St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-04-30
Defending Charles Dickens.
COMPLETE ANSWER TO AN ASSAULT ON
THE NovELIsT's MEMORY.
From the N. Y. Times, April as.J

From the N. Y. Times, April 26.J
For several weeks there has been
floating about in the newspapers an az
ticIe purporting to be written by ''Der-
rick Dodd" in the San Francisco Post. 1t
states in substance that during Mr..
Charles Dickens's last visit to the Unit
ed States, and while he was in Wash
ingtoD, a party, consisting of Admir- al
Farragut, Hon. Luke Poland of Yer
mont, Henry Winter Davis, Major
John Fellows, COmmissary-Gen. Shiras,
Capt. Hentzell of the Scorpion an at
tache of the French Legation, whose
name is forgotten, and the writer ID.
Dodd.) by previous arrangement called
upon Mr.. Dickens at his apartments at
Welcker's Hotel. The article states
that Mr.. Dickens remained in Washing
ton for some weeks, and some days af-
ter the above interview was met by
Captain Hentzel and the author ID.
Dodd,) when Dickens was well punish
ed for his rudeness by the superior
smartness of his antagonists.
l first saw this story of d. Dodd's.
some two or three months ago, in a
Vermont paper, and had not the small
est doubt that the whole story was an
entire fabrication. l was in Washing
ton ut the time of Mr.. Dickens's visit
there in January OF February, 1868. He
gave four readings on four consecutive
evenings, and attended some of them.
only saw Mr.. Dickens at those read
ings. did not call upon him in COM
pany with the gentleman named ID.
Dodd, or any others. l knew Admiral
Farragut and Gen. Shiras the others
named | never knew at all. Henry
Winter Davis died in 1865, more than
two years before the date of Dickens
visit. Mr.. ID. Dodd states that Dickens
remained several weeks in Washington.
This was not so. He left Immediately
on concluding his reading, SO that the
subsequent meeting with him could not
have been true, us stated. Mr.. Dickens
received great attention in Washington,
and all his movements were watched
and reported in the daily press, and if
such an occurrence had taken place, |
am sure it would have been generally
known, and | should at least have heard
of il, but | never did. | have ever been
great admiIer of the works of Mr..
Dickens, and it seemed to me that such
gross and false statements in regard to
him, and so injurious to his memory,
ought not to be allowed to pass uncOn-
tradicted by these who were alleged to
have personal knowledge of the facts.
l therefore published short denial of
ID. DOdd's stcry, in substance what l
have stated above.
Recently I'D. Dodd" has replied in
the San Francisco Post. He admits he
was mistaken as TO Henry Winter Da-
Wis. He says: IA reference to some
memoranda shows that it was Bancroft
Davis, then Assistant Secretary of
State, and not the eloquent Congress-
man, whose name we should have writ
ten" | believed this was merely an
additional falsehoOd, and accordingly
sent his article to Mr.. Bancroft Davis,
now Judge of the Court of Claims.
send with this his reply. He was not in
Washington during the time of Mr..
Dickens's visit there. ID. DOdd must
reconsult his memoranda and find SOME
other Davis. He still persists that |
was one of the company. His attempt
to cover up and slur over his gross SLAM
der of Dickens, by sort of good natur-
ell scandal of myself, is not of any par
ticular consequence. All that he says
in that behalf is just as false as all the
rest of his story. 1t is time that this
class of murderers of the regulations OF
men, both dead and living, were prop
erly understood and appreciated.
LUKE p. POLAND.
st. Johnsbury, VT, April 30, 1880.