The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14
Edgar ALLAN Poe's Mother-in-L law

NE two women TO whom, from u
practical point OF view. Edgar
Milan Poe was most indebted
were the first Mrs. Allan, his foster
mother, and Mrs. GLENN, the mother
oil his wife. 1T is well known how
warm WAS the affection which Mrs AL
IAN telt for him: how after The quarrel
pet"ecn him and her husband, which
N,n 10 permanent estrangeIncnt, she
sun Kept his room always ready for
ms rcoccnpatioRi how she never ceased
TO urge the stubborn and ubduratc Mr.
Aliah TO he rcconcilcd to Him and
now In the same spirit she evinced on
all occasions her maternal snlicituio
Tor MS welfare. Poo mover failed to
iespohd to this devotion. Even during
ms iinal exile from home when the
preach between his fostcr-rath Their aud
hiihsetf had become really irrcparablc,
ne Kept up 4 steady correspondence
with his iOstcr-mothcr and there IS
reason to think that It was a cause
OF the sharrest grief 10 him that he
arrived In Richmond from Fortress
Mohfoc too late 10 see her before she
Orcathed her last.
How wildly and tcnderly she fingered
III ms memory Is proven by little
incident that occurred In 1879. a few
weeks before his own death, and many
years after Mrs. Allan herself had
passed away. Il was fond Of orris
root writes Miss Ingram. "nnd always
had the odor OF 1t about my clothes
one day. when we were walking to-
gethcr. he spoke OF it. Il like 1t, too.
lie said. DO you know what 1t ma kcs
me think of? My adopted mother
Whenever tho bureau drawers in her
room were opened there came from
them Whit Of orr!s I. ana ever
hince, when smell ii. :" back to
ia.. /.
!, brings back thoughts of my
mother"
II Is a convincing proof OF the csscn
tial amiabiity OF Poc's temper. OF his
native capacity for steady affection and
gratitude also. that he won the I'M
"aVcring devotion OF the two women
with whom. If we except his wife. ne
vas longest ana most intimately assoc
ciated.
\ Wonderful Friendship.
Mrs. GLENN chung to him with a
tenderness and iidclity that must be
explained by GONE other influence be-
side her poverty or her loneliness. Did
ever q woman have a more prccarious
support always. ana 1T times more
completely impo,cnt providcr? DID
ever another woman OF equal intclIi-
EcGce ana refinement follow 81 man,
neither her husband nor her son nor
her lover through such n bottomlcss
FEN Of indulgence through such an inter
lninablc vale Of anguish and sorrow?
The history OF literature does not Of
t.: more pititul example OF self sag
1iiice than she presented Prom tho he
ginning to the end of her intercourse
with Poe. and the reason for her action
Is to be found in her own words: lie
was shc wrote after his death, more
than q son 70 me in his long continued
aud ancctIonatc observance OF every
tn, In L,, -. k.n
cxtoiicd ~ having been more than n
mother to him in her love. ycr con-
ffhncS. her phticniS. her fUIl france
aud her watchtulncss. For mis- sake
she shrank from no tasks. however
humble. and for his sake she was ready
to endure without 81 murmur even the
hardships which his own weaknesses
had prcCipitatod upon her.
brought up win no prospect OF even
competency, Mrs GLENN WAS left q
pcmnilcss widow. with children. without
kin either able or willing to assist her.
owing 10 family disscnsons. Poverty
was not the only misfortune OF her
carly lot. For eight years nor mother
was a hopeless paralytic. confined 10
her bed. her only attendant during
This protractcd and wcarisOmc illness
being her daughter, who, in the words
ot her famous aon-in law, cvinccd In
that mothers behalf during this anx-
ioua period "a Christian ana m;Styr-
like fortitudc and consistency of attcn-
ton and an unrcmittiug affection which
must cNait her character in the eyes
or all who knew her
Mrs. GLENN was schoolcd in adycr-
sity and disciplined by s,:rov. at an
age when most women are filled with
the careless joy OF mere existence.
When she became first associated with
the poet she already posscsSc6 those
qualities which. from moral r-oint OF
view at least. were to carry her so
nobly through all tho cNaspcratinS and
narrowing scenes to which she was 10
be exposed by the concurrence Of their.
lives. When Poe was dismissed from
West Point he seems 10 have at once
realized that the only home nc could
turn 10 was his auutS. in Baltimore,
although, Of all his Kin hi that city,
he knew that she was The one in the
most INDECENT circumstanccs-to sucI,
q degree indeed that she was compelled
10 earn u prccarious livelihood as II
tcams,rcss and drcsSmakcr. Affection
ate and sympathetic though she was