Evening star., 1907-08-20
FULL OF FUN AND WIT
Interesting "reminiscences of
Whittier, the Poet.
UNPUBLISHED FUNNY POEMS
Was Not Unaffected With Super
stition.
RECOLLECTIONS OF HIS NEPHEW
MI
REC0LLECT1oNs OF HIS NEPHEW
Curious Phenomena Connected With
the Striking of Old Clocks-Anec-
dotes Related by S. T. Pickard.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

By WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
AMESBURY, Mass, August IA, 1907.
Mr.. Samuel T. Pickard, Whittier's
biographer and nephew-in-law, who lives
In the old homestead, Is very interesting
talker and loves to relate anecdotes Of the
poet We are accustomed to think Of him
as sedate and serene old Quaker-earnest,
serious, with his soul always in the air
but those who knew him intimately, like
Mr. Pickard, and saw the private side of
his life tell US that he was one of the
most human of all human beings, full Of
fun and wit and even superstition. The
most sacred relics Mr.. Pickard preserves
are unpublished manuscript copies of funny
poems, doggerels written for amusement
of children, parodies upon the verses of
other poets, satires upon local issues and
events and humorous verses that he wrote
on various occasions for the amusement of
his cronies and neighbors. He would not
publish them for fear they might injure
his influence and detract from his dignity.
One of the most amusing of his unpub-
lished poems is entitled THE Wedding of
Gail Hamilton" the cynical cousin of Mrs.
Blaine. who lived in neighboring village
and was a great crony of Mr.. Whittier.
although it would be difficult to find two
persons more unlike. Miss Dodge was
usually considered a man -hater," but that
was hardly true. Most men were afraid
OF her Her wit was too keen and her
tongue too sharp as her political and other
controversies show. to make her an agree
able antagonist, and her views of marriage
were not orthodox. No one can appreciate
Mr. Whittier's poem unless he knew the
lady.
There Is a funny parody upon 1.-THE Old
Oaken Bucket" and an "Ode to Charles
Summer" which begins:
''No sense OF humor dropped its oil
On the hard ways his purpose went;
Small play Of fancy lightened TOLL
He spake alone the words he meant"
"The Last Will and Testament Of a Man
Caught In a Bear Trap" Is satire upon the
idiosyncrasies Of many Of Mr.. Whittfer's
neighbors. 1t represents one Of the proml-
nent citizens Of Amesbury as having been
caught by the leg in trap set for bear,
beyond the reach of rescue. He has his note
book and pencil with him. and, while wait
ing for the end, he writes detailed memo
randum of the disposition he desires to
have made of his goods and chattels. In
doing so he comments upon the character
and disposition Of each legatee in very
amusing manner.
Another local satire Is an lode to E.
Moody Boynton," a local politician and
speculator, who represented the Amesbury
district in Congress and attracted consider
able attention by his radical Ideas and his
rapid and yoluminous speech. Mr.. BoyntOn
owned a sawmill and lumber yard and in
vented many novelties, including single
track electric railway. The poem begins:
II hear the Wild winds rushing
From Boyntons lumber yard.
Swift his railroad bicycle
And buzzing like his Words
Another amusing poem Is entitled "On the
Hay Fever Of Miss Lucy Larcom,' the
well-known writer Of stories for girls. 1t
begins:
Lucy Larcoms eyes are red.
If for me her tears shed,
Give her for her prompt relief
My best pocket handkerchfef.'
It Is little difficult for = to realize the
serious old Quaker indulgng in such pleas
antries.
Whittier Superstitious.
It is also curious surprise to know that
Mr. Whittier was very superstitious, par
ticularly with regard to thirteen at the ta-
BILE. Mr.. Pickard recalls incident that
occurred the last time he dined with his
family. During the summer before his
death he had rooms at the house Of Miss
Cove in the village of Danvers, and took
his meals, with others of the party, at the
table of neighbor. One evening, when all
of the boarders were seated except Mr.
Whittier, he came into the dining room.
There were twelve a the table and he made
thirteen. Mrs. Pickard, whose eyes were al
ways sharp and whose mind was alert to
everything that concerned her uncle, left
the table and took her plate to small one
ton. The old poet promptly recognized
her motive and in his CHEEKY way remarked: :
What has thee been doing, Lizzie, that
they put thee in the corner?'
A few minutes later Mr.. Wakeman, a
Baptist clergyman in the village, came IN
Unexpectedly and took the vacant seat,
making thirteen at the little table. Young
Mr.. Pickard, to break the omen, took his
plate over to the table in the corner with
his mother 1t was all done In playful
way, but the incident was recalled in a
startling manner the next morning, when
the venerable poet was found paralyzed in
his room. He never left 1t again.
Another incident of the same evening, Mr.
Pickard says, was even more impressive,
and remains unexplained TO this day. After
supper Mr.. Whittier returned to the cot
tage of Miss Cove and spent the evening
conversing with the members of his family
and several neighbors who dropped in, as
usual, 10 see him. When the hour of 10
o'clock arrived his niece lighted a candle
and kissed him goodnight, according to
custom. AS he passed out of the room an
ancient clock in the corner. which had been
silent and motiOnless for years, struck once.
The tone was loud and clear and arrested
the attention of every person present. Mr..
Whittier stopped a moment, with his hand
upon the doorknob, smiled gravely at his
niece, then climbed the stairs to his room
for the last time When the door was
closed behind him Miss Cove and others in
the parlor rushed to the clock and, to their
astonishment, found that the pendulum was
motioneSS, the weights were gone and
the hands were not in position for striking.
She declared that it had never struck be-
fore, and they could not make 1t strike
again. During his last illness Mr.. Whittier
often mentioned this omen.
l read of similar phenomenon In a
Nashville paper the other day. 1t occurred
in the family of DR.. w T. Porch of Bakers
Vile, Humphrey county, Tenn. An old
fashioned Seth Thomas clock, which was
worn out and refused to go any longer. was
allowed to remain dresser in the sit
ting room. One Sunday morning 1t struck
ten, slowly and distinctly. Everybody in
the house heard it, but paid little attention
to 1t. In discussing the matter they all
agreed that a mouse must have gotten into
the works. That afternoon the youngest
child. a girl of ten years, was seized with
spasms caused by acute indigestion, and
at 10 o'clock that night she died.
Although the coincidence was commented
upon with awe at the time it passed out Of
mind until several years later when the
clock struck again-eight times-and John
Porch the eldest son, who was lying i'll of
typhoid fever, died at eight O'Clock the next
morning.
The coincidence was repeated third time
four years later. when the same clock,
standing in the same place, announce in
the same way the approaching death of
another son, Porter Porch, who died at
o'clock one evening four hours after ba