The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-09-07

wanted to get even with him SO he wrote his
imitation Of Poe and had It published In paper
In another part of the state with in elaborate
story about the discovery Of the manuscript.
AT once it made a great sensation all over
the country. It made 50 great Il sensation that
Riley was terrified, ana feared that he would be
accused of literary forgery Meanwhile the ed-
tor Of The rival paper wrote: no doubt young
friend Riley will belitte this poem and say II is
not the work of Poe. But ii IS Poe, and Poe's
best manner The sensation grew 10 such pro-
portions that Riley had TO confess that he had
written the poem. And then the editor OF the
paper discharged Riley because he had not pub
lished It in his paper.
"Thcn the indianapolis journal gave him job
which he held for years. He wrote rcums Of
nonsense VERSE, and wrote up in verse the shops
of the merchants who advertised In the Journal
"Rlley's first book was called The Old Swim
min Hole and Leven More Poems He pub
lIshcd It himself 1t sold so well that 1t was soon
taken over by publisher, and passed through
many editions, v.nN,-< - 1-.----- . "ss"'-~'".
"IIcys exquisite penmanshp showed the care
with which he wrote. Originally he wrote care
less and rather illeGiblc script but he had so
much difficulty in getting the printers to read his
writing, and printing his dialect verse correctly,
that he took up the study of penmanship. He
was careful always TO get the dialect of one
part of Indiana distinct from the dialect of
any other part
"Any mans character, he said, is best re-
mcmbered, | suppose, by Of his habitual
gestures and expressions. | remember Riley as
very deliberate In his motions, especially in his
last years. Smooth Shaven, rudy, well groomed,
he looked Hike benign old English bishop more
than anything else"
Mr. Don Marquis of the New York Sun APPLY
considers Riley and his poetry from an entirely
different angle.
James Whitcomh Riley" says he, was the
companion Of fairies in Already; for the iIoosier
belongs to rnce apart. And while
captured and broken 10 trade, the gentle poet
escaped and kept always the vision of hidden
things"
with thes" PREDATORY remarks the writer goes
on with his essay:
"ThCre ARE two sorts Of TndiAnnn-the ordinary
Indanan who is not very different from the
Ohioan or the lllinosun ana the IIoosicr
"'The liooSier belong not merely 10 race apart,
but TO a separate species lie IS human. hut
with difference hc is aware Of the klnshlp
between humanity and the so.cnllcd lower ami
mails tand even the plants md strcams) on the
one side, and on the other side Of the knshlp Of
humanity with the elves
"Whcn the moon turns the msts 10 silver and
the owls wall ana the frogs wake NJ along the
creeks and lakes and the fairies snddIo ana bride
the hroiics and mount them and go Whirring and
finishing of in search of airy adventures the
HOosicrs steal ont of the farmhOuSCs ana ham
lets and creep down to the bottom lands and
dance ana sing and cavort under the summer
stars They do so secretly, lodging the mere hu-
mans, for secrecy Is the essence of their midnight
whimsical reycs
I'm the daytime they pretend they nre Just
ordinary lndianans; their own brothers and
mothers may not ronlize that they are HOLSTERS
"lut in Indiana, ms elsewhere, there Is business
md the need 70 attend to II. There must have
been even in Arcady-somcbody owned the nocks
and herds Of Already md turned them into
butchers meat and leather, and the shepherds
only plpcd the surcrance of their commercial