Evening journal., 1913-12-02
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Captain WaGner'S ReCOIIeC-
tlOnS Of Edgar A. Poe
Holland.


II presume that very few persons are
now living who ever saw, certainly very
few whoever talked with Edgar A. Poe. %
said Captain Frederick G. Wagner to me.
I'm his day he was "a very prominent
citizen Of New York and was well known
TO the Masonic fraternity of the United
States by his prominent Identification
with the establishment of the great Ma
sonic home at Utica. New York.
u am fortunate enough TO be able 20
recall many meetings Of Poe and several
interesting conversations which / had
with him at one time or another" he
went on.
Having said this to me, Captain Wag.
ner took a wallet of the kind nsed for
carrying small papers or documents from
an inside pocket and opening it after
searching among the papers. took a half
sheet of what used Co be styled CONNER
cial note paper. He showed me the date.
IL was in September, 1859. With a
delicacy, the reasons for which | after
ward appreciated, Capt Wagner conceal.
ed the name of the writer OF the COM
munication ] saw il was in a woman's
handwriting The paper was somewhat
faded and the ink was beginning To turn.
The communication had reference TO
some business matter, as I saw after I
had read the first paragraph Of the let
ter.
"That letter" said Captain Wagner.
"was written 20 me by friend of my
family. a lady ct Providence, Rhode Is,
land, who wanted me to execute husi-
ness commission for her. 10 Is She lady
20 whom Edgar a. Poe was once engaged
20 be married.
"She had great admiration for Noc's
genius and for him a> a man. bnt there
came a day when she had visible evidence
that Poe could not control MS appetite
and for that reason the cnga accmcnt was
broken.
~ knew tho circumstances as thc
time. But I did not thcn know that noc
occasionally yielded TO the temptations
Of indulging IN spirituous drink. was
speaking of this TO a friend who knew
Poe well aud who admired him greatly
aud he told me that Edgar as he called
Poe. was TO be piiied rather than CEN
sured. He said that the trouble with
Poe was that If he swallowed even a
small mount of liquor it instantly af
fected him set his brain in a whirl-
and that this was due TO some physical
weakness lie said that I'oe's only safe
tv was In absolute abstinence. Frequent
ly when he was thought to be greatly
overcome by liquor it was really the
case that he had swallowed only mod
crate amount Of whskey or brandy.
II never saw Poe when he gave the
slightest indication that he was not fully
himself. / used occasionally to meet
him at some one of the monthly recep-
tions. which were given by the Cary
sisters. Alice and Phoebe, at their home
on Seventeenth street. New York. If
there ever was what the French call
literary salon In New York, these rec
eeptions of the Cary sisters could be
thus described We used TO see George
William Curtis, digniiied and yet cor
dial frequently the centre of a merry
group. a very handsome man who had
lust gained his first reputation as an
author. Occasionally Parke Goodwin
would stroll in, a heavy thisk-set man,
on-in-law Of William Cullen Bryant
There was romantic association with Mr..
Goodwin. since he was known as a lad
to have SAT upon the knee of Aaron
Burr and when a young man at Prince
ton College to have met and talked with
Burr in the cemetery, where Burr had
zone TO look at the grave of his father
once president of Princeton. Horace
Greelv used to come in, dressed like
gentleman without any eccentricities Of
costume. and Anne Stevens who then
had a great reputation as the author
Of Fashion and Famine a novel which
almost We'd in popularity with Uncle
Toms Cabin And sometimes Edgar A..
Poe came in. not at all affected in his
manner, dreamy and often sad eyes, re-
ioicing apparently in the common tribute
that was paid TO him even then, be-
cause his genius was recognized. al
though the Feeling was that its greater
recognition would not come till after his
death. which was the fact. My recollee-
tions of Edgar Allen Poe are among the
most pleasant OF my young mnhood in
New York city"
Copyright. 1918, by F. J. Edwards. All
rights reservedl.
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell of
4