Ohio History Journal

SONG WRITERS OF OHIO.

C. B. GALBREATH.

If a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care

who should make the laws of a nation.--ANDREW FLETCHER.

No names are deathless save those of the world's singers. - FRANCES

E. WILLARD.

If this ascription of power and immortality seems somewhat

sweeping and a little too poetically generous, the fact remains

that music, affecting as it does the emotional in man and touch-

ing all its keys, exerts a distinct influence on individual and

national destiny; and the simple songs that find their way to the

universal heart shall survive long after the singer has departed

and his very name, to the millions who have felt the spell of his

genius, has ceased to be even a memory. The popular melody

is one of the avenues through which the human soul finds ex-

pression. If it has its charm "to soothe the savage breast," it

has likewise its stimulus to action. With paeans on their lips

men "have crowded the road to death as to a festival." In our

annals the song writers deserve a place. From lullaby to bat-

tle hymn they help to mould character and build the state.

Ohio is pre-eminent among our sisterhood of common-

wealths through the achievements of her sons in war and states-

manship. Attention has recently been directed to the fact that

she has already made respectable progress in the fields of science

and letters. It is the purpose of the writer to bring a humble

but truthful tribute to her neglected sons of song, whose simple

lays have gone beyond the boundaries of the Buckeye State and

become a part of the music of the world.

It is a source of regret that the sudden departure of our

oldest and most famous singer calls forth the first of these

sketches three months earlier than the intended date of publica-

tion. Fortunately, a mass of material, most of it direct from the

lips and pen of the aged minstrel, is at hand, and numerous

omissions and inaccuracies in articles already printed seem to

justify the somewhat hasty preparation of this contribution.

(504)

506       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Captain John Spencer, aided in the defense of Ft. Meigs, and

was present at Hull's surrender. He married Sarah Zerick, in

Clinton, then the county seat of Knox county, Ohio. To them

were born two sons, Daniel Decatur and Lafayette, and two

daughters, Derada Jane and Martha Ellen. All of these have

passed away except Lafayette,¹ ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme

Court of Minnesota, who is at present Territorial Librarian of

New Mexico. The parents died in the early sixties at St. Paul,

Minn., where Lafayette was then living. Daniel, the oldest of

the children, was twice married. His first wife, whose maiden

name was Catherine Rives, died May 31, 1875, at the age of

46 years. In 1879 he married Mrs. Mary Louise Bird, of Chi-

cago, who still survives.+

Emmett's early schooling was of the most elementary char-

acter. In those days the free school system was unknown. When

very young he was taught to run errands and assist his father

in the blacksmith shop. In the meantime he learned to read

fairly well and to write a good hand. In the printing office his

real education began. The training that he had there received is

revealed in the careful and generally accurate punctuation of his

manuscript papers. At the age of thirteen years he began work

in the office of the Huron Reflector, at Norwalk, O. Shortly after-

ward he returned to Mt. Vernon and was employed by C. P. Bron-

son on the Western Aurora until he reached the age of seven-

teen years. Here he knew the Sherman boys, of whom he re-

lated interesting reminiscences. He was best acquainted with

John, who attended school four years in the village. "William,"

1 Judge Lafayette Emmett, born in Mt. Vernon, May 8, 1822, studied

law in the office of Columbus Delano; was admitted to the bar; served

a term as Prosecuting Attorney of his native county; moved to Minne-

sota in 1851; was appointed Attorney General of that Territory; was

member of the Constitutional Convention, and at the first election of

state officers was chosen Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; moved to

Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he lived until called to his present posi-

tion. His daughter is the wife of Miguel A. Otero, Governor of New

Mexico.

2Emmett's first wife was born in New York City, April 15, 1828.

They were married in 1852 or 1853. She died in Chicago, May 3, 1875.

Mrs. Bird's maiden name was Brower.

Song Writers of Ohio.               507

he said, "was always ready for any escapade or wild adven-

ture that promised sport. John was reserved and dignified, and

might readily have been taken for a divinity student."

The peculiar gift that impelled Emmett to his life work he

doubtless inherited from his mother. "As far back almost as

I can remember," he said, "I took great interest in music. I

hummed familiar tunes, arranged words to sing to them and made

up tunes to suit words of my own. I paid no especial attention to

the poetry and thought little about the literary merit of what I

wrote. I composed Old Dan Tucker in 1830 or 1831, when I

was fifteen or sixteen years old, before I left Mt. Vernon."

He entered the army at the early age of seventeen years

as fifer, and served a full enlistment. He was first stationed at

Newport, Kentucky, and afterward at Jefferson Barracks, be-

low St. Louis, Missouri. In the service he improved his oppor-

tunity to study music, a fact to which he has borne detailed and

explicit testimony.

He afterward traveled with circus bands and had excellent

opportunity to continue his study and practice.  He was at

different times connected with the shows of Spalding and Rogers,

Samuel Stickney, Seth Howe and Dan Rice.

In the early forties he organized the first colored minstrel

troupe. He named it the Virginia Minstrels. He has told how

he consulted a dictionary to satisfy himself that the word min-

strel was the proper one to use.

Much has been written in regard to the origin of negro

minstrelsy. The following points seem at present beyond dis-

pute. The first troupe was organized in New York City at the

boarding place of Mr. Emmett, on Catharine street, in February

or March, of 1843. The parties participating were "Dan" Emmett,

Frank Brower, "Billy" Whitlock and "Dick" Pelham. Emmett

played the violin, Whitlock the banjo, Brower the bones

and Pelham the tambourine. After practicing for some time to

their mutual delight, they decided to make their first appearance

at the Branch Hotel on the Bowery, the rendezvous for the

showmen of the city in those days.

Nathan Howes, the leading circus man of his time, was

present with a numerous assembly of the lesser lights of the

508       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

profession. There was a disposition to scoff at the innovation.

Comparing small things to great, it was like the advent of the

disciples of young Hugo in the role of romanticism.

The costume for the occasion was chosen and the novel fea-

tures designed by Emmett himself. It included white pants,

striped calico shirt and blue calico coat, the latter made dress

suit style with elongated swallow tail. This outfit did not en-

tirely remove the prejudice of the spectators.

Emmett tuned his violin and the crowd began to jeer.

Such a combination of instruments had never been heard of be-

fore, to say nothing of the four sable faces. The single Ethio-

pian of the "Daddy" Rice Jim Crow type had been somewhat

common, but this new aggregation violated the unwritten can-

ons of the comic stage.

At the conclusion of the opening chorus the crowd became

quiet and attentive. "Brower's funny song made them howl

with delight." Whitlock's voice had a like effect. Emmett then

sang and the little room went into "an uproar of applause."1

So popular was the performance that it was almost imme-

diately called to the stage. Emmett afterward gave the quartet

the name of Virginia Minstrels. Whitlock in an autobiography

says that the first appearance before the general public was at

the Chatham Theatre for the benefit of Pelham. "The house

was crowded and jammed with our friends," says he, "and Dick,

of course, put ducats in his purse."

The company afterward was well received in Boston and

New York. Later they went to the British Isles where they

were virtually stranded. The performance aroused no interest

abroad and the trip was a complete failure. Emmett promptly

returned to America. While abroad he witnessed in Dublin the

liberation of Daniel O'Connell, the Irish patriot.

When he reached New York he found that a number of

organizations similar to the Virginia Minstrels had been formed

and were appearing with marked success. He played during

the winter for a time in the city and traveled as a musician with

circuses in the summer. In 1857 he engaged with the Bryant

1Emmett was a good singer. He played many instruments, but ex-

celled with the violin and flute. In musical composition, his reels and jigs

were especially popular with the minstrel profession.

510       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Minstrels at 4701 Broadway, to act as musician and compose

negro melodies and plantation walk-arounds. Here he remained

till 1865.

In 1859, late one Saturday evening, after the performance at

the music hall, Mr. Jerry Bryant came to him and asked him

to write for rehearsal Monday a "walk-around" or "hooray

song" of the plantation type. It must have a good tune. It did

not matter so much what the words were. The song should

be "catchy" and contain phrases that the boys would readily

pick up and repeat on the streets. Emmett remarked that the

time was unusually short but that he would do his best.

That night he undertook to compose a tune, but failed. He

stated to his wife what he was expected to do and said he

feared that he had undertaken too much. She urged him to

persevere and told him that he should have the room all to him-

self the day following, that she knew he would make a song

that would please his employers. He had always done so and

he would not fail this time. She would be his audience, and if

the song suited her it would be acceptable to the crowds that

would come to hear it.

Early in the morning he picked up his violin and began

work on the tune. It was a cold and dreary day.² The rain

was falling. As he looked out of the window into the chill and

comfortless street, he involuntarily repeated the expression

familiar to showmen in the winter time, "I wish I was in Dixie

land."  Emmett had previously traveled much through the

South, and it was very natural that this expression should rise

to his lips on such a day. Taking up his violin again he began

to hum the words and play. After some hours of patient en-

deavor, he had completed what he thought would fill fairly well

the requirements. He next hastily prepared a stanza and chorus.

