forever
and day,
And she my faithful sweetheart till
the golden hair was gray,
And we should be so happy that when
others lips were dumb.
They would not smile in heaven till
tho others kiss had come.
Parents Stopped Wedding.
Parental objections 1t seems kept the
poet and Kate Myers from marrying,
as a climax to the youthful romance.
I She afterward married a man by the
name of Dyson, but it was an unhappy
marriage and she was granted dill
vorce decree and her maiden name.
The poem speaks of her setting the
poetry to music, for she was an &C
complished musician, having studied
at girls academy at Oxford, Ohio,
as it was called In those days.
Later she was a pupil OF Madame
Beebe-Lawton Of New York. cele-
brated teacher in voice culture. As
a member Of the faculty OF Western
Normal college she came to Shenan-
doah to make her home. Riley was
often guest here in those days and
is remembered by the Shenandoa p
folk.
Her affections, however. were won
by Professor Kinsley, who was the
head of the penmanship department
and who afterward became one of the
leading experts on criminals handwrtt-
ing and had his offices in New York.
The tragic death of the wife broke up
( the home and the deaths last year of
Professor Kinsley in New York, and
James Whitcomb Riley last week in
Indiana removed the last Of the &C.
tors of this pretty little drama of life
that had as the heroine the Shenan.
doah musician.
A convention hall that will seat
*, 600 people is projected for Min