The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-04-04
"REMINISCENCES OF E. A. POE.


Behavior In society.
The writer CHANGED not long ago to
meet q lady who was some thirty years
back dear friend Of Edgar Allan Poe.
She is Mrs. Jane CLARK, q native of Rich
mond, Virginia, but for the last twenty
years has lived in Louisville, and it was
at her house, in a quiet, shady street of
this city, that she talked with me of the |
old time when the Southern Literary /
Messenger was an oracle below Mason1
and Dixon's line, and matters now be-
come history were subjects of an evenings /
gossip. was ushered into a pleasant |
little parlor, cheerfully appointed |
with scattered music lying on an open |
piano, light wallpaper and comfortable |
modern furniture. Mrs. Clark, presently |
entering, took up from the etagere q |
large scrap book containing clippings |
from newspapers concerning Pee or his |
poems when they first made a vagrant |
appearance in this or that newspaper, |
specimens 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. It did one good to see her es-
pouse the cause of her dead friend. She
has known 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 gIided 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 ViIgiuians 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 McKenzies,
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 fol- his
Vindication. Mrs. Clark's acquaintance
with Poe extended over several years.
| She had first met himsat the McKenzies.
he afterwards boarded at the same hotel
in Richmond, the Wyneke 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 a 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 ii in the humor, he would read some
of his own poems, but he would never
read "The Raven unless he was in lust
the humor. When he was in Richmond
he generally stayed with the McKenzies,
at their place, near the city. Driving in
to town he often stopped by her hotel.
lived then opposite the Capitol
square," 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. "It was
something altogether peculiar and indie.
scribable," she said. al have heard The
Raven read by his friend, John r.
Thompson, and by others, but it always
sounded 30 different, so strange and
affected. Poe had a wonderful voice,
rich, mellow and sweet. He read that
piece in sort of rapt monotone. I can
not give you any idea oft. He had little
of the flourish of a popular elocUtionist
Edwin Booth sometimes reminds me OF
Poe in his eyes and facial expression. but
| D. I
have never heard any like it. In his public
f readings he gave selections frequently
from Shelley, but his selections embraced
a great many poets. I often accompa.
MED him to his readings, and went with
him to his lecture on The Poetic Prin-
ciple.' One day he pointed out to me In
one of Shelley's shorter poems what he
I considered the truest Characterization
t of love that he knAWi
The desire Of the moth for the star,
: OF the night for the morrow.
: Poe used to read and lecture at the
: old Exchange hotel, which at that time
contained the best hail in the city for Uhs
/ purpose. Mrs. Clark said that she wa,
3 thought to have been very much Ike
Poe's first wife, Virginia Glenn, at
may have been that" said she, " that
, first made him my friend however, en-
: joyed a great deal of his society during
1 the visit to Richmond of which speak
: the one previous to his second contem
. plated marriage. On his last visit, wher
: he was making arrangements for thi
! | marriage, saw less of him. He was Il
have married a wealthy widow, Mrs
Shelton. Some said that he loved her
and others that he was marrying TO
money. Richmond had a good deal Il
found gossip upon then regarding Poe
His Incorporate habits, which, on &C
= count of his being q poet, were though
= to be greater than they really were
+ found willful exaggeration at the hand
!. of many who were his companions il
e dissipation. When he was in compan,
o (at party, for instance) you might SCI
a q little Of him in the earlier part of tn
n evening, then he would be off with
J. crowd, and his friends would not see hin
Is or hear of him for days. Then his &c
f centricities and the ups and downs of hi
g life, Il think when very young man b
Y initiated Byron) made him q figure 70
b compassion and interest. Thus he be
q came the centre of number of absurt
Is stories, as well as of no little local pride
K People are quick to turn thing into
J. wonder, and Poe got his angel-eleVi
d breveG from the gossips long befor
d he died. The kind of pride that the
z took in him was of a characteristic sort
( The prophet was not honored in his ow
n country as he was abroad, but when b
e read all the fashion of the city turne
is out to hear him. have often seen thes
t. ovations. But he was more the show
Ii child of the town than the master wit
1t an appreciative and sympathetic fellow
g ing"
d Mrs. Clark spoke of the AlIans VIII
! - Il
g, corner of Main and Fifth, were one of tt
- ] oIJasR fon,iI;as afata NJ