Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-08
TOMORROW, June .. will be the
l2sth birthday anniversary of
John Howard Payne. author

JOhn HOWARD Payne, dutnOf
OF Home. Sweet Home" the
one song that Is known by every per-
SIN In the United States and pretty
much everybody all over the world
No other song has remained popu-
lar so long a period as this gentle and
plaintive composition OF the ceIs-
brated man who. unhappily, never had
. homo except during the days Of his
youth. The Indications are that the
song Will live forever.
The people Of Washington have an
especial pride In John Howard Payne.
He spent many Of his happiest years
in this city. HIS mortal remains lie
In beautiful Oak Hill cemetery. In
0sargstDwn- His tomb is located Just
. snort distance to the right Of the
maln entrance and directly in front
Of tn quaint little stone chapel To-
morrow there VIII doubtless be a
staaAy pilgrimage to this beautiful
city OF those who have gone beyond"
W many VINO deeply revere the mem
ory q tho man whose sweet song
ma1ss home seam more precious to
all
Among the visitors will be those
happy whtrligig Of circumstances. are
lihewise homeless These will know
fun wan how Payne must have felt
whnn hs pennsd those immortal lines
Many 4 perfumed blossom will be
reverpntly placed on his grave by
those who have long resided in beau
tiful Washington. but whose hearts
stil aGhs \ trife at the memory of
~1the low1y cottage OF their happy
childhood days in some far distant
state or country.
Fred n Sommerv1ue, treasurer and
gWDsrtntendsnt Of Oak Hill cemetery,
has besn In the employ Of that organ
tzatdnn xor more than forty years.
He asststed at the burial ceremonies
Of John Howard Payne This kindly
man takes special pride In acquaint-
Ing visitors with the location Of the
Payne Erave ana imparting bits of
interesting history
living In Washington the territory
nov comprising Oak Hill cemetery
was known a. PARROTS woods. The
same grAneful oak trees that now
shelter PEyne's last resting place fur
nished shade for him as he strolled or
sat beneath them accompanied by
some fair daughter of Georgetown or
hi h
visitor from Baltimore or Richmond
Little did he dream in those happy
and care-fres days as he strolled
through this picturesque sylvan re-
treat. that years later his remains
would be inferred there.
1t 10 often said that no man has
ever achieved International promi-
nenos without having spent some time
in Warrington. Thai claim is GER
tainly true In the case of Payne. OF
course every one knows that he was
a resident Of Washington at the time
he was appointed to the post Of
United States consul at Tunis, Africa,
by President John Tyler. But outside
Of genial George w. Evans, chief dis
bursting odlcer of the Interior Depart
ment, It 10 known by comparatively
few people that John Howard Payne
at one time worked A. a government
clerk in the pension Office. Mr. Evans,
who Is fondly referred to by Secre-
tary franklin K Lane as the "en-
cyclopedia of the Interior Depart
ment." has in his possession a little
volume about ten inches square that
was used as the pay roll of the pen
sion ofice during the year 1S4l
At that time there was no such
department ~ the Interior. and the
pension Office WAS a branch of the
War Department This precious little
book, which Mr. Evans prizes highly,
contains the signature Of John How
ard Payne In october, 1871. he'wrote
his name in his beautiful style of
handwriting in acknowledgment of
the receipt of $47.83 in payment of
eleven dayS work There is a nota-
ton explaining that he had been
transferred to the pension Office. It
fails to state from which branch he
was transferred, but inasmuch' as'the
pension office was then a. part of"the
War Department, it would be reason
h ta1