The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-06-24
Ght9nteILi4etrter.
Published in the IntsIIIssnoer by requesll
A Poets Unknown Inamorata.
A True story That II Full Of RO-
mRnce-A POetical COFFeSpOn.
dence and What IL Led tO-A
Famous Mystery Solved.


From tho Philadelphia Pres.l
Here, in the dim, misty twilight Of a
late December morning, let me try to tell
you a story-one Of the might have
beens"-pertaining to two OF the most
gifted OF the children Of song that this
country has produced. The parties are I;
A plain siniple.hearted country maiden,
brought up in the "backwoods," as they
used to say, who never was in ball
room or theater in her life the other,
one Of the most courted and petted sons
Of genius and pOesy that ever graced the
paFlors OF New York, and whom the na-
lion has delighted to honor. To any one
OF the slightest capacity for approaching
real feeling, who has not heard Of "The
Lost Poem" let me say, turn to james
Grant Wilson's life and Letters Of
Fitz Greene Halleck," published by D.
Appleton & Co., 1859, pages 373.390, To
those who have taken any interest in
Halleck the mere announcement Of the
fact that the mystery pertaining to the
identity Of "Ellen a. F. Campbell" is
about to be explained will be sufficient
to awaken lively interest. shrOuded
as this whole story has been in an impen-
etrable mystery for nearly thirty-eight
years, II Is better that say, in the first
place, that my narrative Is simply and
strictly true. The gentleman from whom
| derived the facts Is one Of the manutac-
turing and merchant princes OF Pitts
burgh, one Of the very best read men, and
AZ the same time one OF the most original
thinkers, and has been identified with al
most everything that has given the Smoky
City a good name within the last twenty
years, and yet OF such shrinking and al
most morbid modesty that no cOnsidera.
ton could induce him to allow mo here
TO give his real name. In this and some
other respects he is singularly like the
gifted lady OF whom | am writing, who
was broug hit up side by side with him and
his brothers and sisters. As | pass, let
me soy that II Is no small credit TO the
denomination Of Friends, from which
these people spring, that in this age Of
publicity so many OF them retain that
ioveliesl Of all the graces--real genuine
modesty.
It seems not little remarkable to me
lhat"lost" seems to attach to so much Of
this romantic story. For instance, that
so few Of Halleck's letters to Ellen have
been preserved. Prizing them so highly
as she evidently did, Il seems singular
that she should have destroyed them to.
gether with the priceless treasures OF her
own imagningl, in the shape Of poems,
tales, and other compositions. How
strange il seems that when she is known
10 have written enough to have made a
gOod.siled volume, there should not re.
main trace Of them but "the lost pOem,"
which am about to give you. The not
unnatural inference Is that there was
nothing in the poems Of this country
maiden worth preserving, The ample
answer to this Ia that among the papers
Of HalleCk his reply to her beautiful chal.
lenge Is preserved, as well as n number Of
her letters-simply marvellous, as coming
from an apparently unlettered ,uncullnred
country girl, who probably in all her
life never saw large city. How true
that "Many flower il born to blush I'm.
SEEM Az ! read the gay badinagc-the
graceful and touching tenderness, the ex.
quisite turn Of thought,in this poem aud
these letters--l am amazed to see how ma.
ture, in her beautiful simplicity, asserts
herself, even under q Quaker garb, and
far, far away from all the glare OF fash.
ion, pOmp and show. When shall we
learn that in these retired country vii.
lagos and hamlets, in the homes Of the
poor and lowly, thought and feeling, as
we'll as the nOblcst religion, is to be found
far more frequently than in our pride
and folly we find 1t possible to bci'ere.
Miss Flanner was the eldest daughter
Of William Flanner and his wife Pcnina,
who came to Mount Pleasant, nj an early
period, from Virginia, probably from the
North Carolina line. They were always
in moderate circumstances. lie was n
very acceptable preacher in the Society
Of Orthodox Friends man OF fine i'm.
aginatlon, Of deep, sympathetic feeling;
utterly without sham or pretencc; OF
deep, religious convictions; filled with
the idea OF doing good to the bodies and
souls Of men. This will account In con.
siderable degree, for the straitencd cir.
oumstances Of his family, rs he was
great part Of his time from home,
and Of course his farming operations
were much neglected.
Miss Flanner had three brothers and
three sisters. Two Of the brothers be.
came eminent physicians, having grad.
uated in Philadelphia, being aided by
members Of the Society Of Friends to get
an education. One became farmer.
Thomas, the eldest, settled in Zanesville,
Ohio, after his graduation, and soon built
UP a good practice, and, like a true.
hearted brother and son, sent home nearly
all his first earnings, and thus "Al6i
Cottage" was built. II was named by tho
poeteSs herself, with true poetic feeling
1.-THE Cottage OF Purity" And there 10
this day "Albi Cottage" powered in vines
still stands. This brother went 10 Wheel.
ing In 1882 to investigate tho nature Of
cholera, which in that year made It's first
appearance in this country, und spread
fear and apprehension in every direction
In a few days he returned to his beloved
Abb Cottage and his sisters, saying to hil
loved ones, III have cholera" and died
within twenty.fOur hours.
Miss Flanner was always fond Of read.
ing, and seems to have had facilities in
this way that can hardly be credited as
likely 10 be found in an Out.Of.thc.way
village in the woods Of Ohio, fifty years
ago. She often engaged in teaching, not
from choice, but from necessity. All Of
them had to work, but tho work wns
rather stimulus to mental activity than
Il reason for neglect Of culture, and this
10 a large degree characterized the small
community. Miss Flannor, In order to
preserve her secret from the postmaster
and others, often sent tho sister Of my
friend, then little girl, to the pOstollice
for Tie letters from llalleck. She was
singularly and perhaps morbidly sensi.
tive. She was tall and graceful, and had
sweet, animated, and Intellectual face
full Of scnsibility, and a peculiarly at.
traclive smile, and when silent and
thoughtful her face wore q pCnsivc, sad
expression, but when engaged in CONVEX.
sation ii lighted up with animation and
intelligence. When her feelings were
wounded she put her hand TO her face,
and Immediately the tears would come
trickling between her white fingers. She
was fine conversatOnalist, and was the
queen Of the circle in which size moved.
She never could get over the idea that
she, though In perfectly innocent, girlish
la L,..I Al 4