Third Life Period, third phase:  Life on the river   (5 years, 1908-1912)

Paul tied his houseboat on Dix river near its junction with the Kentucky River near High Bridge. He knew the area from previous excursions there with his fishing buddies. To understand Paul’s story for the next five years, you need to know a little about High Bridge.   When opened in 1879, it was the highest railroad bridge in the world—275 feet high and 1125 feet long.  Now thirty years later, it needed to be strengthened to carry modern trains much heavier than those it had been built to carry.

The project was to build a new larger structure around the old one, and trains would keep running while the new structure was being built. Project supervisor was Curtis Dougherty, chief engineer for Cincinnati-Southern railway. He came down from his home in Cincinnati, and since he was going to be there 2 years, he brought along his wife. Mrs. Dougherty, knowing her husband would spend most of his time out on the project, brought along her young companion, a comely 21-year-old lass named Rose Stoddard.

And Rose, knowing Mrs. Dougherty would not need her for long hours on many days, came looking for adventures to ensure she’d enjoy herself for two long years at High Bridge. Riding with two friends in a horse-drawn cart, she came upon Paul Sawyier beside the road painting the palisades.  Rose’s diary says they surrounded Paul’s easel and the cart driver made introductions.

Paul and rose became immediate friends, and then better friends. Paul was soon a frequent dinner guest at the Dougherty’s house. For the next 21 months, Rose and Paul would be seen spending many hours together on many days, some say most days, wandering in isolated vistas around the beautiful High Bridge vicinity.  She was 21, he was 44.  It is recorded that Mrs. Dougherty noticed all this, and she approved.

Paul sometimes joined the Doughertys and Rose on overnight trains home to Cincinnati.  He was with Rose on New Years Day, 1910, the end of his Brower contract in Lexington.  Brower is said to have been considerably relieved because he was quite overstocked with unsold watercolors of the High Bridge area.   Paul’s steady income thus ended, a month later he was again earning less than his living expenses.

Despite his poverty, Paul enjoyed a fairly constant social life at High Bridge. Many tourists found their way to his houseboat — such as socialite & writer Mary Darby Fitzhugh. In  a long flowery article, she gushed:   “hospitality is Paul Sawyier’s long suite.  Many are the friends who find their way…down to the river, to be royally entertained by this prince of good fellows.”

On the morning of June 23, 1910, Mayme Bull arrived altogether unexpectedly at Paul’s houseboat and stated what was on her mind.  In their 23^rd year as a couple, eighteen months after their engagement, Mayme terminated the engagement—turned, and left.

Paul maintained his houseboat life at High Bridge for three more years. He and ose continued their close daily relationship until the project was completed and the Doughertys moved home. His final years there were dismal. His artistic future was unclear, and he constantly scraped for enough money to get by.  Knowing this, Brower generously offered Paul a job in his store — but Paul was only insulted, and angrily rejected it.

In a bizarre incident, he also angrily rejected an offer from President William Howard Taft to exhibit his art in the Corcoran Art Museum in Washington DC.  Years earlier, the Sawyiers and Tafts had been neighbors in Ohio, and their friendship endured after Taft became president.  Taft sent word for Paul to submit some paintings,    and he Taft would ensure they were exhibited. Paul didn’t reply, so Taft repeated the invitation on White House stationary. Again paul ignored it. Years later Paul’s sister would explain it this way:

“I delivered the message and Paul was indignant. Said even if mister Taft were president of the USA, who was he to “drum up” opportunities for him to display his work?   That Taft was out of his mind if he thought for a minute that he (Paul) would show his work in an art gallery like the Corcoran… where daubs were the rule!”             (I must say here a hundred years later, her explanation still explains nothing for me….)

During these years on the river, Paul created over 500 paintings—always getting by, selling a painting or two to pay for his next meal.