The Laramie Boomerang , formerly the Laramie Daily Boomerang , is a newspaper in Laramie, Wyoming , US.
82-535: The newspaper was established in March 1881 by American humorist Edgar Wilson ("Bill") Nye , who named the paper after his mule , "Boomerang", named so, Nye had said, because he could trust the mule to return him home no matter how inebriated and disoriented Nye might've become. The Boomerang was founded while Nye was the postmaster of the city, then in the Wyoming Territory . It launched him to national fame, gaining
164-558: A 12-year-old orphan named Mary Alice "Allie" Smith. She was the inspiration for Riley's poem " Little Orphant Annie ". Riley had intended titling the poem "Little Orphant Allie", but a typesetter 's error changed it during printing. Riley's father returned from the war partially paralyzed. He was unable to continue working in his legal practice, and the family soon fell into financial distress. The war's negative effects soon caused his relationship with his family to deteriorate. He opposed Riley's interest in poetry and encouraged him to find
246-508: A book, Nye and Riley's Railway Guide , a collection of humorous anecdotes and poems intended to parody popular tourist literature of the day. Published in 1888, the book was somewhat successful and had three reprints. In October 1887, Riley and the association joined with other writers to petition the United States Congress to attempt to negotiate international treaties to protect American copyrights abroad. The group became known as
328-575: A brief performance for the dignitaries at the event before speaking about the need for international copyright protections. Cleveland was enamored by Riley's performance and invited him back for a private meeting during which the two men discussed cultural topics. In the 1888 Presidential Election campaign , Riley's acquaintance Benjamin Harrison was nominated as the Republican candidate. Although Riley had shunned politics for most of his life, he gave Harrison
410-471: A close friend of Bottsford and scolded him for his mistreatment of her. Her reputation was tarnished by the affair, and she found it difficult to find employment once their relationship was over. In 1884, Riley toured the major cities in the eastern United States again. Following the lectures, he began compiling a second book of poetry. He completed it during July, and Bowen-Merrill published it in December with
492-504: A close friendship with Eugene V. Debs . He enjoyed Riley's works and often complimented his sentiments. Riley had used the pseudonym "Jay Whit" since he began writing poetry but finally began to use his own name in April 1881. Riley renewed his relationship with Bottsford in 1880, and the two corresponded frequently. Their relationship remained unstable, but Riley became deeply attached to her. She inspired his poem "The Werewife", which told of
574-421: A close friendship. Developing and maintaining publicity became a constant job requiring more of his attention as his fame grew. Keeping his alcohol addiction secret, maintaining the persona of a simple rural poet and a friendly common person became most important. Riley identified these traits as the basis of his popularity during the mid-1880s and wrote of his need to maintain a fictional persona. He encouraged
656-401: A daily, except for Saturdays, until 1937) and then as The Laramie Republican and Boomerang (also as a daily, except for Saturdays). The Boomerang was acquired in 1938 by Tracy McCraken, who had previously been editor of the paper. He had also served as secretary, in 1923, to Wyoming's Democratic Governor William Bradford Ross , and, in 1924, to U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick . Eventually,
738-460: A different career. The family finances finally disintegrated. They were forced to sell their town home in April 1870 and return to their country farm. Riley's mother was able to keep peace in the family, but after her death in August from heart disease , Riley and his father had a final break. He blamed his mother's death on his father's failure to care for her in her final weeks. He continued to regret
820-513: A few newspapers believed the poem was authentic, most did not, claiming the quality was too poor to be written by Poe. A Dispatch employee learned the truth of the incident and reported it to the Kokomo Tribune , which published an exposé that outed Riley as a conspirator behind the hoax. The revelation damaged the Dispatch ' s credibility and harmed Riley's reputation. In the aftermath of
902-469: A few of his dialect poems and consisted mostly of sonnets . The book reprinted many poems Riley had already published but included some new ones he wrote specifically for the book, including "The Days Gone By", "The Little White Hearse", and "The Serenade". The book was Riley's favorite because it included his finest works and was published by the prestigious Longmans, Green Publishers with high quality printing and binding. In late 1888 he finished work on
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#1732845400190984-464: A financial success. By the 1890s, Riley had become known as a bestselling author. His children's poems were compiled into a book illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy . Titled Rhymes of Childhood , it was his most popular and sold millions of copies. As a poet, Riley achieved an uncommon level of fame during his lifetime. He was honored with annual Riley Day celebrations around the United States and
