Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-09-12
.sLEONAINIE..
That = PoSthumous POem'' of Edgar A
POe--A Literary Fraud.
Kokomo lind. Tribune.

Kokomo Ind.) Tribune.
The columns of this paper are wit
nesses that we have attributed to young
J. W,.zRlleys ofsAnderson, or rather of
Hancock county, talent beyond one of
his age and experience. We regret
sincerely to seNpose him ina piece of
frapdl,:'11 s1.Ss = 5 $50. ) .5oz p
IA feMMeeks ago after writing and re-
writing the poem, Leonainie," initial
ing the style of Poe, he conceived the
idea that if he could get it out upon the
world as Poe's production. and after
ward establish himself as the
author he would make q world
wide fame at one jump. But
the effort to reach fame by such de
ception shows that his talent is more
than overbalanced by his lack of moral
perception and mother wit Having
concocted his plans, he looked about
for an obscure paper In which to bring
out the poem, for the more obscure the
paper the less likely that fraud would
be suspected Mr. Riley put Leo
nainien into the hands Of The Dispatch
On Aug inst. they published it under
headlines and the most positive state
1ments that they believed it written by
Poe. They pledged their honor to the
truth of all they said in regard toit -
After it was out. under the direction
of Mr. Riley, copies of The Dispatch
were sent to all the leading newspapers,
magazines. and authors Of the country
The answer that was returned just about
crushed Mr.. Riley. The dispatch did
| not seem aware of its misery, but ACTIN
ally paraded the criticisms in its
columns, changing some of them that
pronounced positively against the fraud
so as to make them read like quasi
Inducements Those who saw the criti-
+ body who had intelligence and discern
ment recognized the fraud, while a few
inexperienced persons, who probably
never read Poe, waxed enthusiastic over
| the poem. Mr.. Riley himself wrote a
criticism in which ne admitted that
some of the lines were indeed Poeish.
But the worst part of the story is yet
to come. One of the eastern publishers
/ to whom the paper containing he poem
was addressed wrote the editors Of The
Dispatch to send them the original manu-
script, saying they We're. familiar with
the lamented poets chirography, &c.,
and they offered to pay al expenses
and to faithfully return the same to
Kokomo. Here was dilemma TIE
Dispatch folks decided at once what they
would do. They sent the letter to An
derson, with a request There a very
old copy Of Ainsworths Dictionary was
procured, and an expert penman placed
the poem. on the fy-leaf in writing as
near ike Poe's aspossible, q recent
number of ,Scnbner's Monthly containing
a fac sinaie of the poets chirography
Mr. Riley carried that book to this city,
himself on Friday of last week, for the
purpose of having it forwarded east.
I ). EVERY one who has ever visited the
New York Aquarium will deeply regret
the severe loss it has lately sustained by
the death Of so many valuable fish in
most unaccountable manner Within
three days over two hundred fish died,
many Of them HE rarestr specimens
from the tropics, which had been pro-
cured With great difficulty and expense.
Ihe sdeath OF SO large 4 number in SO
short a time excited the suspicion of the