Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-03-06
 WHITTIER'S SECRET.

# IVY HlI 1Eh D DIOlOI1. THE TRUE STORY OF HIS COURT
 SHIP OF CoRNeLIA RUSS.
 Though She Did Not Marry Him, She Re-
 mained Single and Never TOld-A Love
 Episode Tn the Poets Life That Made .
 Deep Impression Upon Him.
 The residence of IS months in Hart ford introduced him to vigorous anti slavery circle of higher culture and a more delicate refinement than any he had known, and within that circle in- carnated in a most lovely woman he was to find his fate. ~
 Among the friends the biographer has mentioned Judge Russ, a man well known in that day for brilliant parts and Q handsome person. The family was distinguished for beauty and bright ness. Of those members whom Whit tier knew, Mary, the oldest, married Si- las E. Burrowes. Mrs. Burrowes died of consumption in New York in l841, at the age of 34. There survived only an unmarried daughter, Cornelia, and one son, Charles James Russ, who 20 years later was prominent lawyer in Hartford K1###
 ,Cornelia the youngest child, born in 1914, was but 1T years old when she parted from Whittier in 1881. He was 24. Tho strong antislavery zeal of the family threw the two yonng 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 28 Cornelia was most beautiful woman She had dark blue eyes, like pansies, with long, dark lashes, black hair and the most exquisite color If she was like the rest of her family, she was very brilliant woman. !"
 Judge Russ, who was member of congress in 1920, had died in 1832 Of this Whittier probably heard through his friend Law, but that he ever heard of the death of Mary Burrowes or Cor nelia 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 nursed her sister through her fatal ill. ness, had imbibed the poison and fol lowed her in tho April of 1842.
 The poem called Memories, tc which Whittier attributed special sig nifoanoe, was written during Corne lia's last illness He thinks of her as still bright and living, and when iT 1888 he desired the poem to be placed at the head of his Subjective" verse his heart was still true to her, but gave no token that ho knew hers had ceased | to beat
 After Cornelia's death her papers passed into the hands of the only sur yiving member of her family, Charles James Russ, who died in 1861 At tha time her private letters came into th, hands of his widow, who destroyed mos of them, but kept from pure love of th' | poet the precious pages in which Whit 1 tier had offered himself to her kinswo man. 1 have not myself read the letter which is still in existence, but one whC has read it, tho 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 ha seen the letter writes; 'tIt was somewha stiff-such letter as shy Quaker lac would be likely to write, for that h, 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 SC great that could not survive the nor tification, if your refusal were known. J Cornelia Russ was sought in marriage by several distinguished persons, bu she died unmarried, and she kept Whit tiers secret. His poem suggests that th' stern creed of Calvin held them apart thing very likely to happen in Con neoticut half century ago, but if h' had known that she had changed hel early connections for the more libera associations of the Church of England he would have seen yet more distinctly that shadow of himself in her." o which the poem speaks a Those who are familiar with "Mem ories' will recall the "hazel eyes and 'flight brown hair" which it com memorates, and fancy perhaps that ther' is some mistake It Is not likely tha Whittier forgot the color of Cornelia' eyes or hair. h some effusive momen he had shown the poem to James T Field and Edwin P. Whipple. In 1850 when Cornelia had been dead eigh years, they wished to publish it. and h, was very reluctant, He had not out grown his early passion, and before i was printed undoubtedly changed few descriptive words to screen tho truth, i may be from Cornelia herself She nev or saw it, but think he died believing l that she had .k4 .
 Rumors of this story reached me long ago, but l would not print mere sur T