The latter was never changed.

He then called in his wife while he played and sang. She

declared that the music was all right; that if the Bryant Broth-

1See facsimile of title page of Dixie. On old programs the street

number is 472.

2 Col. T. Allston Brown in a letter to the writer fixes the date of

the first public rendition of the song Monday evening, Sept. 19, 1859.

It was composed the day previous.

Song Writers of Ohio.                 511

ers were not satisfied with it they would not be pleased with any-

thing he could give them.

"What shall I call it?" said Emmett. "I can think of no

name for it. I ought to have a name before finishing the words."

"The name ?" said his wife, "Why, it can have but one name.

You have it in the chorus. Call it Dixie."

And Dixie it was named.¹

He then proceeded to write the words. On Monday morn-

ing he presented the results of his efforts to his employers.

After examining it carefully and putting it to the test, they re-

turned, evidently pleased, and congratulated the composer. The

music, they thought, would be good enough to print. But they

had some grave doubts about the first stanza, which they pro-

ceeded delicately and with apologies to set forth. The stanza

did not appear in the song as originally printed:

Dis worl' was made in jiss six days,

An' finish'd up in various ways;

Look away! look away! look away! Dixie Land!

Dey den made Dixie trim an' nice,

But Adam call'd it "Paradise."

Look away! look away! look away! Dixie Land!

This stanza is important as it seems to settle a point in

regard to which there has been some dispute. "Dixie," a term

applied to the entire South, is thought by many to be derived

from Dixon, found in the name of the famous boundary line

between Maryland and Pennsylvania, "Mason and Dixon's line."

But the weight of the testimony seems to point to a different

origin. On Manhattan Island, a man by the name of Dixie

once kept slaves until forced by the hostile sentiment of the

North to move South. The slaves were not happy in their new

home and frequently expressed a longing for Dixie land, the

name of the old plantation.²  By degrees the expression came

to represent the elysium of the colored race in the sunny south

The song bears the title of "Dixie's Land." The early copyright

issues corroborate the statements of their author.

2 Another theory has recently been advanced to explain the origin

of the word "Dixie". It is claimed that French bank notes issued in

New Orleans and bearing the word for ten, dix, were called dixies, and

that the name was afterward applied to the South, the section from which

they came.

514       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

land, where masters were kind, where care never came and

where joy held sway the whole year round. The first stanza

of the song seems to show clearly that the writer had in mind

this earthly paradise, "away down south in the land ob cotton,"

without reference to any particular spot.

The objection to the stanza was based on religious grounds.

Inasmuch as it was thought that "the piece might be found

worth publishing in sheet music form," it was deemed best that

these lines should be modified. "You see, Dan," said Mrs. Bry-

ant, "in some religious homes it might be regarded as making

light of the Scriptures. We know that you did not intend that

and the lines are really very nice, but don't you think it would

be better to change them?"

Emmett said that he probably could make some modifica-

tion; that he cared little about the words; but that he thought

the music should remain unchanged and that the name should

be Dixie. All united in this view, and the composition was again

praised.

While the author was considering the first stanza, one of

the Bryant brothers suggested that it be dropped. The song

would be long enough without it, and the second stanza would

do very well to begin with. Emmett agreed to this, and the

song, without further changes, read as follows:

I wish I was in de land ob cotton,

Old times dar am not forgotten;

Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land!

In Dixie Land whar I was born in,

Early on one frosty mornin',

Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land!

CHORUS:

Den I wish I was in Dixie! Hooray! Hooray!

In Dixie's Land we'll take our stand, to lib an' die in Dixie.

Away! away! away down South in Dixie.

Away! away! away down South in Dixie.

In Dixie Land de darkies grow,

If white folks only plant dar toe;

Look away, etc.

Dey wet de groun' wid 'bakker smoke,

Den up de darkies head will poke.

Look away, etc.

Song Writers of Ohio.                     515

Missus married Will de weaber,

Will, he was a gay deceaber;

Look away, etc.

When he put his arms around 'er,

He look as fierce as a forty pounder.

Look away, etc

Ole missus die,--she took a decline,

Her face was de color ob bacon-rhine;

Look away, etc.

How could she act de foolish part,

An' marry a man to broke her heart.

Look away, etc.

Den here's a health to de next ole missus

An' all de galls dat want to kiss us;

Look away, etc.

Den hoe it down an' scratch yoa grabble.

To Dixie Land I'm boun' to trabble.

Look away, etc.

Stanzas were added from time to time until the melody

was composed of a score or more. This fact accounts for the

variety of forms in which the original song appears. All of

the stanzas have perhaps never been printed together. The latest

edition includes the first stanza quoted, with chorus, and the fol-

lowing:

Ole missus marry "Will-de-weaber";

Willum was a gay deceaber;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

But when he put his arm around her,

He smiled as fierce as a forty-pounder;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

His face was sharp as a butcher's cleaber;

But dat did not seem to greab her;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

Ole missus acted de foolish part,

And died for a man dat broke her heart;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

Other stanzas and variations will be found in the facsimile on

another page.

516       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Now here's health to de next ole missus,

An' all the gals dat want to kiss us;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

But if you want to drive 'way sorrow,

Come and hear dis song tomorrow;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

Dar's buckwheat cakes an' Injin batter,

Makes you fat or a little fatter;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

Den hoe it down an' scratch your grabble,

To Dixie's land I'm bound to trabble;

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie land!

From the initial presentation the song was popular, though

no one dreamed of the wide celebrity that it afterward attained.

It went from city to city. Through the theatres and the music

halls it reached the people. It first became widely known in the

North. In the political campaign in the year following, Abra-

ham  Lincoln, it is said, heard the tune to Republican words,

and was much pleased with it.

Without the consent of the author, the publisher brought

out his Song under the title, I wish I was in Dixie's Land. Soon

afterward the words and music under the title of Dixie were pub-

lished in New Orleans by P. P. Werlein. He was notified at once

that Emmett was the author and that his publishers would de-

fend the copyright. A number of communications passed be-

tween the two publishing houses, the Southern man finally "giv-

ing his case away" by writing to Emmett and offering him $5.00

for his copyright.

At a great convention of music dealers held in New York

City, the attorney for Emmett's publishers presented his claim

to original authorship with an overwhelming array of proof

from many parts of the country. He concluded by stating that

Emmett was present, that he was no speaker, but that if they

cared to hear him relate, "in his plain western style," the cir-

cumstances under which the song was composed, he would prob-

ably consent to do so. At the request of the audience, now

thoroughly interested, Emmett briefly told his story. The mani-

festations of approval were so hearty that the New Orleans

publisher, who was present and who, by the way, seems originally

Song Writers of Ohio.                    517

to have published the song in good faith, came forward and

said, "I give it up, too."

An amicable arrangement was then made by which Mr.

Werlein was permitted to sell what he had already published.

Emmett insisted, when a new edition of the song was issued, that

it bear the title Dixie, the name his wife had originally suggested.

Thenceforward the authorship was never seriously questioned.

The circumstances under which Dixie became the war song

of the Confederacy are substantially as follows:

In the spring of 1861,1 a spectacular performance was to

be given in New Orleans. The parts had all been agreed upon,

except a song for the grand chorus that should arouse enthu-

siasm and stir the Southern blood. Many songs were suggested,

but none proved entirely satisfactory. Dixie was tried and given

the place of honor. The great throng that heard it was thrilled.

Encore followed, encore in the midst of wild demonstrations of

approval. It then rapidly spread throughout the South and be-

came the rallying cry of the Confederacy.

In the meantime, while the author's name was not prom-

inently associated with the song, dissenting patriots learned who

and where he was. Many an intensely loyal son of the North

mailed him letters of disapproval. Some gravely expostulated

and warned him to turn from the error of his way; some ridi-

culed the song as a clownish performance in behalf of secession;

some denounced it as rank treason, and suggested a rope for the

1The crowning popularity of this well-known ditty was secured in

New Orleans in the spring of 1861, when Mrs. John Wood played an

engagement at the Varieties Theatre. "Pocohontas," by John Brougham,

was the attraction, and in the last scene a zouave march was introduced.

Carlo Patti, brother of Adelina Patti, was the leader of the orchestra.

At the rehearsal he was at a loss as to what air to appropriate. Trying

several, he finally hit upon "Dixie". Tom McDonough shouted, "That

will do; the very thing; play it tonight." Mrs. John Wood, Mark Smith,

Leffingwell and John Owens were delighted. Night came, the zouaves

marched on, led by Miss Susan Denin, singing, "I wish I was in Dixie."

The audience went wild with delight and seven encores were demanded.

Soon after the war broke out. The Washington Artillery had the tune

arranged for a quickstep by Romeo Meneri. The saloons, the parlors, the

streets rang with the "Dixie" air, and "Dixie" became to the South

what the "Marseillaise" is to France. -DR. G. A. KANE in New York

World, 1893.