1066-419: A first attempt to give up liquor by joining a local temperance organization but quit after a few weeks. Without a steady income, his financial situation worsened. Riley began submitting his poems to more prominent literary magazines, including Scribner's Monthly , but was informed that although it showed promise, his work was still short of the standards required for use in their publications. Locally, he
1148-480: A fourth book, Pipes o' Pan at Zekesbury which was released to great acclaim in the United States. Based on a fictional town in Indiana, Riley presented many stories and poems about its citizens and way of life. It received mixed reviews from literary critics who wrote of it that Riley's stories were not of the same quality as his poetry. The book was very popular with the public and went through numerous reprints. Riley
1230-502: A full-time writer. In February, he submitted a poem titled "At Last" to a Connecticut newspaper the Danbury News . The editors accepted it, paid him for it, and wrote him a letter encouraging him to submit more. Riley found the note and his first payment inspiring. He began submitting poems regularly to the editors, but after the newspaper shut down in 1875, Riley was left without a paying publisher. He began traveling and performing with
1312-548: A job offer and to create a market for his poetry, he began sending poems to dozens of newspapers touting Longfellow's endorsement. Among the newspapers to take an interest in his poems was the Indianapolis Journal , a major Republican Party metropolitan newspaper in Indiana. Among the first poems it purchased from him were "Song of the New Year", "An Empty Nest", and a short story entitled "A Remarkable Man". The editors of
1394-714: A lecture circuit would provide much needed funds. His agreement for continued employment with the circuit depended on his ability to draw audiences during the first season, beginning in April 1881. He succeeded, drawing the largest crowds in Chicago and Indianapolis . Because of his success in the Midwest, the circuit leaders invited him to make an east coast tour, starting in Boston at the Tremont Temple in February 1882. Riley agreed, signing
1476-496: A literary community that produced works rivaling the established eastern literati. There are many memorials dedicated to Riley, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children . James Whitcomb Riley was born on October 7, 1849, in the town of Greenfield, Indiana , the third of the six children of Reuben Andrew and Elizabeth Marine Riley. Riley's grandparents came from Ireland to Pennsylvania before moving to
1558-528: A love of literature. He and his friends spent time at the library where the librarian read stories and poems to them. Charles Dickens became one Riley's favorites and inspired the poems "St. Lirriper", "Christmas Season", and "God Bless Us Every One". Riley's father enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War , leaving his wife to manage the family home. While he was away, the family took in
1640-400: A perfect wife who could suddenly become a demonic monster. Bottsford pressed Riley for marriage several times, but he refused. They broke off their relationship a second time in 1881 when she discovered his correspondence with two other women, and found he had taken a secret vacation to Wisconsin with one of them. Riley's alcoholism influenced some of his poems during his time working for
1722-423: A show at Chickering Hall with Edgar Nye, Samuel Clemens, and several others. Riley was introduced by James Russell Lowell before his performance, and Lowell gave Riley a glowing endorsement to the crowd. His poetry brought both tears and laughter according to The New York Sun . Critic Edmund Clarence Stedman , one of the foremost literary critics of the era, was present and wrote that Riley's dialect poems were
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#17328454001901804-492: A ten-year agreement and granting half his receipts to his agent. Before his performance, he traveled to Longfellow's home in Massachusetts and convinced him to agree to a meeting. Their brief meeting was one of Riley's fondest memories, and he wrote a lengthy article about it after Longfellow's death only a month later. Longfellow encouraged Riley to focus on poetry and gave him advice for his upcoming performance where Riley
1886-581: Is a grim and ghastly humor -- the humor that is born of a pathetic philosophy -- which now and then strikes me in reading the bright and keen-witted work of our American paragraphers. It is a humor that may be crystallized by hunger and sorrow and tears. It is not found elsewhere as it is in America. It is out of the question in England, because an Englishman cannot poke fun at himself. He cannot joke about an empty flour-barrel. We can: especially if by doing it we may swap
1968-400: Is based on a German tramp his father hired to work at the family home. Riley picked up the cadence and character of the dialect of central Indiana from travelers along the old National Road . Their speech greatly influenced the hundreds of poems he wrote in 19th century Hoosier dialect. His mother often told him stories of fairies, trolls , and giants, and read him children's poems. She
