The sun., 1919-10-31
MRS. ELLA WHEELER
WILCOX IS DEAD.
Well Known Writer Of Verse
Ill Nine Months After War
Work in England.
BORN ON WISCONSIN FARM
First Came Into Prominence
With "Poems Of Passion
Popular in Britain.

Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox. author and
writer of verse, died yesterday In, her
home. The Bungalow, Branford, Conn.
She had been under medical care for
nine months following nervous col
lapse, while engaged in war relief work
in England. Her condition improved in
July. making 1t possible for her to return
to her home In this city. Later she was
taken to Branford, where she had done
most Of her literary work m recent years.
No announcement has been made re-
garding the funeral arrangements. but
the body will be taken to Springfield.
'!ass., for cremation. She leaves a
, brother and a sister, who live In the
West.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox first came into
prominence when she startled the Vic
torian proprieties OF the early eighties
with q volume Of verse entitled Poems
of Passion" Judged by the standards
Of to-day her verses were positively prim.
but they raised a terrific storm In the
press of that day-a storm which
whiried Miss Wheeler. as she then was.
far along on her course of success.
She often related how the storm
| worked to her advantage. The frequent
repetition of the word kiss in her lines
stirred the wrath of Charles A. Dana,
who devoted two scathing columns in
THE SUN to her. quoting about half
column Of the verses to which he OBJ
jected. Mrs. Wilcox related that she sat
down and wrote Mr.. Dana note OF
thanks for the advertisement he had
given her. She always stoutly defended
the Innocence Of her verses. Dana never
forgave her for that letter. yet few
years later THE SUN published for the
| first time one Of her verses. which be-
gins:
Laugh and the world laughs with you;
Weep and you weep alone.
Born on wisconsin Farm.
| 1t subsequently became one OF the
most hackneyed quotations in the Ian
| guage. A certain John A. Joyce OF
Washington always persistenly claimed
| that he was the author o. the lines and
printed them In several editions OF his
own poems subsequent to 1883, when
they were published in THE SUN undeI
Ella Wheeler's name. Mrs. WILCOX
never sued Joyce. but for years offered
to contribute 5000 to any charity he
might name IL he could produce evidences
| that the verses had been written by him
previous to Miss Wheeler's publication
Of them.
l Mrs. Wilcox was born on a Wisconsin
farm in 1855. Her father had been 9
dancing teacher and violinist in Yer
mont, tracing his ancestry to Ethan
Allen. Her mother also came Of New
England stock in which she boastet
there ran a strain of the blood OF thu
Indian princess Pocahontas. The fam
| lily moved TO Wisconsin and settled on
farm near Token Creek Her fathel
| farmed and played the violin and laugh
dancing. nut never made great success
/ of these pursuits and until he died hi
daughters earnings with her pen served
to keep the farm together.
Mrs. Wilcox was educated in the lit
tie country schools. but proved an ON
nivorous' reader and managed TO accu
| mulate some good books OF romance ant
| verse. Her first verses were printed II
a local paper when she was II year
old and Immediately attracted local at
tention. II wss during the time whel
the reunions of the Grand Army wer
1.-The most thrilling and important event
in the community and the little girl at
tanned a great vogue among the veteran
for the verses she wrote IN honor o
their exploits. She would never consen
to read them herself. but on one occa
sion was thanked by Gen. Sheridan 70
a verse welcoming him to a reunion
His arrival had been unexpected an
the little poetess had dashed of tw
stanzas while the band was playing.
Invented the Name "Afaurine."
She had one brief venture as the ed
tor of the woman's page in a farm maya
zine in Milwaukee. but returned to tn
farm when the magazine failed. Sh
continued to produce verse, for whic
she received a substantial income. an
began to be publicly identified with tn
milwaukee school, of poets, anon
! whom were Hattie Tying Griswold, Sar
d. Hobart, Estella Aiker. Fanny Dris
coll, Charles Noble Gregory and Grac
Wells.