518       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

neck of the author. A union man, and reared by a father who

aided negroes to escape through the agency of the underground

railway, Emmett was surprised and confused at the remarkable

prominence and significance fortuitous circumstances had given

his unambitious effort.

After the war he went to Chicago and remained there until

1888, when he returned to his native city and found a humble

but cozy abode near the farm once owned by his father. For

years he lived in comparative obscurity. He found content-

ment and happiness in the simple life and familiar scenes of

his boyhood. The open air, the fields and the woods in which

he always found an indescribable pleasure, became again his

familiar haunts. He found congenial companionship among his

farmer neighbors who still, without exception, speak of him

familiarly as Uncle Dan. It was known that he had traveled

with a circus, but none of his acquaintances seemed to have

suspected that he ever did anything that had received recogni-

tion outside of the community. His indifference to fame and

his modest estimate of his own achievements kept him silent on

the subject of his life work. His friends were not a little sur-

prised when Al. G. Field, the Columbus minstrel manager and

an old friend of Emmett,¹ called the bard from his retreat and

introduced him to the world as the author of Dixie.

For years Mr. Field had been seeking some trace of his

venerable friend. Finally he received information indicating that

he had returned to Mt. Vernon and was perhaps still living there.

Meeting a prominent editor in that city, he said:

"Do you know a man by the name of Daniel Emmett?"

"Oh, yes," was the reply, "we all know Uncle Dan Emmett.

He lives about a mile north of the city."

"He is the man I wish to see. Can't you arrange to take

me to him at once? He wrote Dixie and many other songs."

"Mr. Field, he is not the man. Uncle Dan never wrote

anything. He is only a retired showman. It is not worth while

to go to see him."

"Nevertheless," said Mr. Field, "he is the man."

Emmett had charge of a Chicago concert hall in the early seventies.

Here he first met Field and gave him temporary employment.

Song Writers of Ohio.                   521

"Daniel Decatur Emmett, the author of Dixie, like the true Southron

that he is, bowed with uncovered head before the monument of Stonewall

Jackson."

The university students at Charlottesville, Virginia, gave

him a rousing reception. At Nashville he was invited by Gen-

eral John B. Gordon, who was lecturing at another opera house,

to occupy a box as the guest of honor. When he entered he

was greeted by General Gordon, who, in an eloquent address,

introduced him to the large audience as the author of Dixie.

At Wilmington, Delaware, he was given a reception by the

daughters of Thomas F. Bayard, Ambassador to England and

ex-Secretary of State.

He visited all the important cities of the South. His pro-

gress can best be described in the words of Mr. Field:

"Uncle Dan was not in the best voice after he had marked his

four score years, but every time he appeared before the footlights to

sing Dixie, the audience went as nearly wild as any I have ever seen.

It seemed to me as if they would actually raise the roof from the theatre.

Every man, woman and child would rise in a body and simply over-

whelm sentimental Uncle Dan with applause. It was great, sir, simply

great. It brought back to the memory of the grizzled men who bore

arms for the Southland the desolate camps, the fields of defeat and the

enthusing recollections of victory. Those Confederate soldiers had sung

Dixie on road and in camp. It recalled to the widows, wives and daugh-

ters the occasions on which the song had been sung while the men were

valorously fighting for the cause that was dear to all of them."

He was much impressed with the demonstrations in his

honor. Nor could he forget, in the midst of it all, the novelty

of the situation. Here was a man, born, reared and educated in

the North, and through the Civil War sharing the sentiment

of that section, enthusiastically received throughout the South

for service that he had never intended to perform.

A number of interesting anecdotes are related of the tour.

One of these is worth recording, as it is characteristic.  Em-

mett invariably attended church when on the road. One Sunday

when the troupe was in Topeka, Kansas, he entered what he

took to be a place of worship and with bowed head quietly took

a seat. The services, as he thought, had already commenced.

He listened and soon discovered his mistake. He had slipped

522       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

into a secular meeting of a very pronounced political type, such

as flourished in Kansas about that time. At the conclusion of

an impassioned appeal, the speaker said: "What show has any

one? What show have you? What show has this city?" Em-

mett rose with a serious look on his face and in a clear voice

said: "The best show on earth, and I belong to it." He then

walked solemnly out of the hall with the eyes of the puzzled

audience on him.

The last performance of the season was given at Ironton,

Ohio, April 11, 1896. Here he told the audience that this was

the final appearance on his farewell tour; that after having

been before the public as an entertainer for a longer period than

the life of the average man, he would return to spend the re-

mainder of his days at his little home near Mt. Vernon.

He could not be insensible to the marked attention and

uniform kindness that had been shown him; "But," said he, "so

much of the same thing grew a little monotonous;" and he was

glad to return to the quiet of his rural home.

Here he lived, humbly it is true, but with means adequate

to his simple wants,¹ surrounded by neighbors who esteemed

him for his personal qualities, and in the enjoyment of good

health for one of his years. His long tour had again thoroughly

introduced him to the world. Had he not made it, he would

doubtless have passed the remainder of his days unnoticed and

forgotten. To his cottage now came visitors to pay their re-

spects and chat with the pioneer minstrel, who, like other gifted

sons of Ohio, had done much to extend the fame of the Buck-

eye State. Hither came newspaper and magazine correspond-

ents. In the little room on different occasions sat the disting-

uished southern statesman and soldier, Gen. John B. Gordon,

whom Emmett greatly admired and of whom he invariably spoke

in eulogistic terms.

1After retiring from the stage, he received weekly benefits in cash

from the Actors' Fund, of New York City. He also had an irregular

income from autograph copies of Dixie. To Messrs. Vaughan Kester and

Paul Kester is chiefly due the credit of bringing Emmett's claim to the

attention of the Actors' Fund.

Song Writers of Ohio.                  523

His last public appearance is described in the following

extract from an article in the Knox County Republican of July

1, 1904:

Two years ago at a local performance he made his last appearance

before the footlights for the Elks. He was to sing his own version of

Dixie. The hall was crowded, and when he walked on the stage he was

given an ovation, the audience rising. This mark of esteem was too

much for the old minstrel, and the tears coursed down his cheeks. The

orchestra played the introduction and played it again, but Uncle Dan was

all unmindful of the situation, and stood with tears streaming down his

face. It was a pathetic spectacle. Finally a tenor caught and hummed

the refrain, and then Uncle Dan picked up the verse and sang it."

On a tranquil morning early in September, 1903, the writer

made a call at the home of the aged minstrel. An elderly lady,

who, as he afterward learned, was Mrs. Emmett, answered

promptly, and in reply to a question said that her husband had

gone on his daily stroll to the woods about half a mile distant,

and that he probably would not be back before noon. Later in

the day another call was made at the cottage. In response to a

knock at the door, a clear and pleasant voice bade the visitor

enter, and a moment later he stood in the presence of Mr. Emmett.

The bearing of the aged man was dignified, his greeting sincere.

In his neat but humble home he preserved the graces of the cul-

tured gentleman.

He was seated in a rocking chair near the window, read-

ing a book. He wore no glasses. His eyesight through life

had been good and at the age of almost eighty-eight years it

was practically unimpaired. He was remarkably well preserved.

His conversation was coherent and at times animated; his mem-

ory excellent; his intellect unclouded. A slight lameness from

rheumatism was his only visible affliction. His long life and

good health he attributed to his temperate habits.

He apologized for his full beard, saying that usually he wore

only a mustache. The beard was very becoming, however. Re-

move the spectacles from the later pictures of Charles A. Dana,

and you will have a very good portrait of Mr. Emmett as he

appeared that September afternoon.

He manifested much interest in pioneer history and seemed

quite familiar with the lives of noted Indian chieftains. While

524       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

talking on this topic he remarked, incidentally, that he had

helped to set the type for one of the editions of Drake's "Amer-

ican Indians" while he was learning the printing trade.

What especially impressed the visitor was Emmett's ap-

parent indifference to the fate of his work. He wrote hundreds

of songs, many of which were popular in other days, of which

he had kept no copy. He seemed pleased, however, to know

that he was recognized as the author of Dixie - especially in the

dawning era of good feeling between the North and South, which

had made the music of his song welcome in American homes

of both sections. He referred with evident pleasure to Abraham

Lincoln's felicitous request, after the surrender at Appomattox,

that the band play Dixie.¹ "For," said the great emancipator,

"we have captured the Confederacy, and Dixie now belongs to

the Union."

Through the music of "God Save the Queen," the voice

of patriotism now finds expression in our own "America." What

service the melody of Emmett's famous song shall yet render,

we may not say. It will live, however, and be on the lips and

in the hearts of men when the deeds of many a warrior and

statesman are relegated to the comparative obscurity of recorded

history

Among Emmett's compositions, in addition to those already

named, were:    Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel; Striking Ile;

Here We Are, or Cross Ober Jordan; Billy Patterson; Road to

Richmond; Go Way, Boys; Black Brigade.

