The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-08-15
HIS FAME SECURE
Emmett Immortalized Himself by
Single Song.
Writer Of "Dlxie" Ranks With Rouget
de Pisle, Composer Of ia Mar.
seiIialse," Most Famous Of
Martial Hymns.

A man died In A~shtabula, Ohio, re-
Gently who has done much TO perpetu-
ate the memory Of Daniel Decatur
Emmett, the man who wrote "Dixie."
James Lewis Smith was his name. He
was a wealthy bachelor whose fad
was building monuments. After his
death blueprints OF a memorial TO
American sailors and soldiers who
fought in the late war were found on
his desk. The monument, however,
that will give him lasting fame is the
one erected in honor Of Emmett, at
Mount Vernon, Ohio, where Emmett
was born, and where he now lies
buried.
Smiths interest in Emmett has
brought to light many interesting
things about the origin of Dixie" and
about Emmett himself. II is inter
esting from the viewpoint Of how a
man may spring into fame almost
overnight without knowing just why,
and also from the viewpoint Of what
constitutes a popular song. In after
years Emmett said TO an old Mount
Vernon friend: "If ! had known that
Dixie was destined to become SO pop
ular I would have written 1t better"
But then maybe he might have pol
lshed il so much that it would have
lost its appeal. Who knows?
In his youth Emmett was a printer.
He was a fifer in the army for a
while, and then ran away with a cir
Gus. Later he helped to organize the
first negro minstrel show ever put on
In America. This show made a hit
In the United States and later had a
successful run in England. After his
return to the United States Emmett
Joined a company headed by Dan Bry-
ant. While playing at Mechanics hall
In New York Bryant told Emmett one
Saturday that he must have a new
walk around song for the follow
Ing Mondays performance. On Sun.
day Emmett wrote the music and
words for Dixie" which was given
for the first time in Mechanics hall,
New York, In 1859, under the title
"Dixie's Land" The song was a hit
from the word go, and was soon
adopted by other travelling companies.
In 1860 Miss Susan Denim sang
"Dixie" to a great throng In New Or.
leans, and eventually 1T spread
through the South and became the
war song of the Confederate armies.
In 1896 AL G. Field sought him out
and the two had a happy time review
Ing the past. Field was astonlshed TO
find Emmett still playing the fiddle
and planning to go on the road again.
although he was quite old. Finally
Emmett induced Field to take him
out for a season. He appeared in
Newark, Ohio, on August %, 1895. He
was then eighty, but very vigorous
and spry. Ovation after ovation fol-
lowed him as he travelled through the
South.
During his closing days he was
helped by a weekly allowance from
the Actors fund Of New York. Little
or nothing was done to mark his
grave, although an organization had
been formed for that purpose. Mr..
Smith, however, put up a monument
at Emmett's grave in Mound View
cemetery that Is a credit to the man
and to the donor.
A curious story brought out In con.
nection with his song is hat the orig
inal "Dixie's Land" referred to was
not the South but an estate on Man
haitian island, New York city, owned
by a man by the name Of Dixie, who
employed a large number Of colOred
slaves. These slaves were sent south
because Of the rising abolition senti-
ment, and while there they impro-
vtsed the refrain II wish l was in
Dxie's land" which was once heard
by Emmett and became the inspira-
ton Of his song. However that may
be, Dixie" rs always associated with
the South, and had q part ia the wal
In France as a typical American pro-
ductiOn.