The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-04-27
WIIIIIIEI,'>, SECRET.
THE TRUE STORY OF HIS COURT
SHIP OF COENEltA RUSS.
Though She Did Not ..a-ry Him. size I:e-
manned Single and Never ToiG-A Love
Episode Ia the Poets Life Tia: Made a
Deep Impression Epcn Him.

Episode La the Poets Life That Made a
Deep Impression Cpcn Him.
The residence of IS months in Fart
ford introduced him to !. vigorous anti
slavery circle Of higher culture and q
more delicate refinement tam any he
lad kloxD, and within that cirvle IN
carnatCti ina most lovely woman he Was
to find his fate. -
Among the friends the h~:ograrher has
mentioned Judge HGSS. q ma, well
known i'll taat day for brilliant parts
and a handsome person. The family
was distinguished for beatty and bright
ness. OF these members whom Whit
tier knew, Eiary, the oldest. married ST.
las Z. EnrroHes. Mrs. Barro~es died
of consumption il New York III 1871,
at the age of "a. There survived only
III unmarried daughter, Garne1ia. aud
n SOL Charles James Eass, who 20
years later was q r%ronliaeEt lawyer iii
Hartford.
Cornelia, tie youngest child, boa n
1914, was bnt = Yeas old when see
parted from Whittier IN 1881. He was
~. The strong ant-slave,y zeal Of the
family threw the two yecn. pconla
much together, and the clear brain and
tender heart of the poet Yielded to very
uncommon charms. Gae who saw her
during the last yearof her lie describes
her in this way:
AT 20 Corne1la vas alaeSt tcaatiful
woman. She had dark ilue eyes. like
pansies, with long, DARK lashes. Hack
hair and the most exquisite color. #
she was like the rest Of her f~aGlilv, she
was a very brilliant wos4ae-"
Judge Russ, who was . member Ct
congress in 1920, had died III 1A33. OF
this Whittier probably heard t~ilren2i.
his friend Law, but that he ever hear.
of the death of Mary Barrewes or Cor
nelia there is no evidence. When he
was writing his letter Of sympathy to
the friends of Lucy Hooper, Corneiia
was lying On her deathleti. She had
nursed her sister through! her fatal ILL.,
ness. had imbibed tho poison and fol-
lowed her in the April Of 1912.
The poem called Memories, = to
which Whittier attributed /. special sig
nificance, was written during Corne,
las last illness. He thinks of her rs
still bright and living. and when in
1888 he desired tho poem to be placed
at the head of his "Subjeetive' verse.
his heart was still true to her, but gave
no token that he knew hers had ceased
to beat.
After Cornetia's death her papers
passed into the hands Of tho only sur
viving member Of her family, Charles
James Russ, who died III 1861. At that
time her private letters came into the
hands of his widow, vino destroyed most
Of them, but kept from pure love of the
poet the precious pages in which Whit
tier had offered himself to her kinsyyo-
a l have not myself read the letter.
which is still i'll existence, but one who
has read it, the present possessor. writes
me as follows: THE letter was short,
simple and manly, as you would know.
He evidently expected to call next day
and learn his fate" Another who has
seen the letter writes: 1T WAS somewhat
stlff-such a letter as a shy Quaker lad
would be likely to write, for that he
was in spite of his genius. He begged
her, if she felt unable to return his af-
lection, to keep his secret, for he said.
My respect and affection for you are Su
great that l could not survive the NOR
LITIGATION, if your refusal Were known
Cornelia Russ was soughtin marriage
by several distinguished persons. but
she died unmarried, and she kept Whit
tiers secret. His poem suggests that the
stern creed of Calvin held them apart
a thing very likely to happen i'll Con-
necticut half a century age, bnt if he
had known that she had changed her
early connections for the more liberal
associations of the Church of England
he would have seen yet more distinctly
that shadow of himself in her OF
which the poem speaks.
Those who are familiar with MEM
cries" will recall the hazel eyes
and Eight brown hair" which it COM
memorates. and fancy perhaps that there
is some mistake. It is net likely that
Whittier forgot the color of Cornelia's
eyes or hair. In SOL elusive moment
he had shown the poem to James I.
Field and Edwin P. Whipple. In 1850.
when Cornelia had been dead eight
years, they wished to publish il, and he
was very reluctant. He had not out
grown his early passion, and before it