2050-675: Is located in St. Croix County, Wisconsin , between the towns of Roberts and River Falls, and a second is located in Fletcher, North Carolina. A small monument marks his birthplace in Shirley, Maine. James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the " Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His poems tend to be humorous or sentimental. Of
2132-558: The Laramie Boomerang . Nye was born in Shirley, Maine . His parents removed to a farm on the St. Croix river in northern Wisconsin in 1852, and he was educated at River Falls, Wisconsin , where he studied law. He moved to Wyoming Territory , and was admitted to the bar at Laramie City, Wyoming Territory in 1876. There he served as justice of the peace , superintendent of schools , member of
2214-628: The Anderson Democrat discovered Riley's poems in the Indianapolis Journal and offered him a job as a reporter in February 1877. Riley accepted. He worked gathering local news, writing articles, and assisting with typesetting. He continued to write poems regularly for the newspaper and to sell other poems to larger newspapers. During the year, Riley spent working in Anderson , he met and courted Edora Mysers. The couple became engaged, but ended
2296-505: The Boomerang owner established a "close friendship" with Wyoming's Governor Leslie Andrew Miller and Senator Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney , forming the state's renown "political steam roller " labeled the "M-O-M." In 1957, another local paper, The Laramie Daily Bulletin , which had been published Tuesdays through Saturdays since 1931, merged with the Republican and Boomerang presses, and
2378-479: The Journal less often and made fewer lecture stops. He wrote fewer poems but their quality improved; he wrote his most famous poems during the mid-1880s, including "Little Orphant Annie". Riley attempted to secure a new job at a periodical and leave the Journal , but the magazines would not hire him unless he was willing to relocate. Riley was steadfast in his refusal to leave Indiana telling reporters that his rural home
2460-422: The Journal . These included "On Quitting California", "John Golliher's Third Womern", [sic] and "The Dismal Fate of Tit", which each refer to the delirium caused by drinking. Although Riley rarely published anything controversial, some of his poems published from the same period, including "Afterwhiles", allude to drug usage and make vague sexual references. During the early 1880s, Riley still made submissions to
2542-660: The city council and postmaster . He began early to contribute humorous sketches to the newspapers, using the pen name of "Bill Nye" after a character in a famous poem by Bret Harte popularly known as " The Heathen Chinee ". He was connected with various western journals, and afterward settled in New York City . The Boomerang was founded while Nye was the postmaster of Laramie. It launched him to national fame, gaining subscribers in every state and some foreign countries. In 1892, he wrote in The Century Magazine : There
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2624-530: The 1880s through his poetry reading tours. He traveled a touring circuit first in the Midwest , and then nationally, appearing either alone or with other famous talents. During this period Riley's long-term addiction to alcohol began to affect his performing abilities, and he suffered financially as a result. However, once he extricated himself from a series of poorly negotiated contracts that sought to limit his earnings, he began to accumulate wealth and eventually became
2706-426: The 1890s, it remained the only major literary magazine to publish Riley's work. Knowing the high standards of the magazine, Riley reserved his best work each year to submit to it, including one of his favorites, "The Old Man and Jim" in 1887. By the end of 1882, Riley's finances began improving dramatically, thanks largely to the income from his performances. During 1883 he began writing his "Boone County" poems under
2788-518: The Adelphians around central Indiana to earn an income while he searched for a new publisher. In August 1875, he joined another traveling tonic show run by the Wizard Oil Company . Riley began writing to the well-known American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during late 1875 seeking his endorsement to help him start a career as a poet. He submitted many poems to Longfellow, whom he considered
2870-519: The Adelphians to earn extra income. During the winter months, when the demand for painting declined, Riley began writing poetry which he mailed to his brother who lived in Indianapolis. He acted as Riley's agent and offered the poems to the Indianapolis Mirror newspaper free of charge. His first poem was featured on March 30, 1872, under the pseudonym "Jay Whit". Riley wrote more than 20 poems to
