File:"Some Wampus Cat Rag" (1913), by James Wickiser.webm

The wampus cat is a cat of folklore, sometimes described as having magical powers. It's also the name of this interesting and unusual rag, the only known rag written by James Wickiser and probably one of the last rags published by the infamous H. Kirkus Dugdale of Washington, DC. But first some details about Wickiser, found by Musescore researcher Erlingl:

James Wickiser was born in Greenup, Illinois, in 1883. In his youth, he travelled extensively across the country, playing with orchestras and composing numerous tunes and ballads for vaudeville. In 1907, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and became a prominent figure in the city’s music and theatre scene. He played the piano at “The Idealhour Theatre” and, in 1910, built an “electrical theatre” in Tulsa called “The Lyric”. Described as a musician of considerable merit, he continued to work as a musician and theatre man in Tulsa, became known as Tulsa's "Lullaby Man". He died in 1930. Wickiser had brothers and one sister, with families, many likely alive today. Do they know about their family’s rich musical history in Tulsa?

Horace Kirkus Dugdale (1890-1980) was a musician, composer and publisher based in Washington, DC who offered to publish written scores and songs for persons looking for publicity. He seemingly started out with good intentions and advertised extensively by ads and letters, attempting to reach customers as a far away as Australia, according to Erlingl. But shadiness crept in and soon he was accused of not honoring the full extent of his written contracts, sometimes forfeiting on promised goods. He was arrested in 1913, same year he published this rag, and was charged with mail fraud. He was let go with a slap on the wrist but was forced out of the publishing business entirely. The full story of his exploits can be read at Bill Edwards' website: https://www.perfessorbill.com/ragtime13a.shtml.

Many thanks to Mitchy for finding and sharing this rare rag. It comes from the collection of Ragtime Dorian Henry whose YouTube channel is at this link: https://www.youtube.com/@RagtimeDorianHenry

I have posted the copy of the original score at this link: https://mega.nz/file/2RQTkYpQ#AR9g1C1Cck3REErmkwa-sBEzv1AjZK6579kZD8t9geg

This is a reproduction of the original score. For correct playback I have written out the repeats specified to be played one octave higher in the right hand, in place of the original's repeat bars.

My YouTube channel is here: