Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-25
EDGAR A. POE.
THE POETS CHARACTERISTICS AS
REMEMBERED BY A PRIEST.
A Paie-Faced Stranger with Dark, Sal
Eyes-Rescue of Drowning Boy
Primal Cause of the
Poets Death.
l'Halston'' in New York Times.l

! muse u Inc
Poets Death.
t-Halston'' in New York Timesl
| | Lad spent an hour in vain search for Q
J reference book in the Astor library some
days ago, and was hstlessly turning over tho
monthly magazines in an out-of-ths-way
nook, when my attention was attracted by .
venerable looking scholar at a table stretch
ing its shining expanse OF oak between us
He seemed TO be intentIy perusing a maya
zine article, and l was just a little bit
| startled TO see him dash thu book upon he
4 table with emphatic vigor, settle back liz his
chair, and petnlantly push his old-fashion.d
spectacles high up among his snowy locks
| de must have caught my look of astonisl-
ment, for. pointin, to the sighted ma gAzins,
he rasrei out: "Have you read that thingi'
( OF Course l asked for further information
The article ne pointed out concerned
@legends' attached to the life OF Eigar
| Allan Poe.
The cid gentleman arcs. aud came over to
my side He was tall, spare ami apparently
I approaching the close Of his three score years
and ten. His dress was n rather worn suit
of black, which hung loosely about his
frame AMI the Roman collar and stock en-
circling his throat plainly told that thu
wearer was Catholic clergyman Leaning
over toward me the old gentleman said
impressiveiy:
Young man, once knew E gar Pee, and
he was not at all the man his critics. past
and present, have described"
Il was seminarian at St Sulpica,, he
continued, when Loui, Napoleon consul
mattel his famous coup d'etat Ii would
have been too long a story to tell yoa how
managed 10 Leave Paris behind me and enter
the paternai door at Tours, where it was de-
cided that l should take ship at Havre for
America 1t was sorrowful voyage for
me, and 1 landed in New York, a stranger
speaking foreign tongue, utterly alJn, and
friendless, my chief wealth a letter 10
Bishop Hughes, then the active head Of
the growing diocese OF New York l
was member Of the bishops house
hold for few months, and finally,
through his influence, obtainsi
position "a study master and teach,r
Of French in the college ut Fordham.
Then happened to Inc what, now
that old age has fully seized me, regard as
tho most eventful incident of my quiet ex-
istence-I met Edgar Allan Poe in the flesh
and formed his acquaintance
The first iiIae l ran across him was over
in the Father recreation hall. In conversa-
ton with the professor Of PHILOSOPHY l no
ticed pale-facei stranger, whose Maple
chic brow and dark sad eyes irresi.t;bly
drew my attention At that noon hour
recreation j was introduced to him He
was good French scholar, and 1 had never
met one a. familiar VITA the literature OF
my country. We Were friends INN .diately.
oh, but he was q strange man; gea-
nine piece OF eccent-i,ity. When l read, "a
/ do continually, the abuse heaped upon
him | think sadly ho. Little man rally
understands his fellows. Poe was not
vicious, but simply oas horne down by I'M
deserved mn y, gentleman suffering
from the keenest p;Gng' Of poverty. / used
to get permis >icn-in those days one was
he'd ged Ill by many Little rule and reSGia-
iIon.-to 60 to lis poor little cottage up from
the village. with its cherry tree' in front AMI
the piece # rock half inlbeidei in the vel
vet turf whore he is said to have 81. anu
shaped his best verse5-especially the
'Uialume' Of his 'immemorial year OF lSi7-
the year he ,urie his wife, Virginia Clemm
Indeed it was p!ti:ul to Sc, Ii; spirit c1n-
fined To such place. Heuse.i to lo,e nearly |
all his grandeur. 1t seem,d To me. when he |
entered his ebole. How small the rom
were, How dwarfel ne became! Aal then
liant. morbid, full OF re,:H,,n,ss. Ont of |
doors, even when the winter coil came down 1
upon the hills, he wa, hun eli.
His favorite route wa, tie agleduct road, !
leading over 10 High triig.. Fu-tIer up
the river. ut the eai of the Fp.lha 4 toaiS, |
was the bathing Place of tn. college boys. |
IL il just beyond where tn. boulevard now /
runs in long stretch Of fr,n gravel At |
this point the cross la.e 81 down TO the /
river bank. Well, l was IL charge of a 1
skating battalion ono winter day; the stu !
dents had got tn. Father Il .ctor's permits |
sion TO go doHn to the river, and We set out /
briskly for tn, icn. ! wasn't very vigorou, |!
in those days an u coui int skate my I
self kept Up a RAPID promenade between two /
bunflre5 ma !, ~ the boys "a III, bank |
One little claT-t va, 50 long ago his maine
has quite gon, from la | got beyond his .
Comrades, lar GU near the further shore,
when | was st5rt.ei uy cry from the boys !
AMI a comm'tiuh, a catering in ali direc- /
lions oE ths .cc, "Lich had already cracked !
and separatcl Lawn, an expan,e Of DARK
water plainly N S.ew. And right in the /
midst Of the current my poor little fellow
was being whirlei along.
Il have only an iniistinct recol.ection OF |
what Immediately happened, but as was |
baAa.A.f LIS bobdTi luc
treacheroGs ice, n man rushias by me turned
halt around and shouted, Keep from the
ice. Instinctiveiy | obeyed; the blood
rushed back 10 NY heart; | recognized the
figure and the oil ak that was cast asiI,
There was desperate plunge, fierce bat,h
with the current. ia another moment,
willing hand, helped tbs re .cuer AM his
Iale and unconsci0u, little burden out on
the ice and up 10 the Tires on the bank. |
remember wnat strange, sad expression
was on Poe's face he picked up his tat
tered cloak and strobe off before we found
breath even to thank him. \ kind vil.aser
drove the shiveiins little skater whom lie
had SO nobly rescued back to the village
while | quickly followed with my bani
" hen we got 10 the gates the Father Rec
tors carriage was whIr.ing down the lawn,
and could easily guess whittier It's errand
lay.
AFTER this incident saw very little Of the
poet He came over TO the Fathers library
sometimes AMI | unjerstJ oi he Was busy
over his "EuIeka, but wasn't then allowed
the freedom q; the big mu>ty volumes that
were lying On Ihc shelyes there, and our in
timacy cca>et a. suddenly as 1t began. |
saw him afiervaIsi out ia tie garden. back
Of the present buildings but he atstractedy |
passed Inc ty without word rs walked
among the box h.dce1 path. The, told me
he was ailing. Ny last knowledge of him
was obtained months later. when be hal
been taken to It's grave from the hospital in
Baltimore ON that OctOier Sunday f 1919
AMI | have always thought that knew
something more than the public ha, suS- |
lecied Of the primal cause of Edgar Pcs
death. To me IL was lie reckless, self-tor- !
getting courage ii that winter day on tue
Harlem AMI not alcoholism that planted the
real seeds of hat last disense
Against riano Pia,
Exchanged
Tie city 4 Bainher has ena, Ted q lsw pro.
testing against the ublic being disturbed by