A war correspondent recalls the circumstances as follows: The

President had returned from Richmond and a crowd called with a band

to tender congratulations and a serenade. Several members of the Cabinet

were present. In closing his brief remarks, Mr. Lincoln said:

"I see you have a band with you. I should like to hear it play

Dixie. I have consulted the Attorney-General, who is here by my side,

and he is of the opinion that Dixie belongs to us. Now play it."

That it has become a song of all sections of our common country

is attested by the tumultuous applause with which it was greeted in the

latest national conventions of the two dominant political parties. Not-

withstanding its popularity, the author realized but $500 from the sale of

the copyright.

Song Writers of Ohio.                   525

Old Dan Tucker,¹ which he composed when a mere boy,

was for many years familiar wherever English is spoken. Even

to this day, how readily we recall the grotesque lines:

Old Dan Tucker, he got drunk,

He fell in the fire and kicked out a chunk;

and the refrain:

Get out the way, Old Dan Tucker;

You's too late to get your supper.

Long before the South had adopted Dixie as its battle-song,

the Abolitionists of the North had appropriated the air of Old

Dan Tucker, and used it with words expressive of devotion

to their cause. From the troublous times before the war comes

down through the intervening years the refrain :2

Roll it on through the nation,

Freedom's car, Emancipation!

It would be difficult to explain the secret of the wonderful

currency of Emmett's melodies. The fact of their popularity

remains, however, and the supplemental fact of their originality.

The latter is worthy of more than passing notice. Many have

suggested a remote origin for his best known productions.

Efforts have been made to verify this theory, but they have

failed. The more the subject is studied, the more clearly appar-

ent it becomes that the source of these modest but famous lays,

with their insinuating strains and quaint words carelessly thrown

together, was the unassuming Buckeye minstrel of Mt. Vernon.

As already stated, Emmett was indifferent to his fame. It

is doubtful whether he would have foregone his morning ram-

ble through the fields and woods, on a bright day, to substanti-

ate his claim to anything he had written. To those seeking

information he told his story in his plain, quiet way. Time has

verified his reluctant testimony in regard to his own work.

1The name, as the author explained, was made up of his own, Dan,

and that of a favorite dog, Tucker.

2Other northern songs were sung to this air, among them one in

Richard Grant White's collection, with the chorus:

Get out of the way, old Jeff. Davis,

Out of the way, old Jeff. Davis,

Out of the way, old Jeff. Davis,

You're too late to come for to enslave us.

526        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

On Tuesday, June 28, 1904, shortly after the twilight shad-

ows had deepened into the darkness of night, Daniel Decatur

Emmett breathed his last. He had been ill three days, but was

able to walk about in his room within a few hours of his death.

Although he was not a member of the order, in accordance

with his request, his funeral was conducted by the local lodge

of the Elks, under direction of his friend, Al. G. Field. On

July 1st, the body lay in state at the Elks' Home. In the after-

noon it was conveyed to St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

To the stranger seated here on this occasion, while the good

people of the city were quietly assembling, the past was full of

material for meditation. Here the Sherman boys and Emmett

met seventy years ago.      In the struggle that threatened the

Union, the former, in the forum and on the field, led the North;

the latter composed the music that inspired the South. To this

church Columbus Delano and Emmett often came, and from it,

when full of years, they were borne by loving hands and laid

to rest in the silent city on Mound View. Who can fix a limit

to the influences that have gone forth from this historic spot?

Warrior and statesman and singer depart, but something of their

work remains with the living.

In a brief address, Rev. William E. Hull, rector of St.

Paul's, paid fitting tribute to the dead minstrel. He said in part:

"Of his life, made prominent as the composer of the famous song

Dixie, the press has given full and accurate detail, paying the high

tribute to the integrity of his character, that he was extremely temperate

in all things during his long and eventful career of nearly four score

and ten years.

"As we are assembled within the holy place of God to pay our last

tribute of respect to the memory of our departed friend and brother and

to sing the hymns he loved in life so well, Jesus Lover of My Soul, Nearer

My God to Thee and Lead Kindly Light, and to read the solemn ser-

vices which speak of life, death and immortality, I turn your thoughts

to the inward and deeper springs of his spirit personality.

"Dignified and retiring as I knew him in his later years, his large

experience with the world and men of affairs in the realm of stageland,

and his association with "Dixie Land" made him a gentleman, as to the

manor born; and having penetrated the reserve of his exterior, he received

you in his humble home with the freedom and ease of one able to dis-

pense hospitality with a lavish hand.

Song Writers of Ohio.                    527

"The religious side of his character was that which should especially

interest us at this time and place. Baptized in his early childhood, he

never made an outward declaration of his convictions to the public, nor

united with any church. But he was a great reader of the Bible, and in

his later years bought a copy with larger print that he might continue

reading as his vision failed; that he might still see God. He himself

once told me that he never laid his head upon his pillow at night with-

out bending his knees at his bedside and offering up a prayer to the

Almighty One. And I am informed that he never partook of his meal,

however humble and frugal, that he did not bow his head and ask God's

blessing upon it. These are the marks of a deep religious nature, but as

with many, such as Lincoln and others, it was aside from the sacramental

fellowship of God's altar in the church. A degree of eccentricity, which

governed him in some things, may have had the controlling influence in

this direction.

"His journey in earth is done, but the beautiful and touching notes

of Dixie which he let fly from his breast on that raw and cheerless day,

nearly half a century ago, will live to cheer and gladden the lives of

generations yet unborn."

Through the streets of his home city, her famous bard was

borne with every mark of respect to his last resting place.

Slowly the procession moved along the avenue to the beautiful

cemetery on the hill. The declining sun from the west poured

down a flood of light on the meadows and woodland that had

grown dearer to him with advancing years. "The trees of the

field clapped their hands" in the evening breeze, but he who

loved their quiet shade came not again. The crowd stood with

uncovered heads about the grave. The band played Dixie and

the notes touched every heart. The melody that had brought

the sleeper fame was his fitting requiem.

AUTHORSHIP OF DIXIE.

At various times questions have been raised in regard to

the authorship of Dixie. These have usually resulted from the

natural impression that the air originated in the South, and the

fact that different persons wrote verses that were sung to the

music of the original. After Emmett's death a correspondent

of the Baltimore Sun set forth the claims of Harry McCarthy in

the following communication, which is here quoted because it

is typical of others that have been exploited at different times:

528        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

"Was Emmett, who died recently, or Harry McCarthy, who died

in Arkansas in 1874, the real author of the South's war song, Dixie?

The death of Emmett recently with the assertion that he was the author,

has given rise to some doubt on the question of authorship and Mr. John

W. Callahan of Selma, Ala., in a recent letter to the Ledger, gives his

views on the subject of authorship and says that McCarthy was the real

author of Dixie. He says that the claim of the recently deceased minstrel

Emmett, to the authorship of Dixie is utterly without foundation. Old

Southerners who remember the days from '60 to '65, know well enough

that Harry McCarthy the Arkansas comedian, was the author of Dixie.

"McCarthy was a native of a country town in Arkansas and was

reputed to be an idler and loafer, but had a talent for vocal music which

made him famous. He married a lady who had as sweet a voice as ever

a bird poured out and the two made a show which drew a crowd wher-

ever they appeared. They formed a combination with a party that had

trained birds in 1862, and I saw their performance at Selma. They had

a cockatoo which came out and waltzed on a platform and at the com-

mand of his keeper reared up to his full height, fluffed his feathers like

the quills of a porcupine and shouted 'Three cheers for Jeff Davis.'

"McCarthy had printed on his bills the words of Dixie and the story

of his life, and the circumstances surrounding him suggested the compo-

sition. I met him and his wife in 1874 at Navasota, Texas, and he died

soon afterwards. No one ever thought of robbing Harry McCarthy of the

authorship of Dixie in those days. It was a shrewd advertising dodge

of the minstrel company after poor Harry had shuffled off this mortal

coil. Emmett was no more the author of Dixie than I am, and I am

quite sure my talent never run in that channel.

"The authorship should not be left in doubt as it seems to be now.

There will be no more opportune time to settle it than right now, and this

may call the attention of some who can throw light on the question of

authorship.                                            J. McD.

Birmingham, Ala.

To this letter the writer of this sketch replied in part as

follows:

JULY 23, 1904.

To the Editors of the Baltimore Sun:

"Through the kindness of a friend, a copy of the Sun of July 11th

is before me, containing a communication under the caption, 'The Author

of Dixie.' Permit me to say that among those acquainted with the late

Daniel D. Emmett and disinterested parties who visited, him when he was

living, there is absolutely no question in regard to the authorship of

the famous war song of the South.

"Your correspondent claims that honor for an Arkansan by the

name of Harry McCarthy who, it is stated, published the words on his

Song Writers of Ohio.                    529

bills when he was traveling with a bird and minstrel show through the

South in 1862. It is also averred that while McCarthy lived, or to be

more specific, till 1874, no one thought of questioning his authorship of the

song. These are sweeping assertions, but details are conspicuously absent

and little effort is made to substantiate the claim here boldly set forth.

