The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-01-18

where In the days OF Poe the town con-
stable was supreme. and the New York
city fire department has superseded
the old hand engine OF Fordham village.
The humble cottage I'm which the poet
formerly lived is the Mecca of artists
and others, and hundreds visit the place
every day. In glancing over the visit
ors book which Is kept at Poe's old
cottage one learns from it's pages that
almost every American city and is diff
ferent nations We're represented by call
ers during the past year. One days
record embraced visitors from San
Francisco Chicago, New Orleans, Bos-
ton, Nashville, Terre Haute, Louisville.
Brooklyn, London and Stuttgart. The
cottage stands today nearly as Poe left
IT, 1t is the tiniest bird box of place,
standing end on To the lovely winding
kingsbridge road. A bit of low, sunny
meadow, frlnged with gnarled old apple
trees, is opposite the house. Beyond II
there is "A sharp swell. crested at the
top with a big bare rock. The house Is
of wood, its stout frame covered with
shingles and painted white. mar
row porch runs along the front. In
side there Is living room of fair size.
with big stone chimney taking up
more than one-half OF one end OF the
wall, and a door giving upon the mar
row hail. where stairs sleeper than Ja-
cob's ladder lead up 10 the low attic that
was the poets workshop. 1t is poor,
bare cuddy. with sloping top and tiny
four paned windows. You can barely
stand upright in the middle OF 1t, yet
within it's ancient walls were written
many OF Edgar Poe's weird literary
tales. Down stairs is the little chamber
where Virginia GLENN Poe's sufferings
ended. 1t is hardly big enough to hold
a bed, and has but one small window,
looking To the north.
Not far from the old home OF the un-
fortunate poet Is St Johns college and
although Poe was by no means a Jesuit
or a Catholic he would naturally find.
with that broad minded tolerance pc
culiar TO literary people. much that was
congenial and even inspiring in an in
tercourse with the refined and intelli-
sent Jesuit fathers OF st. Johns college
an institution which was founded about
ten years before he himself made his
home at Fordham. Poe was a familiar
ngure at the college 80 years ago. OF
retiring disposition as regards the
people of Fordham, he was perfectly at
home with regard to ST. Johns. There
seemed 10 be something congenlal. in
the atmosphere OF the place that drew
him To il, and though he often went
With no express purpose of seeing any
one OF the faculty or students IL seemed
10 soothe his mind TO wander at win
about the lawn and the beautiful
grounds back of the college building
1t must not be thought froSl this that
he had no friends there. He had three
special friends at the college. Rev
Fathers Doucet and Thebaud of the
faculty and Gus Thebaud. one OF the
students. IL was one of Poe's greatest
gifts that he could make friends wher-
ever he went. To see him was 10 love
him. His features were a trine sharp
and made up an almostv.ypical Ameri-
can face. Ii was II pleasure to see him
and still more to listen 10 him.
An old resident of Fordham, I'm talk
ing Of Poe, said recently: Poe was a
modest unassuming gentleman. He
came to Fordham in 1916 and lived in
the little cottage with his wife and her
mother, Mrs. GLENN. for two years.