RILEY, James Whitcomb, American poet: b. Greenfield, Ind., 7 Oct. 1853; d. Indianapolis, Ind., 22 July 1916. Being one of those who never grow old, Mr. Riley was particularly sensitive on matters pertaining to his age, and the year of his birth is uncertain, some sup posing that he was born as early as 1848. He was the son of Reuben A. Riley, a lawyer and politician, of Greenfield, Ind., and was educated to follow in his father's footsteps. The young man, however, didn't fancy law, and after a little elementary schooling he left home and be came an itinerant sign painter. For 10 years he roamed the Ohio Valley, painting commercial signs on fences and farm outhouses. His clever sketches attracted wide attention and won praise from his employers. He led this free and easy existence, as happy and carefree as one could imagine, until the late seventies, when he obtained employment on a newspaper at Anderson, Ind. He then began to write verses, but received little encouragement. Then, in 1877, for the purpose of proving that his verses under a famous name would receive recog nition, he perpetrated the famous "Poe Hoax." By arrangement with J. Oscar Henderson, pub lisher of the Dispatch of Kokomo, Ind., Mr. Riley wrote and Mr. Henderson printed a poem in the style of Edgar Allan Poe, to which he gave the characteristic title of and it was offered to the public as a hitherto un published product of the genius of Poe. This poem, it was stated, had been found written on the fly-leaf of a copy of Ainsworth's 'Dic tionary.' A traveler had discovered the treas ure in the sitting-room of an old inn near Rich mond, Va., and had taken it away with him. The publication of the poem and the accom panying story excited interest throughout the country, and Mr. Henderson was called upon to produce the book in which it was written.
In some quarters the poem was 'accepted as genuine; in others it was denounced as a fraud and its alleged discoverers as imposters. To Riley's delight it proved that he was a real poet ; but the storm of protest that the ultimate disclosure aroused made him think he had ruined his future with the public. He shouldered the burden and returned to sign painting. For a time he traveled as •a sort of minstrel with a patent-medicine vendor and played the violin to attract crowds to be solicited to buy nostrums. In the midst of these dismal days came a letter from the Indianapolid Journal inviting Riley to contribute and prom ising him real money for his verse. In the early eighties, therefore, he settled in Indian apolis and began writing verses in the "Hoosiers dialect for the Journal; publishing 'The Old Swimmin'-Hole' and 'When the Frost is on the Punkin,' and other poems under the paeudosilm of. Bent F. Janson of Bootie, which justly won him a great reputation in the West. He sent some of his poems to Henry Wads worth Longfellow and received warm praise. In 1887 be participated in the Copyright Read ings in New York City where he received the distinction of being invited, after his first appearance, to reappear on the second pro gram, on which occasion James Russell Lowell gave him a high tribute. After this all the magazines clamored for his verse, and he be gan to sell his poems by volumes. Publication of books of poems year after year brought Mr. Riley wealth and wide recognition of his liter ary genius, and not alone in the genre form. Many of his poems are of imaginative fantasy or are gently philosophic. In 1902 he received the degree of master of arts from Yale Uni versity and in 1904 the University of Pennsyl vania conferred upon him the degree of doctor of letters. In July 1911 the poet presented to the city of Indianapolis property valued at $75,000 for a site for a public library and school administration building. Mr. Riley had
collected 'The Old Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven More Poems' into a little paper-backed book sold over the newspaper counter in 1883. In 1885 he published an unpretentious volume called 'The Boss Girl and Other Sketches> (now called 'Sketches in Prose' ). In 1887 he brought out followed by 'Pipes O'Pan at Zekesbuiy) (1888) ; • 'Nye and Riley's Railway (1888) ; 'Old-Fashioned Roses' (1888) ; 'Rhymes of Childhood) (1890) •, 'The Flying Islands of the Night' (1891) ; 'Green Fields and Running Brooks' (1892) ; 'Pomes Here at Home> (1893) ; (Armazindv) (1894) ;