2952-694: The International Copyright League and had significant success in its efforts. When traveling to one of the league's meetings in New York City that year, Riley was struck by Bell's palsy . He recovered after three weeks but remained secluded to hide the effects of the sickness which he believed was caused by his alcoholism. He made another attempt to stop drinking alcohol with the help of a minister, but soon returned to his old habit. After recovering, Riley remained briefly in New York to participate in
3034-622: The Midwest Riley's father was an attorney, and in the year before his birth, he was elected a member of the Indiana House of Representatives as a Democrat . He developed a friendship with James Whitcomb , the governor of Indiana, after whom he named his son. Martin Riley, Riley's uncle, was an amateur poet who occasionally wrote verses for local newspapers. Riley was fond of his uncle who influenced his interest in poetry. Shortly after his birth,
3116-472: The Night is the only play Riley wrote and published. Written while he was traveling with the Adelphians but never performed, the play has similarities to A Midsummer Night's Dream , which Riley may have used as a model. It concerns a kingdom besieged by evil forces of a sinister queen who is defeated eventually by an angel-like heroine. Most reviews were positive. Riley published the play, and it became popular in
3198-530: The Poe plot, Riley was dismissed from the Democrat . He returned to Greenfield to spend time writing poetry. He met Clara Louise Bottsford, a school teacher boarding in his father's home. They found they had much in common, particularly their love of literature. The couple began a 12-year, intermittent relationship, Riley's longest. In mid-1878, the couple had their first breakup caused partly by Riley's alcoholism. Riley made
3280-517: The act, composing poetry and performing at the shows. After his act he sold tonics to his audience, sometimes employing dishonesty. During one stop, Riley presented himself as a formerly blind painter who had been cured by a tonic, using himself as evidence to encourage the audience to purchase it. Riley began sending poems to his brother again in February 1873. About the same time he and several friends began an advertisement company. The men traveled around Indiana creating large billboard-like signs on
3362-509: The agent for many of the nation's major performers, to join a one-hundred nights' engagement in New York City in a show that included Samuel Clemens and Dudley Warner . Riley was unable to agree with the Redpath Bureau who had to authorize any other performance under the terms of their contract. He believed his contract with the Redpath Bureau was limiting his opportunities, and his relationship with his agent became strained. Due in part to
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3444-437: The approximately 1,000 poems Riley wrote, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include " Little Orphant Annie " and " The Raggedy Man ". Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 's endorsement, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the late 1870s. He gradually rose to prominence during
3526-513: The association, Riley became acquainted with most of the notable writers in the Midwestern United States, including humorist Edgar Wilson Nye of Chicago. After completing his lecture circuit in 1885, Riley formed a partnership with Nye and his agent to begin a new tour. The Redpath Bureau agreed to allow Riley to tour with Nye, provided he maintained his financial agreements with them. In addition to touring, Riley and Nye collaborated on
3608-454: The back of a local grocery store. As he grew older, the boys named their troupe the Adelphians and began to hold their shows in barns where they could fit larger audiences. Riley wrote of these early performances in his poem "When We First Played 'Show ' ", referring to himself as "Jamesy". Many of Riley's poems are filled with musical references. He had no musical education and was unable to read sheet music . His father taught him to play
3690-404: The central Indiana area during late 1878, helping him to convince newspapers to accept his poetry again. In November 1879, he was offered a position as a columnist at the Indianapolis Journal and accepted after being encouraged by E.B. Matindale, the paper's chief editor. Although the play and his newspaper work helped expose him to a wider audience, the chief source of his increasing popularity
3772-524: The combined paper became The Laramie Daily Boomerang , published daily except on Mondays. In 2004, the word Daily was dropped from the masthead. In 2015, the McCracken newspapers were bought by the Adams Publishing Group . Edgar Wilson Nye Edgar Wilson " Bill " Nye (August 25, 1850 – February 22, 1896) was an American humorist . He was also the founder and editor of
3854-400: The elite literary periodicals, but continued to be rejected. Riley found this discouraging, but persevered. He believed he would never be recognized as a true literary figure until one of the prestigious periodicals published his work. Riley undertook occasional reading tours around Indiana, and in August 1880 he was invited to perform at Asbury University . His performance there so impressed
