The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-14
.nreliability of His
Own Testimony
Contributes Much
to Obscurity Sur.
rounding His Res.
ldence in Metrop.
olis-F acts ofDis.
puted Personality

ginia in the grave and his own death
The swiftness with which that court.
ship followed the tragedy would lar
were it the case Of an ordinary man.
With Poe, somehow, It does not. Like
Swift, he had to have his Stellas and
his Vanessas. The later woman was
Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman, in Poes
words: "Helen--my Helen-the Helen
of a thousand dreams"
GreeIey's Cynical Comment,
Just what manner OF woman was
she? Here Is letter from cynical Old
Greeley to Griswold which throws a
light. on that question:: do you know
Sarah Helen Coleman? OF course YOU
have heard 1t rumored that she is to
marry Poe. Well, she has seemed To
me to be a good girl. and you know
what Poe is. Now know a widow Of
doubtful age will marry almost any
sort of a white man, but This seems to
me a terrible conjunction. Has Mira
Whitman no friend within your
knowledge that can faithfully explain
Poe to herr never attempted this
sort of thing but once, and the net
product was two enemies and the
Fastening Of the marriage; but do
think she must be deceived"
Had that letter come to Mrs. Whit
mans eyes at the time the projected
marriage would very likely have taken
place. How the lady would have liked
that patronizing "she seemed to me
good GIRL" and the widow Of doubtful
age! AS a matter Of fact she was SIX
years Poe's senior.
II the earlier New York years had
been years of hardship, those at the
Fordham cottage were marked by
downright restitution. The first win.
ter there was as bad as any.
1.-THE Poes are in the same state
of physical and pecuniary suffering
indeed worse than they were last
summer. for now the cold weather Is
added to their accumulation of Ills"
So runs a letter of the date of De.
cember 20, 1886. "I went to enquire
of Mr.. Post about them. He confirmed
all that 1 had previously heard of their
condition. Although she says that Mrs
GLENN has never told him they were
in want, yet she borrows a shilling
often, to get a letter from the office.
am endeavoring to get up a contri.
and the matter has got into print, very
much to my regret, as I fear it will
hurt Poe's pride to have his affairs
made so public" Here is Mrs. Goves
account of what she actually saw.
She called on the Poes and found the
dying wife in the summer sitting
room.
There was no clothing on the bed
which was only straw, but a snow
white Counterpart and sheets. The
weather was cold, and the sick lady
had the dreadful chills that accom-.
pany the hectic fever of consumption.
She lay on the straw bed. wrapped In
her husbands greatcoat, with a large
tortoise shell cat in her bosom. Tho
wonderful cat seemed conscious OF
her great usefulness. The coat and the
cat were the sufferers only means Of
except as her husband held
her hands and her mother her feet
Others, too, saw them there and de-
scribed them; Mrs. GLENN, the more
than mother of Poe's quatorzain," tall.
sprightly and laxative, in worn dress
Of rusty black; Virginia, wan and
wasted, with glossy black hair that
made her pallor seem deathly. and
with great brilliant eyes that "shone
too brightly to shine long; the poet
with pale and intellectual face that
seldom smiled, with dark. clustering
hair, with large and lustrous eyes that
glowed with feeling. with slender and
erect figure, neatly. often insufficiently
clad in threadbare garments Of sable
hue, proud of mien and port, yet dis
playing, in feature, form and gsrb,
evidences Of pinching want.
And then Virginia died Perhaps II
was as well