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Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1934, Page 18 (Supplement)

A Famous Song. There has recently appeared in the auction rooms in New York a precious bit of notepaper. The single sheet bears some poetry; the ink is brown, for the poem was written in I<Jl4, when England and America were enemies. An American named Francis Scott Key was sent under a flag of truce to the British Admiral just before the bombardment of Fort McHenry. His business was to arrange for the release of a prisoner. The matter settled. Key was ordered to stay on board until after the attack. As long as the bombardment continued he knew the foi-t had not surrendered, but a little before daybreak the firing suddenly ceased. Key tramped up and down the deck, waiting to see if the rays of the rising sun would fall on the British flag flying over a conquered fort. The sun rose. Glasses were trained on the fort. The Stars and Stripes was still flying. It is easy to imagine how the joy in Key’s heart bubbled into a song, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” seemed to compose itself. There was a latter in his pocket; pulling it out he hurriedly jotted down on it the lines as he stood on the deck of the British ship. Ihe manuscript of it, which was sold recently, and was copied from those pencil scrawls on an old letter, is one of America’s most gristed possessions.