3936-529: The family moved into a larger house in town. Riley was "a quiet boy, not talkative, who would often go about with one eye shut as he observed and speculated". His mother taught him to read and write at home before sending him to the local community school in 1852. He found school difficult and was frequently in trouble. Often punished, he had nothing kind to say of his teachers in his writings. His poem "The Educator" tells of an intelligent but sinister teacher and may have been based on one of his instructors. Riley
4018-453: The finest he had ever heard, "in which a homely dramatis [ sic ] persona's heart is laid open by subtle indirect, absolutely sure and tender" poetry. As a result of his New York performance, his name and picture were carried in all the major eastern papers, and he quickly became well known throughout the United States. Sales of The Boss Girl increased, resulting in the fifth and largest printing, and Riley finally began to achieve
4100-407: The greatest living poet. Not receiving a prompt response, he sent similar letters to John Townsend Trowbridge and several other prominent writers asking for an endorsement. Longfellow finally replied in a brief letter, telling Riley, "I have read [the poems] in great pleasure, and think they show a true poetic faculty and insight." Riley carried the letter with him everywhere and, hoping to receive
4182-436: The guitar, and a friend taught him the violin. He performed in two different local bands and became so proficient on the violin he was invited to play with a group of adult Freemasons at several events. A few of his later poems were set to music and song, one of the most well known being " A Short'nin' Bread Song—Pieced Out ". When Riley was 10 years old, the first library opened in his hometown. From an early age he developed
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#17328454001904264-409: The joke for another barrel of flour. We can never be a nation of snobs so long as we are willing to poke fun at ourselves. Some of his works include Bill Nye's Comic History of the United States , Baled Hay , Remarks , Bill Nye and Boomerang , Bill Nye's History of England , and Bill Nye's Red Book . He is credited with the remark "Wagner's music is better than it sounds.". Late in his career, he
4346-532: The limited success of his latest book outside Indiana, Riley was persuaded to begin working with other midwestern writers to form an association to promote their work. Popular Indiana writer Lew Wallace , author of Ben-Hur , was a major promoter of the effort. During 1885, more than one hundred writers joined the group. They held their first meeting in July, naming themselves the Western Association of Writers. At
4428-575: The local Phi Kappa Psi chapter, he was invited to join as an honorary member. Through the fraternity he met Robert Jones Burdette , a writer and minister in the Indianapolis area. Burdette was a member of the Redpath Lyceum Bureau of Boston, a prominent lecture circuit whose regular speakers included Ralph Waldo Emerson . Burdette encouraged Riley to join the circuit through its Chicago branch. Riley's accumulated debt and low income began causing him trouble in 1881, and he decided that rejoining
4510-489: The loss of his childhood home. He wrote frequently of how it was so cruelly snatched from him by the war, subsequent poverty and his mother's death. After the events of 1870, he developed an addiction to alcohol and struggled with it for the rest of his life. Becoming increasingly belligerent toward his father, Riley moved out of the family home and briefly took a job painting houses before leaving Greenfield in November 1870. He
4592-416: The meeting Maurice Thompson was named president, and Riley vice president. The association never succeeded in its goal of creating a powerful advertising force, but became a social club and a rival literary community to the eastern writing establishment. Riley was disappointed with the shortcomings of the group but came to depend on its regular meetings as an escape from his normally hectic schedule. Through
4674-598: The newspaper subscribers in every state and many foreign countries. Nye contributed several humorous articles to the Boomerang , and served as the paper's editor until 1884. At the time of its inception, the paper's masthead read simply Boomerang or The Daily Boomerang and was published every day except Sundays and holidays, with the Saturday edition being titled Saturday Boomerang briefly in 1891–2. Related titles were also issued: The Weekly Boomerang (1895–1904) and The Semi-Weekly Boomerang (from 1894 to 1912). In 1901,
4756-473: The newspaper, including one that was featured on the front page. In July 1872, after becoming convinced sales would provide more income than sign painting, he joined the McCrillus Company based in Anderson, Indiana . The company sold patent medicines that they marketed using small traveling shows around Indiana. Riley joined the act as a huckster , calling himself the "Painter Poet". He traveled with
4838-515: The paper became Laramie Boomerang , and was published daily except Sundays, or, during some periods, except Mondays instead. In 1923, the Boomerang merged with Laramie's other newspaper, The Laramie Republican , retaining the issue numbering of the older paper, the Republican . The combined press published as The Laramie Republican and the Laramie Boomerang (as a daily except Sunday until 1927) then as The Laramie Republican-Boomerang (as
