The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-27

|
that James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoos-
Ter poet, penned his popular poem,
When the Frost is on the Pumpkin
and the Folders in the Shock and
there later Dom Piatt, himself bril-
liant verse writer, wrote parody,
| The Bloom was on the Alder and
Tassel on the Corn
Now, this famous castle Of Dom
Platt is to be sold. The temple de-
voted to the muses. by its builder, may
even be used as a sanatarium, and in
the rooms where literati once as
sembled worn and weary neurasther-
les may come to be given their
strychnine and arsencal tonics by
| neuroligists. So it is, from Parnassus
to Esculapius'
Dom Piatt was born in Cincinnati,
O., June 10, 1919. He came from a
brilliant family, and was one of four
brothers who were Journalists and
poets. Dom Piatt was the second son
OF Judge Benjamin NJ. Piatt, grandson
OF Colonel Jacob Piatt, of the revOlu-
ttonary army, and great grandson OF
John Piatt of Huguenot descent, who
settled in New Jersey prior to the
revolution. He was educated partly
| at Urbana, O., and at St. Xavier's Col
paper career in 1870 He was admit
ted to the bar in 1851. and soon after
was made Judge of the court Of COM
mon pleas Of Hamilton county, O. He
became secretary of the American
legation at Paris, under John 7.
Mason as ambassador, and on the
death of Mason he acted as charge
d affairs.
Aided Lincon's Campaign.
Returning to Ohio in 1860, he Joined
the staff Of the "Mac-o-chee Press,
published by his brother, Abraham
\ Sanders Piatt, at West Liberty. o., and
aided in Abraham Lincoln's campaign
for the presidency. The Piatts were
loyal to the Union cause and in 1861
Dom Piatt enlisted in company c. 18th
Ohio volunteers, of which his brother
/ Abram was colonel Later Dom Piatt
was made chief Of staff by General
/ Scheneck. He went through all the
battles with Scheneck until that Ottl-
Ger was wounded and then Colonel
Pidtt was placed on a commission to
investigate the loss of Harpers Ferry.
At Baltimore he authorized General
Birney to recruit a brigade Of negro
soldiers, cnliStlng none but slaves,
The result was the practical emancIpa-
ton Of every slave in Maryland. Lin
coin, who had not yet reached that
period in negro emancipation, severely
rebuked Col. Piatt, who barely eS-
capped discharge.
Colonel Piatt seemed to have mill
tary foresight, and a short time be
fore Lees invasion of Maryland he
ordered General Milroy to evacuate
Winchester, Va, but General Hallock
countermanded the order, and Nilroy
lI,rI nod ,,,,f i NI1+ VIZ II
the loss Of 1000 men.
After the war Colonel Piatt returned
to the Mac-o-chee country in Ohio and
was sent to the state legislature.
where he aided in securing negro
suffrage amendment to the state
constitution.
Used Caustc Pen.
Re-entering Journalism, c Of 0 n |
Piatt became associate editor of the
New York Sun and later Washington
correspondent of the Cincinnati Com
mercial. In 1871, with George Alfred
Townsend who wrote under the nom
deplume Of Cath for the Cincinnati
Enquirer, he established the Washlng-
ton Sunday Capital. a paper which
soon became noted for its boldness in
exposing the graft and scheming that
, prevailed at the national capital dur
soon became sole proprietor Of the pa
per, and he swung a vitrolic and satir-
ical pen. He severely criticised con-
| gressmen, and also members of the
cabinet, as we'll as measures He was
hitting in under spots, and, on the So
/ licitation OF politicians. President
Grant ordered the arrest Of Colonel
Piatt for "seditious utterances," but
as Piatts record for patriotism had
never been questioned during the Civil
war the case was never brought to
trial.
Colonel Piatt sold his paper in 1881
and returned to Ohio, About four
miles for West Liberty, in Logan coun-
! ty, Ohio, he selected a site which is
called "Mac-o-chee," there, almost
forty years ago. he built his palace,
patterned after one of Frances ia
/ nous castles, at cost Of $4,000. It
has many towers and stone abutments.
The floors were inlaid with cherry
and walnut. and the rooms are elab-
orately finished with beamed ceilings
and solid walnut wainscoting with
doors three inches in thickness.
Where Riley Received Inspiration.
Riley, the HOOsier poet, was close
friend Of Colonel Piatt, and was a fire.
quent visitor at the castle. where the
two congenial spirits spent many
hours in the library with its priceless
volumes and rare editions.
It was in d small tower room, only
eight feet square, with a sweeping
view of the fertile fields and gentle
hills Of Logan county, that Riley re-
ceived the inspiration in the misty
twilight Of a perfect autumn day to
write his famous poem picturinC the
farm scenes, where we hear the
! kyouck and gObble of the strutting
turkey cock, when the frost is on
the pumpkin, and the folders in the
| shock"
Colonel Piatt lived a retired and
secluded life at Mac-o-che. and spent
the remainder Of his life there, enter
tanning royalty in his castle. This
retired life was broken only once,
when he went to New York to founr
! 'BedfOrds Magazine,' and remained
there one year to edit it.
Created Popular Phrases.
COloner Piatt had a genius for Gre
. outline mira