Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-22

version of Mrs. Whitman to II. r. Stod-
dard of the receipt Of her verses by
I Poe at Richmond i'm tho year lSAS, and
! asks: Did Mrs. Whitman forget what
had been told her by Poe? Did Mrs
shelton forget whom she renewed her
the story wrongly"
MRS. CLEMM'S LETsrERS
TO MRS. WHITMAN
Miss Ticknor gives considerable OF
the coutents of Mrs. Clemms letters
to Mrs. Whitman, but little of what
Mrs. Whitman wrote 10 Mrs. GLENN.
In the chapter on Mrs Whitmau's
Letters" are extracts from Il letter
written to Mrs. Freeman by Mrs. Whit
man wherein she says. in referring to
Mrs. Shelton and poc's Richmond trip.
that her mind is freed from all doubts
and perpleStty in relation To the Rich
mond Incident: but Miss Ticknor
added. Mrs. Whitman was still uncer-
: tain about the facts connected with
Foes last days in Richmond and his
associations with Mrs. Shelton" And
she might have gone further into Mrs
Whitman's letters to Mrs. Clcmm whom
she was plying with questions on that
subject. and answered the previous
question asked about the forgctfulness
of Mrs. Whitman.
In Mrs. Whitman's letter to Mrs.
Ciemm, dated April 1. 1859, after re-
poating previous inquiries about Mrs.
shelton. she wrote: Edgar spoke OF
her when in Providence during the
autumn of lS+S. He spoke Of having
thoughts Of renewing with her an
earlier attachment previous to visiting
Providence, etc, etc. But at that time
| think he told MIR. Pabodc that tho
years OF their separation had greatly
changed the tastes and idiosyncr:{SieS
OF both. and that there seemed but
little chance of happiness for either
/ "a n n r1 inp rn1 finf
AS may he seen, this letter differs
| entirely from what she wrote Stoddard
later. II also clears tho entire con-
| troversy and shows conclusively that
zoe did not renew his earlier engage
ment with Mrs. Shelton on the 1913
trip to Richmond. and, furthermore.
that the Mrs. shelton engagement had
no direct bearing, in fact, upon the
receipt OF Mrs. Whitman's poetic lines
by Poc--leavinG standing out in bold
outlines the contemplated duel with
Daniel. OF the Examiner as the only
! incident Poe could we'll have had in
mind when making his idealistic re-
marks to Mrs. Whtman-which seem
to have perpleNed her to her dying day.
This letter OF Mrs. Whitman's further
shows the fine hand OF Pabodie. who
seems to have heen working conf
dcncc game on Poe, his rival. and Mt
the same time comparing notes with
the sweetheart, Mrs. Whitman.
HER own COQUErRf
WAS OVERLOOKED
Mrs. Whitman thought it strange
after Toes death when she read the
brotheriy letters Poe wrote his AN
ME" while still addressing her his love
letters, hut overlooked her own CO.
auetry at that time with pahodie and
others
The evidence left by Mrs. Whitman
to show that Poe wrote "Annabel Lee
10 her is weak. 1t seems pretty clear
from Poes own letters that this poem
was written several months prior to
the Incidents Mrs. Whitman mentions.
From the statement I'm the biography
THAT Mrs. Whitman passed her latter
days In destroying countless letters. |
can only imagine that many lettcra
such us she was known to have had
from "Chivers" and other Poe contem-
porarics must have heen destroyed.
That she carefully annotated her Poo
matters and prepared for Il later bio
graphy inclincs To the belief that she
destroyed everything not i'll accord with
her own views, as she likewise blurred
out certain lines in roc's letters tn her.
HcSidcs the Poe letters lost with Da-
wilson, there seems no certainty hut
that other Poe letters went the way.
perhaps, of "Spirtland," like that OF
Poc's original verses to her called ITO
Helen" which her biographer tells was
sent TO Il medium for a Reading. but
never came back.
The new volume has an interesting
chapter on the Rival lhographers Of
Poe" and another on 'Staphenc NAL
Iarmnc." There is another chapter on
Mrs WhitmauS Friends" and much
besides Poe that is worthy of periiSai.
Among the Illustrations is "A portrait
OF Robert Stanard, Of Richmond.
j. II. WHrrTY