4920-490: The poems into a book. Riley agreed and his first book was published in August 1883, titled The Old Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven More Poems . The book's popularity necessitated a second printing before the end of the year. During this period Riley determined that his most popular poems were those on topics of rural life, and he began to use that as a common theme throughout his future work. The income from his book allowed Riley to ease his busy work schedule; he submitted articles to
5002-653: The pseudonym "Benjamin F. Johnson of Boone". They were almost entirely written in dialect and emphasized topics of rural life during the early nineteenth century, often employing nostalgia and the simplicity of country life as elements. "The Old Swimmin'-Hole" and "When the Frost Is on the Punkin'" were the most popular and helped earn the entire series critical acclaim. The topics were popular with readers, reminding many of them of their childhood. Merrill, Meigs & Company (later renamed Bobbs-Merrill Company) approached Riley to compile
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#17328454001905084-596: The reason for his success in writing; his prose was written in the language of common people which spurred his popularity. Riley lived in his parents' home until he was 21 years old. At age five, he began spending time at the Brandywine Creek near Greenfield. His poems "A Barefoot Boy" and " The Old Swimmin' Hole " refer to his time there. As a child he was introduced to many people who later influenced his poetry. His father regularly brought home clients and disadvantaged people to help them. Riley's poem "The Raggedy Man"
5166-404: The relationship after they had decided against marriage in August. Despite local success at having his poems published, his submissions continued to be rejected by established eastern periodicals as being below their standards. Riley began formulating a plot to prove his work was of good quality and that it was being rejected only because his name was unknown in the east. He wrote a poem imitating
5248-415: The sense in which makes for tears as well as for laughter". Although he was a good performer, his acts were not entirely original in style; he frequently copied practices developed by Samuel Clemens and Will Carleton . His tour in 1880 took him to every city in Indiana where he was introduced by local dignitaries and other popular figures, including novelist Maurice Thompson with whom he began to develop
5330-450: The sides of buildings and barns and in high places that were visible from a distance. The company was financially successful, but Riley was continually drawn to poetry. In October, he traveled to South Bend where he took a job at Stockford & Blowney painting verses on signs for a month; the shortness of his stay at this job may have been due to his frequent drunkenness at that time. In early 1874, Riley returned to Greenfield to become
5412-499: The stereotype by writing poetry he thought would help build his identity. He was aided by editorials he wrote and submitted to the Indianapolis Journal offering observations on events from his perspective as a "humble rural poet". He changed his appearance to look more mainstream, and began by shaving his mustache off and abandoning the flamboyant dress he employed in his early circuit tours. By 1880 his poems were published nationally and receiving positive reviews. "Tom Johnson's Quit"
5494-456: The style of Edgar Allan Poe and submitted it to the Kokomo Dispatch under a fictitious name claiming it was a long-lost Poe poem. The Dispatch published the poem and reported it as such. Riley and two other men who were part of the plot waited two weeks for the poem to be published by major newspapers in Chicago, Boston, and New York to gauge their reaction; they were disappointed. While
5576-419: The time, and Riley quickly earned a local reputation for his entertaining readings. In August 1878, he followed Indiana Governor James D. Williams as speaker at a civic event in a small town near Indianapolis. He recited a recently composed poem, "A Childhood Home of Long Ago", telling of life in pioneer Indiana. The poem was well received and was given good reviews by several newspapers. Flying Islands of
5658-424: The title The Boss Girl, A Christmas Story and Other Sketches . The book, which contained humorous poetry and short stories, received mixed reviews. It was popular around Indiana, where most of its copies were sold. One reviewer, however, called the poems "weird, nightmarish, and eerie" and compared them to Edgar Allan Poe's works. While Riley was working on his book, he was unexpectedly invited by James B. Pond ,
5740-442: The widespread fame he sought. Clemens disliked being upstaged by Riley and attempted to avoid any future joint performances with him. According to one review, Clemens "shriveled up into a bitter patch of melancholy in the fierce light of Mr. Riley's humour". After returning home from his tour in early 1888, Riley finished compiling his third book, titled Old-Fashioned Roses . Arranged to appeal to British readers, it included only
