Evening star., 1925-11-15
POETESS' FATHER
MAY SUE CRITICS
Says He Has Conferred With
Lawyers on Accusations
of False Claims.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, November 1.-The
question whether Nathalia Crane,
Brooklyn's 12-year-old poet. wrote the
two volumes bearing her name may
be settled in court. Samuel Crane,
her father. announced tonight that
the matter of the attacks on the au-
thenticity Of her work has been
turned over to lawyers.
Mr.. Crane said he expected a re-
port. Monday or Tuesday and would
then formally announce the identity
of his counsel and who would be pro-
ceeded against Libel action will be
instituted against anyone who, the
lawyers feel, has gone beyond the law
in the discussion as to whether Natha-
liza deserves to be called the most re-
markable child in the world, or
whether the two volumes are just
genial hoax" put over by six young
poets, as intimated by Edwin Mark
ham, honorary president of the
Poetry Society of America.
Deny Writing Poems.
AS result of Mr.. Markham's state
ment, the names of Louis Untermey-
er, Edna ST. Vincent Millay, William
Rose Benet and other poets were be-
ing whispered today. From all men,
toned, however, came emphatic de-
malls of any part in the poems cred
tied to Nathalia and in some cases
unstinted praise for the girl.
Mr.. Untermeyer termed her genius
and in a reading he gave today at
Lord and Taylor S Auditorium, in
cluded her in his list of great poets.
The audience applauded her name en-
Enthusiastically and finally forced her to
read some of her work.
4 hot Oy,a
helped her." said Mr.. Untermeyer.
Mr.. Untermeyer." said Mr.. Crane,
"has known Nathalia only since
April. She has been writing poems
for three years. She has never even
met Mr.. Benet-when he bought
some of her poems. he dealt only
with Mrs. Crane. The only help she
has had came from those diction-
aries''-pointing to several well
thumbed volumes-'from her books
and from the stories of life. the sea
and the war that l have told her.
Sings Poems to Herself.
"Nathalia sort of sings her poems
to herself-they come into being that
way. She reads Kipling constantly
and Conan Doyle is her favorite. The
only poet she likes is Longfellow. but
she is not enthusiastic about him.
ut Is absurd to say l may have
written some of her poems. True,
80 years ago when 1 was a young
jackfool I had a volume of my verses
published. 1t was terrible junk-I
haven't even a copy now. Her work
is poetry-mine was just silly kid
stuff
While Mr.. Crane was talking.
Nathalia herself came ina very tiny,
physically immature looking little
;x-l toll, 1to oy,l Rt,ff,
bobbed hair that stands straight up
in the wind.
"The Janitor's Boy"
Roger jackson is the red-headed
janitor's boy about whom l wrote that
poem." she said in referring to the
poem. THE Janitor's Boy" Roger
and l built a raft and we tried to float
it down the street after a rain. Roger
still comes to see me-every Thanks
giving"
The Cranes lived at 7SI Ocean ave
nue., Brooklyn, when Rogers father
was janitor there.
Her favorite poem of her own is one
dealing with the inside of a newspaper
office and written after a paper sent
her to Pennsylvania to interview VIII
lie Cavalier. the 15-year-old boy who
killed his grandmother. Nathalia con-
1eSSeQ Sne q IKE 10 go INTO newspaper
workout no more Of prison assign
mentS.
Story on Cavalier.
The story she wrote about Cavalier,
written in hurry and under stress, is
cited by her father as proof of her
knowledge of words. One line refers
to the 'cubicle Of STEEL the prison
and another reads:
But William Cavalier Is an argo-
naut whose ship has stu nbled over
the threshold of the dari est of all
oceans. The able seamen IF his gal
ley are the wardens Of t Pennsyl-