The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-04-12

nent people of her time, south ana east
she attended school in Boston and Cam
bridge--and has the easy manners OF one
who has mixed much with the world. /
She is still youthful in her movements, /
in vivacity of conversation and of inter /
est in things of the present; and 1t was /
pleasant TO listen while she glided lightly /
and easily from the old times to the .
topics of the city aud of the day. Like /
most VirginiaBT she is very proud OF I
her state, and Eke most Virginians OF /
her generation, she knows q great many /
Virginia family names, and what has
become of this or that scion OF this house
and that. Speaking of the McKeDzies,
who adopted Resale Poe, she said that
she Thought they were all dead. Indeed,
nearly All the near friends of Poe were
cone except herself. She wondered how
Mr.. Gill-whose heralded book she has
not seen-had gotten the material fol his
vindication. Mrs. Clark's acquaintance
with Poe extended over several years.
She had first met him at the Mckenzies'.
Tie afterwards boarded at the same hotel
in Richmond the Wynoke house, but she
saw most of him on his visit TO Richmond
previous to bis last. He was then at
her house daily and sometimes two or
three times 4 day. "He came there"
said Mrs. CLARK, as he said, to rest"
Ifthere happened to be friends present,
he was often obliging enough to read,
and If in the humOr, he would read some
of his own poems, but he would never
read "The Raven " unless be was in just
the humor. When be was in Richmond
he generally stayed with the McKenzies,
at their place, near the city. Driving in
to town ne often stopped by her hotel.
q lived then opposite the Capitol
souare." said she. | am told the old
place. the Park house, has been torn
down and fine new hotel built near its
site. One day he came in with his sister
and one or two OF the McKeDzies and
stopped by. He read The Raven for Us
there were some other people present,
but / forget their names. He shut out
the daylight, and read by an astral lamp
that was on the table. When he was
through all of Us that had any tact
whatever spared our comments and let
our thanks be brief, for he was hardly
more patient of them than he was of in
terruption.'
Of Poe's reading, Mrs. Clark spoke
with affectionate recollection. 1t was
something altogether peculiar and indie
scribable, she said. O. have heard The
Raven read by his friend, John L.
Thompson, and by others, but it always
sounded so different, so strange and
affected. Poe had a wonderful voice,
rich, mellow and sweet. He read that
piece in q sort of rapt monotone. l can
not give you any idea oft. he had little
of the flourish of g popular elocutionist'
Edwin Booth sometimes reminds me OF
Poe in his eyes and facial expression. but
POe's voice was peculiar to himself I
have never heard any like it. Ia his public
readings he gave selections frequently
from Shelley, but his selections embraced
q great many poets. ] often accOmpa-
MED him to his readings, aud went with
him to his lecture on The Poetic Prin-
ciple.' One day he pointed out to me in
one of SheIlev's shorter poems what he
considered the truest Characterization
of love that he knew;
The desire OF the moth for the star,
OF the nj sht for the morrow.
Poe used to read and lecture st the
old Exchange h9tel, which at that time
contained the best hall in the city for the
purpose. Mrs. Clark said that she was
thought to have been very much ike
Poe's first wife, Virginia Glenn. 1t
may have been that" said she, " that
first rnaGe him my friend however, en-
loved 4 great deal of his society during
the visit 10 Richmond Of which / speak,
the one previous to his second c0ntem-
plated marriage. On his last visit, when
he was making arrangements for this
marriage, l saw less of him. He was TO
have married a wealthy widow, Mrs.
Shelton. Some said that he loved her,
and Others that he was marrying for
money. Richmond had a good deal to
found gossip upon then regarding Poe.
His Incorporate habits, which, on &C
count of his being a poet, were thought
to be greater than they really were.
found willfuI exaggeration at the hands
When he was in company
lat a party, for instance) you might see
A little of him in the earlier part of the
evening, then he would be off with
crowd. and his friends would not see him
or hear of him for days. Then his &C
and the ups and downs of his
life, q think when a very young man he
initiated Byron) made him a figure for
compassion and interest. Thus he be-
came the centre of a number of absurd
stories, as well as OF no little local pride
People are quick to turn a thing into a
wonder, and Poe got his angel-devil
brevet from the gossips long before
he died. The kind of pride that they
took in him was of a characteristic sort.
The prophet was not honored in his own
country as he was abroad, but when he
read all the fashion of the city turned
out to hear him. | have often seen these
ovations. But he was more the show
child of the town than the master with
an appreciative and sympathetic follow
ing"
Mrs. Clark spoke of the Allans who
adopted Pee. They used to live on the
corner of Main and Fifth, were one ofthe
oldest families in the state, and Mrs.
Allan, the second wife of the gentleman
who adopted Poe, she believed, was still
alive. Mrs. CLARK said she had seldom
seen a good Likeness of Poe--the best she
had was cut from an old magazine. This
she said, "refiects at once
the fastidieusuess and virility character
stic of his temperament more nearly
than any that | have seen. All the
others have an expression pitiably weak
His worst calumniators could hardly
1esire a harder fate for his memory
than the continual reproduction of
hat feeble visage. He always
dressed neatly, but STABILITY enough /
when be was out of pocket. When he /
lad money he was lavish and over
generous with it; he had very little idea
IF taking care of money. He was always
refined. You felt it in his very presence. |
And as long as I knew him and as much /
As l was with him | never saw him IN 4
.oxicated. l have seen him when he had |
enough wine to make him talk with even |
more than usual brilliancy. Indeed, to .
ak in large, general company, some /
little stimulant was almost necessary TO /
him. DR.. Griswold SAYS that he was |
arrogant, dogmatie and impatient OF
in conversation that can,
not be verified by me. have heard
him engage in discussion frequently, /
'ftenest with diffidence, always with con-
alteration for Others; il was only when /
with wine in large company |
hat he spoke out his views and Ideas
With any degree of selt-assertlon.
They say he was morbid and con- I
,eited. ldon't know. Why do they |
quarrel with a mans nature? If he was
morbid, he hurt mostly himself, ana
himself suffered most. | do not think 1
lis conSeit, if coneeit it was, mad In II I
contempt of his kind. 1t was more a
ietiant effort to be something justin
,ation of himself to MS inner self--and a