The Indianapolis journal., 1895-06-24
PRONOUNCED a FORGERY.

Mention was made in the Sunday
Journal of the discovery Of the manu-
script of an alleged poem by Edgar A.
Poe, in the leaves of an old volume in
the library of the University of Virginia.
The publication of the verses was ac-
companied by a statement that the rec
ords of the library showed that Poe had
taken out the book while he was a stu
dent at the university, in 1926. and that
it had not been taken out since The
Journal remarked that the poem itself
was very good imitation of Poe's style,
but as that had been done many times it
was no proof of genuneness.
The Charleston News and Courier
prints a letter from II. e. Shepherd,
president of the College of Charleston,
showing that he has analysed the poem
carefully and reached the conclusion
that it is a forgery. The following ex-
tract from his letter has some literary
interest:
Even a superficial reading CT the poem
species of eclectic composition-made up of
extracts, fragments and limitations from the
mature and recognized creations of the
have been. evolved the forgery with Anna
bel Lee. The Bells. The Haunted Palace,
Dreamland and The Raven lying open be-
fore him. assimilating and sppropriating
the phraseology of each so far as was
requisite to accomplish his purpose. Some
ven are laid under contribution, despite
the notable fact that this bestknown of all
Poe's works was not published until Jan
uary, 1Si5, while the recently revealed poem,
which is claimed as his. is alleged TO have
been written in 1926. nearly twenty years in
advance of that time.
The discovery of the poem in volume of
Rollins History seems almost the echo of
Chatterton's professed discovery, of the
nent newiey yodm pue ns st m Mas chnrch @ Bristoi ,
where they had lain in severe forgetfulness
for several centuries. The collegian has ad-
hered to Poe's characteristic measure-the
trochaic-which though rare as compared
with the ordinary English foot-the iambus
has been SO popsritasrized & by the ,, inhuenSe renee
Raven" "Locksley Hail." etc, that it's re-
production may be accomplished even by
the merely mechanical rhymester. The
writer has failed to grasp the inner spirit
of Poe's creation; he IS an emDiric
IN verse. nothing more. The esoteric culture
Rossetti he is Incapable of apprehending
beyond the mere parody OF the metrical
form; IL is to him land of darkness, whore
the light is as darkness.
For these reasons President Shepherd
who is evidently capable of forming a
critical judgment. has no doubt that the
poem is a forgery. and only skillful in
its mechanical and metrical imitation OF
Poe.
President Shepherds allusion to the
Chatterton forgeries in connection with
this alleged discovery Of poem by Poe
suggests some points of striking re-
semblance between these two remarka.
BILE and wayward geniuses. Both were
born of humble parentage. Chatterton'.
father being musician and Poe's an
actor. One received his education in a
charity school and the other was sent L
school by a wealthy friend who hat
adopted him. Both were remarkably
precocious as children, both largely self
taught, and both possessed a moody
temperament and morbid imaginatio.
that marked them as out of the ordi
nary Both were prolific writer's, and
each created a sensation in the literary
world of his day. Both were disappoint
ed at almost every turn in life. Chatter
ton finally committed suicide at the age
of seventeen years. and was buried In Z
paupers grave. and Poe died In a hospi-
tai of delirium tremens at the age o.
forty. No poet OF modern times ha!
been as much initiated or parodied as