5822-529: Was briefly associated with James Whitcomb Riley with whom he wrote two books. They also appeared together on the lecture circuit. He also traveled and lectured with Luther Burbank . He passed the later years of his life in Arden, North Carolina where he died of meningitis , and was buried in Calvary Episcopal Churchyard in Fletcher, Henderson County, North Carolina. A historical marker honoring him
5904-441: Was carried by newspapers in twenty states, thanks in part to the careful cultivation of his popularity. Riley became frustrated that despite his growing acclaim he found it difficult to achieve financial success. In the early 1880s, in addition to his steady performing, Riley began producing many poems to increase his income. Half of his poems were written during this period. The constant labor had adverse effects on his health, which
5986-500: Was his inspiration and to leave would ruin his poetry. Riley renewed his relationship with Bottsford for a third and final time in 1883. The two corresponded frequently and had secret lovers' rendezvous. He stopped visiting other women and their relationship became more dedicated and stable. Bottsford became convinced Riley was seeing another woman, however, and they ended their relationship in January 1885. Riley's sister, Mary, had become
6068-451: Was his performances on the lecture circuit. He gave both dramatic and comedic readings of his poetry, and by early 1879 could guarantee large crowds when he performed. In an 1894 article, Hamlin Garland wrote that Riley's celebrity resulted from his reading talent saying, "his vibrant individual voice, his flexible lips, his droll glance, united to make him at once poet and comedian—comedian in
6150-459: Was most fond of his last teacher, Lee O. Harris. Harris noticed Riley's interest in poetry and reading and encouraged him to pursue it further. Riley's school attendance was sporadic, and he graduated from grade eight at age 20 in 1869. In an 1892 newspaper article, Riley confessed he knew little of mathematics, geography, or science, and his understanding of proper grammar was poor. Later critics, like Henry Beers, pointed to his poor education as
6232-525: Was quickly becoming wealthy from his books and touring, earning nearly $ 20,000 in 1888. He no longer needed his job at the journal and left it near the end of that year. The newspaper had served to earn him fame and had published hundreds of his articles, stories, and poems. In March 1888, Riley traveled to Washington, D.C. where he had dinner at the White House with other members of the International Copyright League and President Grover Cleveland . Riley gave
6314-509: Was recruited as a Bible salesman and began working in the nearby town of Rushville, Indiana . The job provided little income and he returned to Greenfield in March 1871 where he started an apprenticeship to a painter. He completed it and opened a business in Greenfield creating and maintaining signs. His earliest known poems are verses he wrote as clever advertisements for his customers. Riley began participating in local theater productions with
6396-484: Was regularly called on to perform readings at national civic events. He continued to write and hold occasional poetry readings until a stroke paralyzed his right arm in 1910. Riley's chief legacy was his influence in fostering the creation of a Midwestern cultural identity and his contributions to the Golden Age of Indiana Literature . With other writers of his era, he helped create a caricature of Midwesterners and formed
6478-410: Was still dealing with the stigma of the Poe plot. The Indianapolis Journal and other newspapers refused to accept his poetry, leaving him desperate for income. On the advice of a friend, in January 1878 Riley paid an entrance fee to join a traveling lecture circuit where he could give poetry readings. In exchange, he received a portion of the profit his performances earned. These circuits were popular at
6560-535: Was very superstitious and influenced Riley with many of her beliefs. They both placed "spirit rappings" in their homes on places like tables and bureaux to capture any spirits that may have been wandering about. This influence can be found in many of his works, including "Flying Islands of the Night". As was common at that time, Riley and his friends had few toys, and amused themselves with activities. With his mother's help, Riley began creating plays and theatricals, which he and his friends would practice and perform in
6642-406: Was well received. His poems were greeted with laughter and praised in the city's newspaper reviews. Boston was the literary center of the United States at the time, and the impression Riley made on the city's literary community finally encouraged prestigious periodicals to publish his work. The Century Magazine was the first to do so, running "In Swimming-Time" in its September 1883 issue. Until
6724-491: Was worsened by his drinking. At the urging of Maurice Thompson, he again attempted to stop drinking liquor, but was unable to give it up for more than a few months. Riley moved to Indianapolis at the end of 1879 to begin his employment with the Indianapolis Journal . It was the only metropolitan newspaper there with daily editions and had a wide readership. He wrote a regular society column that often included verses of poetry. Thereafter Riley met many prominent people and began
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