Unfortunately for your correspondent, his assertions run counter to facts

and the records of the copyright office at Washington.

"The original Dixie was composed by Daniel D. Emmett in 1859.

This is not only proven by his own statement, in which a detailed

account of the circumstances under which it was written is given, includ-

ing the place where it was first sung, but it is also substantiated by the

testimony of numerous contemporaries, including the Bryant Brothers,

through the later fifties and earlier sixties proprietors of The Bryant

Minstrels at 470 Broadway, New York, for whom the song was first

written and under whose auspices it was presented to the public.

"The song was first published in New York, under the title, I wish

I was in Dixie's Land. As I write I have before me a piece of sheet music

with the imprint of Firth, Pond & Co., 547 Broadway, N. Y., bearing

this title and the copyright date of 1860.

"The song was afterward brought out under the title Dixie's Land,

by Wm. A. Pond & Co, successors of Firth, Pond & Co., as stated by

Emmett and substantiated by another copyright piece of music on my desk,

bearing date of 1865. Under this title the words and music have been

published to this day. The present publishers are Oliver Ditson & Co.,

of 150 Tremont St., Boston. The song may be had through any music

dealer. It has borne Emmett's name for forty-four years, as will be

shown by the records of the copyright office, the publishers and music

dealers throughout the United States.

"In the autumn and winter of 1895, Emmett traveled through the

South with Al. G. Field's Minstrels and was everywhere recognized as

the author of Dixie. As such he was introduced to a large audience in

Nashville, by the late General John B. Gordon, who declared that he was

without question entitled to that distinction. As such he was honored

with a reception by the daughters of Thomas F. Bayard, ex-Secretary of

State and Ambassador to England. Here was a great opportunity for

the friends of McCarthy to put forth their claim while Emmett was

living and able to speak for himself. After this tour, General Gordon

honored the aged minstrel with a personal visit at his humble cottage near

Mt. Vernon, O.

"This is not the first time that a question has been raised in regard

to the authorship of Dixie. The song was once printed by P. P. Werlein,

of New Orleans. Emmett's publishers promptly notified him that he

was printing one of their copyright pieces. At a convention of music

dealers in New York, the claims of Emmett were presented by attorneys

for his publishers and by Emmett himself. So overwhelming was the

Vol. XIII-34.

530        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

proof, that Werlein, who had been imposed upon by a pretended author,

came forward and publicly recognized Emmett's claim to original author-

ship. All this occurred before the Arkansan McCarthy had taught the

cockatoo in his bird show to shout 'Three cheers for Jeff Davis.'"

If it were necessary, much additional evidence could be

submitted in support of Emmett's claim to authorship. Col. T.

Allston Brown, veteran dramatic agent and author of "A His-

tory of the New York Stage," who was well acquainted with

Emmett when he composed Dixie, is still living in New York

City. In a letter of August 5, 1904, he gives in detail the cir-

cumstances under which the song was written, substantially as

they have been related. The Oliver Ditson Co., who at present

publish it, in a letter of July 8, 1904, say:

"Dixie is about the only composition we have of Emmett's. This

was first copyrighted in 1860."

The chief of the music division of the Library of Congress,

under date of July 22, 1904, forwards the following memoran-

dum:

"Dixie by D. Emmett. Transcript of title page to earliest edition in

the Library of Congress:

I wish I was in Dixie's Land. Written and composed expressly

for Bryant's Minstrels by Dan D. Emmett. Arranged for the Pianoforte

by W. L. Hobbs. New York: Published by Firth, Pond & Co. Entered

according to act of Congress A. D. 1860 by Firth, Pond & Co.

Also copyrighted 1888 by heirs of D. Emmett and 1898 by Oliver

Ditson Co. The caption title reads "Dixie's Land."

The Register of Copyrights, under date of August 20, 1904,

writes:

"The earliest entry of the musical composition Dixie appears to be

by Firth, Pond & Co., June 21, 1860, under the title "I wish I was in

Dixie's Land, written and composed expressly for Bryant's Minstrels by

Dan. D. Emmett."

Not only was Emmett recognized as the author of Dixie in

his tour through the South, but the press of that section has

long regarded him    as such.    In the Confederate Veteran for

September, 1895,2 is a full page facsimile letter from      him, a

half-tone reproduction, music and words, of a manuscript copy

1See also the issue for December, 1894.

532        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

of Dixie, and an appreciative sketch by the editor, S. A. Cun-

ningham, who had visited the author at Mt. Vernon

Rival claimants have not gotten beyond the limits of vague

reminiscences; Emmett's title is proven by contemporaneous tes-

timony and the official records at Washington.

OTHER DIXIE SONGS.

As already stated, many songs have been composed and

sung to the music of Dixie. The familiar words of General

Albert Pike are full of Southern fire. They first appeared in

The Natchez Courier, April 30, 1861, and are here reproduced

in full:

Southrons, hear your country call you!

Up, lest worse than death befall you!

To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie.

Lo! all the beacon fires are lighted,

Let all hearts be now united!

To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie.

CHORUS:

Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah!

For Dixie's land we take our stand, and live and die for Dixie !

To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!

To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!

Hear the Northern thunders mutter!

Northern flags in South winds flutter!

To arms, etc.

Send them back your fierce defiance!

Stamp upon the accursed alliance!

To arms, etc.

Fear no danger! Shun no labor!

Lift up rifle, pike and sabre!

To arms, etc.

Shoulder pressing close to shoulder,

Let the odds make each heart bolder!

To arms, etc.

How the South's great heart rejoices,

At your cannons' ringing voices!

To arms, etc.

Song Writers of Ohio.                     533

For faith betrayed, and pledges broken,

Wrongs inflicted, insults spoken,

To arms, etc.

Strong as lions, swift as eagles,

Back to their kennels hunt these beagles

To arms, etc.

Cut the unequal bonds asunder!

Let them hence each other plunder!

To arms, etc.

Swear upon your country's altar

Never to submit or falter!

To arms, etc.

Till the spoilers are defeated,

Till the Lord's work is completed.

To arms, etc.

Halt not till our Federation

Secures from earth's powers its station!

To arms, etc.

Then at peace, and crowned with glory,

Hear your children tell the story!

To arms, etc.

If the loved ones weep in sadness,

Victory soon will bring them gladness.

To arms, etc.

Exultant pride soon banish sorrow;

Smiles chase tears away tomorrow.

To arms, etc.

Positive proof is now at hand that at an earlier date Em-

mett's melody, with his approval, had been used with a Union

song, words by Frances J. Crosby,1 entitled "Dixie for the Union."

It was written after the evacuation of Ft. Moultrie and before

the fall of Ft. Sumpter. Here are the first two stanzas:

On! ye patriots to the battle,

Hear Fort Moultrie's cannon rattle!

Then away, then away, then away to the fight!

Go meet those Southern traitors,

With iron will.

1Fanny Crosby, the famous blind hymn writer, is still living at the

age of eighty-four years.

534        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

And should your courage falter, boys,

Remember Bunker Hill.

Hurrah! Hurrah! The Stars and Stripes forever!

Hurrah! Hurrah! Our Union shall not sever!

As our fathers crushed oppression,

Deal with those who breathe Secession;

Then away, then away, then away to the fight!

Though Beauregard and Wigfall

Their swords may whet,

Just tell them Major Anderson

Has not surrendered yet.

Hurrah! Hurrah! etc.

A Southern man, writing for the Baltimore Sun of July 20,

1904, while admitting that Emmett wrote the original Dixie,

still claims that Harry McCarthy was author of the words sung

by the Confederate armies. From these he quotes a stanza which

is only an awkward adaptation of Emmett's verse:

Old Tennessee has not forgotten

Her good old friends in the land of cotton.

Look away! Look away! Oh, I wish I was in Dixie!

In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand

To live and die in Dixie

Away! Away! Away down south in Dixie.

Another song set to the tune of Dixie and called "The Star

of the West," appeared in The Charleston Mercury early in 1861.

The first stanza, with the exception of the chorus, was almost

identical with the corresponding part of Emmett's production.

The last stanza ran as follows:

Dat rocket high a-blazin' in de sky,

Tis de sign dat de snobbies am comin' up nigh -

Look away, look away, lads in gray!

Dey bin braggin' long, if we dare to shoot a shot,

Dey comin' up strong and dey'll send us all to pot.

Fire away, fire away, lads in gray.

CHORUS: Den I wish I was in Dixie, etc.

We quote also the first stanza of another variation, said to

have been very popular with the Confederate soldiers:

Song Writers of Ohio.                    535

Away down South in de fields of cotton

Cinnamon seed, and sandy bottom!

Look away, look away, look away, look away.

Den 'way down South in de fields of cotton,

Vinegar shoes and paper stockings

Look away, look away, look away, look away.

