Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-18
wHIrTlER's LOVE EPISODE.
Though She Did Not Marry Him. She Re-
 maIned -SIna-le and Kant Hia secraf.

mained Single and Kept His Secret.
 Theeresidence of eighteen months in Hartford introduced him to vigorous anti-slavery circle of higher culture and more delicate refinement than any he had known, and within that circle incarnated in most lovely woman he was to find his fate.
 Among the friends the biographer has mentioned Judge Russ, man well known in that day for brilliant parts and handsome person. The family was distinguished for beauty and brightness Of those members whom Whittier knew, Mary, the oldest mar ried Silas E. Burrowes. Mrs. Burrowes died of consumption in New York in 1s41, at the age of thirty-four. There survived only an unmarried daughter, Cornelia, and one son, Charles James Russ, who twenty years later was prominent lawyor in Hartford.
 Cornelia, the youngest child, born in 1914, was but seventeen years old when she parted from Whittier in 1881. He was twentyfour. The strong anti slavery zeal of the family threw the two young people much together and the clear brain and tender heart of the poet yielded to very uncommon charms. One who saw her during the. last year of her life describes her in this way:
 At twcnty-eight Cornelia was most beautiful woman. She had dark blue eyes, like pansies, with long, dark lashes, black hair, and the most exquis- ite color. If she was like the rest of her family, she was very brilliant woman."
 Judge Russ, who was a member of congress in 1920, had died in 1882. Of this Whittier probably heard through his friend Law, but that he ever heard of the death of Mary Burrowes or Cornelia, there is no evidence. When he was writing his letter of sympathy to the friends of Lucy Hooper, Cornelia was lying on her deathbed. She had llursed her sister through her fatal ill., ness, had imbibed the poison, and fol. lowed her in the April of 1s42.
 ! The poem called Memories" to which Whittier attributed special sig nifcance, was written during Cornelia's last illness. He thinks of her as still bright and living, and when in 1888 he desired the poem to be placed at the head of his Subjective" verses, his heart was still true to her, but gave no token that he knew hers had ceased to beat.
 :, After Cornelia's death her papers passed into the hands of the only sur viving member of her family, Charles James Russ, who died in 1861. At that time her private letters came into the hands of his widow, who. destroyed most of them, but kept, from pure love of the poet, the precious pages in which Whittier had offered himself to her kinswoman. I have not myself read the letter, which is still in existence, but one who has read it, the present possessor, writes to me as follows: "The letter was short, simple and manly, as you would know. He evidently ex' pected to call next day and learn his fate" Another, who has seen the let ter, writes: "It was somewhat stiff such 0 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 affec. tion, to keep his secret, for he said: My respect and affection for you are so great that could not survive the mor' tifcation, if your refusal were known Cornelia Russ was sought in marriage by several distinguished persons, but she died unmarried, and she kept Whittier's secret. His poem suggests that the stern creed of Calvin held them apart thing very likely to happen in Con. necticut half century ago; but 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," o1 which the poem speaks.
 Those who are familiar with "Memo. ries" will recall "hazel eyes" and Tight brown hair" which it commemorates, and fancy, perhaps, that there is some mistake. It is not likely that Whittier forgot the color of Cornelia's eyes or hair. In some effusive moment he had shown the poem to James T. Field and Edwin P. Whipple. In 1850, when Cor nelia had been dead eight years, they wished to publish 1t, and he was very reluctant. He had got outgrown his early passion, and before it was print ed undoubtedly changed few de. scriptive words to screen the truth-it may be from Cornelia herself. She never saw it, but I think he died be- ' lieving that she had.-Springfeld Re. publican.
 1 His Business Instinct Revolted.