WILLIAM PINKNEY EWING.

William Pinkney Ewing, son of Patrick Ewing, was born May 28, 1828, on his father’s farm near Rowlandville.  He is a brother of Edwin E. Ewing, a sketch of whose life is published in this book, and to which the reader is referred for other information respecting the family.  Mr. Ewing’s early life was spent on his father’s farm.  When about eighteen years of age he commenced to write poetry, the first of which was published in the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper.  He was subsequently a frequent contributor to the Ladies’ Garland, the Cecil Whig and Cecil Democrat.  In 1848, Mr. Ewing commenced the study of the law in the office of the late John C. Groome in Elkton, and was admitted to the Elkton Bar, April 10, 1851.  In 1853 he removed to Cincinnati, and became connected with the editorial department of the Daily Atlas of that city, and contributed editorially and otherwise to several other papers in Cincinnati, until the Atlas was merged into the Gazette.  He then accepted a position on the Southern Lady’s Book, published in New Orleans and remained in that city until the magazine changed proprietors.  Mr. Ewing returned to Elkton in 1855, and resumed the practice of his profession, but continued to write poetry occasionally for some years afterwards.  In 1871 Mr. Ewing removed to Ashtabula, Ohio, and has since been connected with newspapers in Chicago, Topeka and other western cities; and has corresponded occasionally with the New York Tribune, New York Evening Post and Chicago Tribune.

In politics Mr. Ewing was originally a Democrat, but in 1850 became a member of the Free Soil party, and an elector on the Free Soil ticket in 1856.  He was a delegate to the Chicago convention that nominated Lincoln in 1860, and also an elector for the State of Maryland on the Lincoln ticket the same year.  In 186l Mr. Ewing was appointed United States Naval Agent for the port of Baltimore, and held the position until the office was abolished in 1865.

In September 1863 he married Mrs. Emma P. Smith, a lady of fine literary taste and ability who is at this time the head of the cooking school of the State Agricultural College of Iowa.

Like many other writers Mr. Ewing took no pains to preserve his poems and it was only after the expenditure of great labor and much trouble that the following meagre selection was made, which it is feared will not do full justice to the ability of their author.

THE ANGEL VOICE.

“Oh mother, dear mother,
  As calmly last night
I lay on my pallet
  An angel in white
Hover’d o’er me, and softly
  Said—­’come, brother, come,
Away from this world,
  To a heavenly home!’”

“Then let me die, mother—­
  Tho’ sweet birds are singing,
And flowers in brightness
  And beauty are springing
On hillside and mountain,
  O’er meadow and lea,
They no longer possess
  Any sweetness for me.”