CHORUS:

Den I wish I was in Dixie's Land, Oh-oh! Oh-oh

In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand,

And live and die in Dixie's Land,

Away, away, away, away down South in Dixie.

General Pike probably saw Miss Crosby's song before he

wrote his own. None of those who copied Emmett's metrical

formula got very far from his chorus. They retain it wholly

or in part. The line "Cinnamon seed and sandy bottom" occurs

in the early Emmett manuscript reproduced in the Confederate

Veteran.

SELECTIONS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN PRINT.

DAR'S A DARKEY IN DE TENT.

Dar's a darkey in de tent, keep 'im in, keep 'im in, keep 'im in.

But he hasn't paid de rent, kick 'im out, kick 'im out, kick 'im out.

CHORUS:

Den, wide awake

Bake dat cake,

Den kick up a chunk and put out de light, an' go home wid de galls in

de morning

Den, wide awake

Bake dat cake,

Den kick up a chunk an' put out de light,

We'll sing dis song an' dance all night.

1860.

MAC1 WILL WIN THE UNION BACK.

Mid cheers that rend the air,

Mac's soldiers now prepare,

In Presidential chair

Their gallant chief to bear.

General George B. McClellan.

536        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

In all his fame they share,

Red, white and blue they wear;

Disunion to its lair

To drive is aye their care.

CHORUS:

Then cry hurrah, hurrah for little Mac,

For he's the boy to win the Union back,

And sail the ship of state on safer track.

Hurrah, hurrah for little Mac!

1864.

HERE WE ARE OR CROSS OBER JORDAN.

I'll sail de worl' clar roun' an' roun',

All by de railroad under groun'.

CHORUS:

We'll all cross ober Jordan, we'll land on tudder shore,

Den make room in de flat-boat for one darkey more;

For Egypt's in de garden a kickin' up a row,

Ho boys, ho boys! who can find us now.

When I get home I'll hab a spree,

Den leff dis worl' and climb a tree.

Old Massa Linkum split a rail,

An' de Union clar from head to tail.

He's got his eyes on 'sixty-four,

Bekase he's Union to de core.

Remember Grant, but don't forget

Dat little Mac am not dead yet.

1863.

STRIKING ILE.

The world it revolves on its own axle-tree,

Once in twenty-four hours, says G. O. Graffee;

The axle got hot and the world stopt awhile

And the people have all gone to "boring for ile."

CHORUS:

Never strike ile! Never strike ile!

People get looney: run mad for a while;

They'll bore thro' to China, before they "strike ile!"

Song Writers of Ohio.                    537

There's lawyers and doctors, and men of all grades,

Men that live by their wits, and men that have trades;

Thro' old Pennsylvania, they've trudg'd many a mile,

With their forty foot auger, they're going to "strike ile!"

Maximilian in Mexico has a hard time,

His pockets are empty, he's not worth a dime;

There's no blood in turnips: he'll not make a pile,

If he lives till he dies, he will never "strike ile!"

John Bull in his dotage has smelled a big rat,

He'd rather meet Satan, than one democrat;

There's a doctrine called Monroe will stir up his bile,

He may run the blockade, but he'll never "strike ile!"

Napoleon the little has lately grown thin,

He's troubled with nightmare and "Duke Dr. Gwin" ;1

We've a small bill against him: Abe's got it on file!

Then to balance his ledger-he'll have to "strike ile!"

Jeff Davis in Richmond don't get along well;

"His Southern Confederacy's nought but a shell;"

Let him brag and eat fire in true Southern style,

He may dig his "last ditch"-but he'll never "strike ile!"

1865.

THAT CAT AND THE DOG FIGHT.

In the New    York Clipper for September 28, 1872, under

the above caption, was concluded a controversy over the author-

ship of a song entitled "Cat Doggerell," published in that paper

July 13, of the same year. It appears that a Mr. Stewart claimed

that he had written the song in 1870. Emmett, after submitting

a number of affidavits to prove that he had written it for Robert

Lindley, a banjo player, in 1867, brought the dispute to a close

in the following characteristic statement:

"Now, Mr. Editor, after all this parade about a piece of nonsense

(of which I am heartily ashamed), I wish it distinctly understood that I

do not charge Mr. Stewart with appropriating my verses. That similar

ideas and language could be used and be perfectly original with two

"poicks", is not at all uncommon. That I have proven my authorship in

1William  McKendree Gwin, U. S. Senator from   California, 1849

to the breaking out of the war. Accused of disloyalty and imprisoned

till 1863. Planned to establish a Confederate colony in Sonora, Mexico,

under Maximilian.

538        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

'67 he must admit, as I am willing to acknowledge that he originated his

version in '70 as he has sworn to. I also make this confession, that I

stand convicted of appropriating another man's ideas two years before

he originated them. To conclude, nothing that can be said hereafter will

ever induce me to continue this controversy, as "I give it up" from this

date.                        Respectfully yours,

DAN. D. EMMETT."

NEGRO SERMON.

BY DAN. EMMETT.

Bredren, de text am foun' in de inside ob Job whar Paul draw'd

him pistol on 'Feesians, lebenteenth chapter, an' no 'ticklar verse: "Bressed

am dem dat 'spects nuttin', kase dey aint gwine to git nuttin'!"

*      *     *      *     *

We am told dat Adam was de firs man an' Ebe was de tudder;

dey was boaf brack men, an' so was Cain an' Abel. Dar am a mistake

in de printer, for some udder man made ole Missus Adam, an' set her up

again de barn to dry; an' now, my frens, who built dat barn? (Ha! ha!

ha!) Bredren, de debble am now in Baltimoa--he hab a notion ob

comin' to Fillamadelfy - now he on de carrs - now he in Jarsy City-

now he in New Yawk - he in hear! dat's him - dat dar white man

settin' in de corner laffin!

*      *     *     *      *

Now, we be got to lassly: I sees a great many heah dis ebenin

dat cares no moa what 'comes ob darr souls dan I does myseff. Suppose,

frinstance, dat yoa eat yoa full ob possam fat an' hominy; yoa go to bed,

an' in de mornin yoa wake up an' find youseff dead! Whar yoa speck

yoa gwine to? Yoa keep gwine down, down, down, till de bottam falls

out! What 'comes ob ye den? You see de debble comein down de hill

on a rasslejack, wid a ear like a backer leaf an' a tail like a cornstalk;

out ob he mouff comes pitchforks an' lightnin, an' him tail smoke like a

tar kill! Whar is you now? No time for 'pentin; de debble kotch ye,

shoa! but bress de lam, he habn't kotch dis child yet! What's gwine to

'come ob ye on de great gittin-up-day? Maby yoa tink you hold on to

my coat-tail; but I'm gwine to fool yoa bad on dat 'casion, kase I'm

gwine to wear my coon-skin jacket! Yoa crawl up de hill on yoa hans

an' nees, yoa fall down again, wallup! den yoa's call'd a backslider. Dar's

de brimstone, de grindstone, de millstone, de blue stone, an' eb'ry udder

kind o' stone de debble's got to tie 'roun yoa neck, to sink ye in de

nebberlastin gulf of bottomless ruin. Yoa call for a cup ob cold water

an' de debble say "No!" * * * Den yoa weep an' wail an' smash

out yoa teef out. Den wake up, sinners, an' let de daybroke in on ye!

My frens, I neider preach for de lob ob de lam, de good ob yoa

souls, nor de fear ob de debble; but, if you got any ole shoe, ole coat,

Song Writers of Ohio.                 539

ole hat, jiss pass em roun dis way, an' I'll light upon 'em like a raccoon

upon a green cornstalk. It's no use passin roun de plate for "Bressed am

dem dat 'specks nuttin, kaze dey aint a gwine to git nuttin!"--From

The (New York) Clipper.

MANUSCRIPT PAPERS.

The manuscript papers left by Emmett furnish indisputable

evidence of the fact that he was a prolific writer. His simple

verse embraces almost every subject from Old Dan Tucker to

the Life of Lewis Wetzel. He composed readily, sometimes im-

provising stanzas on the stage.  The greater number of his

poems, if such they may be called, are written in negro dialect.

Of these only a few of the "walk-arounds" seem to have been

published.

While abroad he studied the brogue of the Emerald Isle.

Among his papers are a number of songs in the Irish vernacular.

Many chapters of verse are devoted to the valorous deeds

of Wetzel and Colonel Crawford. In his later years he read

pioneer history with avidity and recorded his impressions in

metrical composition. This he probably did as a pastime. In

an introduction to one of his narratives he apologizes for his

limited vocabulary and expresses regret that his educational ad-

vantages had been so meager.

Of instrumental music he left many volumes. The major

portion of this is very neatly executed with the quill, which he

invariably used in writing.

His productions were not confined to verse and music. In

the collection are a number of plays, including "Hard Times,"

written in 1854. The dialogues are in both metrical and prose

form, interspersed with occasional songs. There are more than

a score of negro sermons. A small brown paper wrapper en-

closed a package of prayers, carefully written. There are morn-

ing prayers, "graces" for his daily bread, and thanks to be ren-

dered on retiring at day's decline.

