The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-04-11
"REMINISCENCES or Il. A. POE,
a Louisville Lady who Thirty Year" ago
Was Ills unibmnte Friend Lie
In Eichmond, Isis Readings md MS
lI.lAu A.. Aanlal
Behavior In s0riety.

,ack a dear friend of Edgar Allan Poe
She il Mrs. Jane Clark, n native OF Rich ,
nond, Virginia, but for the last twenty {
Years has lived In Louisville, and it was
It her house, in a quiet, shady street OF
his city, that she talked with me OF the
I'D time when the Southern Literary
Messenger was an oracle below Mason
md Dixon's line, and matters nov be-
,ome history were subjectso of an evenings
| was ushered into y pleasant
title parlor, cheeriully appointed
with scattered music lying on an open
piano, light wallpaper and comfortable
modern furniture. Mrs, Clark, presently
entering, took up from the etagere a
large scrap.b book containing clippings
from newspapers concerning Poe or his
poems when they first made a yagrant
appearance in this or that newspaper,
of his handwriting, obituary
notices and various vindications OF
his memory that have appeared. Indeed,
the good lady is deeply interested that
the world may think well of Poe, and
grows warm over the subject OF his
wrongs. 1t did n good to see her e.
pouse the cause of her dead friend. She
has known a great many OF the promi'
nent people OF her time, south and 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 it was
pleasant TO listen while she glided lightly
and easily from the old times TO the
topics of the city and of the day. Like
most Virginians, she is very proud OF
her state, and like most Vilginians OF
her generation, she knows a great many
Virginia family names, and what has
become of this or that scion Of this house
and that. Speaking Of the McKenzles,
who adopted Rosalie Poe, she said that
she thought they were all dead. Indeed,
nearly all the near friends of Poe were
gone except herself. She wondered how
Mr., Gill-whose heralded book she has
not seen-had gotten the material foi his
vindication. Mrs. Clark's acquaintance
with Poe extended over several years.
She had first met him at the Mckenzies'.
He afterwards boarded at the same hotel
in Richmond, the Wynoke house, but she
saw most of him on his visit to Richmond
previous to his last. He was then at
her house daily and sometimes two or
three times q day. ole came there"
said Mrs. Clark, rs he said, to rest"
Ifthere happened to be friends present,
he was often 0bliging enough to read,
and lin the humor, he would read some
of his W poems, but he would never
read "The Raven" unless he was in Just
the humor. When he was in Richmond
he generally stayed with the Mckenziea,
at their place, near the city. Driving in
to town he often stopped by her hotel,
al lived then opposite the Capitol
square," said she. " am told the old
place, the Park house, has been torn
down and q fine new hotel built near its
site. One day he came in with his sister
and one or two OF the McKenzies and
stopped by. He read The Raven for III
there were some other people present,
but ! forget their names. He shut out
the daylight, and read by an astral lamp
tina. was on the table. When he wa,
through, all of w that had any tao
whatever spared II comments and lie
our thanks be brief, for he wa hardly
more patientOf them than he was of in
terruption."
OF Poe's reading, Mrs. Clark spok
with affectionate recollection. "It wa
F., something altogether peculiar and indie
scribable," she said. 81 have heard 9TH
Raven read by his friend, John X
) Thompson, and by Others, but it Away
sounded SO different, so strange ant
affected. Poe mad q wonderful voice
rich, mellow and sweet. He read tina
piece in a sort of rapt monotone. | Can
not give you any idea oft. He had littl
of the flourish OF a popular elocutionist
Edwin Booth sometimes reminds inc O
Poe in his eyes and facial expression, blu
Poe's voice was peculiar to himself.
have never heard any like it. In his publ
, readings he gave selections frequentl
from Shelley, but his selections embrace
n great many poets. | often accomp'
; MED him to his readings, and went wit
him to his lecture on The Poetic Prir
< ciple.' One day he pointed out to me i
e one of SheIley's shorter poems what
; considered the truest characteristic
r of love that he knew
The desire Of the moth for the star,
, OF the nj ut for the morrow.
Poe used to read aud lecture at Il
4 old Exchange hotel, which at hat tin
contained the best hail in the city for I'll
v purpose. Mrs. Clark said that she WI
thought to have been very much III
. Poe's first wife, Virginia Glenn, :"
=. may have been that" said she, "th'
!, first made him my friend; however, e
/ joyed a great deal of his society durir
the visit to Richmond of which spea,
the one previous to his second conten
II plated marriage. On his last visit, whit
u he was making arrangements for tn
marriage, I saw less of him. He was
re have married a wealthy widow, MI
r Shelton. Some said that he loved he
@. and Others that he was marrying
~ money. Richmond had a good deal
III found gossip upon then regarding Pc
a His Incorporate habits, which, on a
count of his being a poet, were thong
-, to be greater than they really wei
8 found willful exaggeration at the han
ID of many who were his companions
n. dissipation. When he was in compal
he lat a party, for ~instance) you might
4 little Of him in the earlier part of t
ali evening, then he would be off with
ed crowd, and his friends would not see h
,re or hear of him for days. Then his
centricities and the ups and downs OF
life, Il think when a very young man
initiated Byron) made him a figure
compassion and interest. Thus he
psa came the centre of a number OF absu
it stories, as well as Of 10 little local pri'
Iu- People are quick to turn a thing int
NO wonder, and Poe got his angel-de
he brevet from the gossips long bef'
he he died, The kind of pride that til
ey took in him was of a characteristic SC
The nrophat waa not hOporad in hia n