Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/233

 of William Johnston (Gray said "Johnson") not merely as the one who carried the manuscript east but in an actual lit erary capacity, thickens the plot still further and gives us four possible authors of the first Oregon novel. Following is Gray's statement referred to by Moss: "Rocky Mountain men with native wives: . . . and William Johnson, author of the novel 'Leni Leoti; or, the Prairie Flower'. The sub ject was first written and read before the Lyceum, at Ore gon City, in 1843." The remaining two references to the book occur on page 53 of the Moss manuscript:

"The Prairie Flower was written in 1842 and published in 1843. Most of the book was written in 1842 on my journey to Oregon. J. Emerson Bennett claimed it a while but withdrew his claim finally. I have no doubt he wrote the altered parts.

Bennett wrote the sequel to the Prairie Flower in full (Leni Leoti). The book did not circulate in this part of the country at all until long years after it was published. It was published at Crawfordsville, Indiana. This man Overton Johnston who took it back had it published—a more worthy young man never emigrated from Indiana or any other state. I do not claim the authorship at all."

Because of its frontier setting, it is a curious addition to the history of plagiarism. The spurious author, Emerson Bennett, "withdrew his claims finally"—but after he had received all the rewards and when it was too late to make restitution.

The loss to the author was indeed great, in royalties as well as in celebrity as a writer. By 1881, 91,000 copies had been sold.

To complete the description of this first Oregon novel, there is selected from its contents the following romantic episode:

It was a lovely day in the spring of 1 843. On the banks of the romantic Willamette, under the shade of a large tree, I was seated. By my side—with her sweet face averted and crimson with blushes, her right hand clasped in mine, her left unconsciously toying with a beautiful flower, which failed