If his dialect songs or the careless reports of newspaper

correspondents have led any to think that Emmett was a dunce

or a buffoon, an examination of his writings will correct the

erroneous impression. One of the most interesting of the man-

uscript books is the volume of "Walk Arounds." On the first

540        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

page, written in pencil without an erasure, under the head of

"Remarks," evidently intended as the first draft of a preface,

is the following:

These "Walk 'Rounds" were composed during the period from 1859-

1868. Most of them were first put upon the stage of the celebrated "Bry-

ant Minstrels" in New York, and for whom, in fact most of them were

composed, while the author was a member of that organization; and the

immense popularity they attained (the W. R.) was in a great measure

due to the effective manner in which the "Bryant's" produced them.

In the composition of a "Walk 'Round", (by this I mean the style

of music and character of the words), I have always strictly confined

myself to the habits and crude ideas of the slaves of the South. Their

knowledge of the world at large was very limited, often not extending be-

yond the bounds of the next plantation; they could sing of nothing but

everyday life or occurrences, and the scenes by which they were sur-

rounded. This being the undeniable fact, to be true to the negro pecu-

liarities of song, I have written in accordance.

DANIEL DECATUR EMMETT.

One of his earliest volumes of instrumental music, evidently

prepared with a view     to publication, is "Emmett's Standard

Drummer."     The title page, neatly lettered in the author's own

hand, is as follows:

EMMETT'S

STANDARD      DRUMMER.

Being the regular School for the U. S. Army, containing all the beats

and routine duty for the

Drum and Fife.

According to the "Ashworth Mode".

The whole rendered plain and concise.

BY

DANIEL D. EMMETT.

Following this is the preface which reveals the military

record of the author and explains where he got systematic in-

struction in music. It is here presented without change of punc-

tuation or capitalization:

Song Writers of Ohio.                     541

EMMETT'S STANDARD DRUMMER.

PREFACE.

With the public, and particularly that portion for whom this school

is intended, I deem it necessary to inform them by what authority I

claim to be competent to issue a work of this kind:

At the early age of 17, I enlisted in the U. S. Army as a fifer, and

was stationed at Newport Barracks, Ky., the then school of practice for

the western department. For one year, or more, I practiced the drum

incessantly under the tuition of the renowned John J. Clark, (better

known as "Juba"), and made myself master of the "Duty" and every

known "side beat" then in use. Being transferred to the 6th U. S. In-

fantry, then stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., I was retained as

"leading fifer" until discharged. In the meantime I continued my drum

practice, which was then taught according to the School of Ashworth.

In after years I travelled as Small Drummer with the celebrated Edward

Kendall while he was leader of Spalding and Rogers' Circus Band. I

benefited from his superior qualifications as a drummer, and with the

foregoing experience, I humbly submit my "Standard Drummer" to

those who wish to become adepts in the art of drumming.

THE AUTHOR.

The work opens with concise and carefully written directions

for the beginner. The language, dignified and sincere through-

out, would have done credit to the cultured instructor of that day.

Emmett was a Democrat¹ and through the war a strong

Union man. Among his effects was found a song, evidently

written just after the fall of Ft. Sumpter, which concludes as

follows:

Then on to Richmond! forward march!

Out of old Jeff we'll take the starch;

We'll sing this song, and take things cool,

And fight for freedom, not for wool.²

A few years before his death he said in answer to a direct question,

"I am a Democrat, but I do not wear a collar.

I'm a Democrat bred

And a Democrat bawn,

And when I am dead

There's a Democrat gawn."

2In these lines he gives expression to his union sentiments and his

opposition to fighting for the colored race.

542        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

A little manuscript book, yellow with age but still quite

legible, contains some of his earliest writings. The following

is published because of its oddity and the former popularity of

the tune. It is without doubt the original as composed by the

boy Emmett over seventy years ago. One stanza is omitted:

OLD DAN TUCKER.

COMPOSED BY OLD DAN EMMETT.

I came to town de udder night,

I hear de noise, den saw de sight,

De watchmen dey (was) runnin' roun',

Cryin' "Ole Dan Tucker's come to town".

Git outen de way (repeat)

Git outen de way, Ole Dan Tucker,

You's too late to come to your supper.

Sheep an' hog a walkin' in de pasture,

Sheep says, "hog can't you go faster?"

Hush! hush! honey, hear de wolf growlin',

Ah, ah, de Lawd, bull dog growlin'.

Git outen de way, etc.

Here's my razor in good order,

Magnum bonum-jis hab bought 'er;

Sheep shell oats, an' Tucker shell de corn,

I'll shabe ye soon as de water gits warm.

Git outen de way, etc.

Tucker went roun' hickry steeple,

Dar he meet some colored people,

Some was black, some was blacker,

Some was de color ob brown tobackur.

Git outen de way, etc.

Jay bird in de martin's nest,

To sabe he soul he got no rest.

Ole Tucker in de foxe's den,

Out come de young ones nine or ten.

Git outen de way, etc.

Tucker on de wood pile can't count lebben,

Put 'im in a fedder bed goin' to hebben;

His nose so flat, his face so full,

Song Writers of Ohio.                     543

De top ob his head like a bag ob wool.

Git outen de way, etc.

High-hold on de holler tree,

He poke his bill in for to see,

De lizard cotch 'im by de snout,

He call for Tucker to pull 'im out

Git outen de way, etc.

I went to de meetin' de udder day ..

To hear ole Tucker preach and pray;

Dey all got drunk, but me alone,

I make ole Tucker walk jaw bone.

Git outen de way, etc.

The following selections are from Emmett's Irish songs.

Only The Offish Saiker and Pat Rooney's Ball are complete.

So far as given, they are copied literally.

EFFECTS OF THE BROGUE.

BY D. D. EMMETT.

Air: Tatter Jack Welch.

'Tis plisint to hear a nice bit o' the brogue,

For Paddy has got a nate wag o' the tongue;

It is the most illigent language in vogue,

'Tis swate and good music as iver was sung.

For you can palaver

A girl and not have 'er,

And court her all night and nixt day if ye suit;

Then don't be a fool,

Spake Irish by rule,

'Tis a mark of good manners and braiding to boot.

I come to thish counthry on boord of a ship,

At Liverpool docks we laid up rather long;

The captain said, "Paddy, give none of your lip!

I'll sail just as soon as the wind blows up strong."

Then I got on me knais,

The powers to plaise,

'Twas then in good Irish I prayed for a gale;

My language was nate,

Neptune, or his mate,

Struck up a fresh breeze, and the ship it made sail.

544         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Then nothing did happen to mar our delight,

Till one afternoon we got caught in a fog;

'Twas lucky the fog didn't catch us at night,

The captain at once wrote this down in his log.

The fog and the mist

All your strength would resist,

Then ivery one said: "Paddy make us a prayer,

Pray in Irish: be quick!

Knale where the fog's thick!"

To plaise 'em, I prayed till the fog wasn't there.

The rats and the mice were as thick as green pais,

And divil a cat was on boord o' the craft;

We fought a pitch'd battle with bed bugs and flais,

Their forces united and drove us all aft.

We couldn't run further

Some yell'd "Bloody murther!"

Some said, "Have compassion upon us poor souls!"

I praiched to the vermin

A rale Irish sermon;

They thought me St. Pathrick and run for their hoales.

Then peace was reshtored, and the sails were unfurled,

Till we landed in York on the ould Batterree;

It is the wosht place yez can find in the world!

By thish recommind I don't mane flatterree.

The drivers of hacks

Would follow yer tracks

And taise ye to death for to take a short ride;

They'll get on yer trail,

No prayers can avail;

Yer glad to eshcape wid a pace o' yer hide!

WHEN THISH OULD POIPE WAS NEW.

COMPOSED BY DAN. EMMETT, FOR HIS JUVENILE FRIEND, MASTER MCGEARRY.

Air: "Me Irish Molly 0."

For fifty years, some more or less, me father shmoked thish poipe

'Twas made of rale ould Irish clay-'tis mellow and 'tis roipe;

Altho' the shtem is broken, yet the bowl is good and sound,

Me son shall shmoke it after me, when I'm laid in the ground.

CHORUS:

It comforts me in summer's heat, likewise through winter's could,

I niver would forsake it, were it twenty times as ould;

Song Writers of Ohio.                     545

For the shmoke that curls above it, tho' the whiffs they be but few,

Reminds me of the days, me boys, when thish ould poipe was new.

Chicago, Jan. 4, 1875.

THE OFFISH SAIKER.

BY D. D. EMMETT.

Air: Candidate for Alderman.

I am a man that's made a name, I'm knownst to maisht of you,

Me home is in a lovely shtrate called "Byler Avenue!"

Me neighbors all do shmile on me as I go 'long the shtrate,

The girls spake low as I pass on-"0, aint he moasht too shwate."

CHORUS:

Hooroo! for me, for thaives an' rogues,

Must know their time has come;

We'll give them all for their reward-

"What Paddy gave the dhrum!"

For an' offish I have waited long an' shtood out in the frosht,

I tell them we musht have reform, or elsh the city's losht!

They ask me for to tell them how an where I would begin,

I say-"Turn ivry foiriner out, an' put the Irish in!"

At big turnouts ye'll see me there wid a banner on me back,

You'll always find me on the side that's got the biggest "whack!"

They call on me to make a spaich -of coorse I musht comply -

"The Irish boys have got their claims-thish no man can deny!"

PAT ROONEY'S BALL.

BY D. D. EMMETT.

Air: "As to Clonmel we go."

Pat Rooney had the cash,

But wa'nt the man to lind it;

Says he: "I'll make a splash,

'Twill be misel will spend it;

I'll give a fanshy ball -

0 yis! I will! be jabers!

I'll invite one an' all,

Both strangers an' me neighbers!

Yes I will."

Vol. XIII- 35.

46        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

A hall he did engage,

From Jolly Jack the rover;

The ball was all the rage

For full six waiks an' over;

The shtores were emptied clane,

The merchants caught the crafters,

For nothing did remain

From the flure up to the rafters.

That's the troot.

'Twas Riley from Wicklow,

That played upon the fiddle;

He drawed the longest bow,

Clane both ways from the middle;

He played "Ould Jack's the lad",

A chune that's famed in story,

"The fall of Ballanyfad",

An' "Geary Owen an' glory."

Yis he did!

They danced six reels or moore,

An' niver thought of flaggin;

They bounced up from the flure,

Like hind-whails to a waggon;

'Twas then they formed a ring

To dance, "The divil sind it;"

When Riley broke a string

An' had to shtop to mind it.

That's bad luck.

Now there was Biddy Niel,

Wid courage moasht undaunted,

She danced the "square-toed reel"

An' danced it single handed;

'Twas hop, skip an' jump,

When an' accident befel 'er,

She tript an' fell ker thump,

An' broke clane thro' the cellar,

So she did.

The pigs squailed in the pen,

You'd thought the dead had risen;

The women an' the men

Cockt up their ears to listen;

The fiddler -shly old coon,

Put them all in a roar, sir;

Song Writers of Ohio.                    547

He'd niver heard a chune

Wid bristles on before, sir.

No indade.

Flure manager they had

Who 'round the room kept prancing;

An' what was moasht too bad-

He'd no "order of dancing."

A paisht boord he did wear,

Pinned to his boick too tightly;

The figures were wrote there,

So all could rade them rightly,

Them as could.

They danced till broad daylight,

When some one was suggestin'

To wind up wid a fight

An' make it interestin';

But they'd have none o' that-

An' what is shtill more funny-

Some rashcal passhed the hat

An' shtole the fiddler's money,

The auld thief.

Then homewards all did trudge,

0, how they'd brag an' swagger;

Some were too full o' "budge"--

So full it made them shtagger;

Some shtrayed off an' got losht,

Were nabbed but got no bail, sir;

'Twas ten dollars an' cost,

An' twenty days in jail, sir,

That's too bad!

THE CONNAUGHT MAN.

BY D: D. EMMETT.

Air: Connaught Man's Ramble.

I'm somewhat a rover,-

Have travelled all over,

Thro' Victoria's kingdom  that shouldn't be hers;

This jolly ould crayter,

This lump o' good nature,

Is kind to the poor, and it often occurs.

But time it works wonders,

548         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

And cures many blunders,

We see it aich day, yet our life's but a span;

The true Irish nation,

Is ould as creation,

For Adam himself was the first Connaught man

CHORUS:

Just take the world aisy,

They'll call yez a daisy,

Be true to your friends for it is the best plan;

Then spend your last shilling

With hearts that are willing--

Is a rule that will work-with a true Connaught man.

But "Soldier and glory,"

Is an ould Irish story -

You fight like the devil for somebody's king;

Just when you begin it

Your heart is not in it,

For fighting is not "getting girls on a string."

Your teeth they may chatter,

And swords flash and clatter,

Your comrades may fall and their faces you scan;

By grief you'r o'erpowered,

Yet still you'r no coward,

You carry the heart of a true Connaught man.

AULD MRS. MADIGAN'S CAT.

BY D. D. EMMETT.

Air Brannagan's Pup.

'Twas ould Mrs. Madigan owned a tom cat,

That slept on the fence every night;

His hair stood on end like a war Democrat,

And he spiled every day for a fight.

CHORUS:

He'd climb up the fence and hollow "murriare";

But devil an answer he'd get,

For pussy she lay by the hot kitchen fire,

While Tommy stood out in the wet.

Now Tom sent a challenge to every yard,

To fight at catch weight for the cup;

Song Writers of Ohio.                    549

But his name was a terror throughout the whole ward,

And not a cat dare take it up!

He climbed to the top of a liberty pole,

And yelled: "I'm the cock-o'-the-walk!"

Then the neighboring cats crept into their hole

And said, "Hear the old bully talk."

A splinter stuck in 'im just close to his hip,

Where the hide is most generally thin;

He turned to descend when he heard something rip,

He'd pulled himself out of his skin!

Every night, so they say, when the weather is clear,

Be it winter or hot summer time;

On the top of the pole his skinned ghost will appear,

As a warning to cats not to climb.

CHORUS:

No more on the fence will he hollow "murriare,"

Nor try for an answer to get;

No more pussy sleeps by the hot kitchen fire,

But the "ghost it still walks" in the wet!

These extracts are from the manuscript collection to which

reference is made on a preceding page:

GRACE AT MEALS.

Heavenly Father: I desire to thank Thee for this frugal meal, and

all other meals Thou hast permitted me to enjoy during my past exist-

ence. I pray Thee appropriate it to my good, to the benefit of the

health and strength of both body and mind, and to whatever seemeth

good for me in Thy sight.

FOR DAILY PRAYER.

O Lord God of hosts, who reigneth in heaven and ruleth this earth

and the universe, grant, I beseech Thee, to me who ask, the gift of

Thy divine love, that I may love Thee with my whole heart, both in word

and work, and never cease from showing forth Thy praise.

Grant, 0 Heavenly Father, that I may have perpetual fear and

love of Thy holy name. * * * Grant that Thy praise may always

be in my mouth. I hope in Thy infinite goodness and mercy and I

love Thee with all my heart.

Pour down Thy blessings upon me, should I prove worthy of

them. Bless my parents and relatives that lie in their cold and silent

graves. Help the poor and the sick and those that are in agony. Con-

550         Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

vert the unbelievers and enlighten them in the true faith, and let me not

waver in faith in Thee and Thy promises.

Heavenly Father, give ear to Thy supplicant, that in Thy bounty

Thou mayest grant me both pardon and peace.

Show forth upon me, O Lord, in Thy mercy, Thy unspeakable

loving kindness; that Thou mayest loose me from all my sins and deliver

me from the punishment that I deserve from them. Assist my weakness

and suffer me not again to fall into my past sins and to be separated

from Thee. As the heart panteth after the fountains of water, so my

soul panteth after Thee, 0 God! For what have I in heaven? and besides

Thee, what do I desire on earth? 0 my God! this house of my heart is

too narrow for Thee! Do Thou enlarge it; it is falling to ruin, do

Thou repair it; it has been defiled by sin; I pray Thee cleanse and purify

it. Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live. Let my soul

enjoy the sweetness of Thy presence.

AT GOING TO BED.

Almighty God and Heavenly Father, bless that repose I am about

to take in order to renew my strength that I may be the better able to

serve Thee. 0 all ye saints and angels, intercede for me this night

and during the rest of my life, but particularly at the hour of my death.

Merciful God, I beseech Thee, give me sweet and refreshing sleep, * * *

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES.

Since the foregoing article has been put into type, additional material

of interest has come to the hands of the writer which he may publish later

in different form. Much has recently been said about the original manu-

script of Dixie. It is not probable that it is in existence. It was lost

years ago. The author made many manuscript copies and it is but

natural that some of these should be presented as the original.

MONUMENT.

Steps have been taken to raise funds to erect a monument to the

author of Dixie. Mr. Al. G. Field is chairman of the general commis-

sion appointed by the Mayor of Mt. Vernon, O.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

The writer wishes to make grateful acknowledgment to the following

persons for assistance in the preparation of the foregoing sketch: Rev.

Wm. E. Hull, Rector of St. Paul's, Mt. Vernon, O., and administrator

of the estate of Daniel D. Emmett; Mr. Al. G. Field, Mrs. Daniel D.

Emmett, and Mr. J. C. Scott. Much valuable material has been gleaned

from the files of The Democratic Banner and The Republican News, of

Mt. Vernon, O. The photograph for full page illustration was furnished

by Sherman, photographer, Mt. Vernon, O.