Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-03-19
THIS CITY ONLYLOGICAL !
SITE FOR POE SHRINE.
J. IL. Witty Takes Issue With New Yorker Who Uses
Poets Masterpiece as Piece de Resistance Of
Argument in Favor of Gotham

emphasizing tina; the bulk OF the
work ontailcd in pcrpc,uating the
name Of Edgar Allan roe. poet i'm :
mortal. and stressiug the fact chat
roc, in various letters he wrote.
called himself ii VirgInian. sevora,
prominent Richmond citizens have
'a"sn up the cudgels OF defense for
'nis city as tho only logical site for
the establishment ot shrine to his
memory. These people declare Rich
inond has claims stronger. perhaps.
than those of any other city. Poe.
.or many years having made his
home here.
}: IL. Witty. OF the local Foe
Shrine Association. in letter to the
New York Herald, replying TO n
communication from Hepry G.. Al
ToTd. printed last sunday. attacks
the supposition that ;hc shrine
should be located IN Gotham. rather
than Richmond.
The place dc Resistance cf the pub
iishcd attacks on the attempts to es-
iahiish a Foe Shrine in Richmond is
mat The Raven" Poc's masterpiece.
was written in New York.
writes Mr.. Alvo-d:
Claims "tarem" for New York.
Every lie OF Poc-CiiI's. Wood
oerrFs and all the rest. comedies
that The Raven was pvoduced ms
the world has It today in an u,pcr
room of this old house. The Hren-
nan or Foes date was Patrick. 70 ther
OF the late Thomas =. Brennan.
whose sister, Martha brennan. re-
mcmbered 20 have heard Poe HIM
ser read The Raven to her mother.
Mrs. Mary fireman. in tina, very
room ana to have held the manu-
script OF II in her hands. as the
Columbia Cn!vcrsity .ioc,r,.nts
aver
"If shrines are associated with the
misfortunes and miseries of poeis
rather than with their prosperity
ana lavish days. the shrine OF Edgar
Allan Poe is at fordham rather than
at Richmond"
Mr.. Whitty's reply follows:
ITO the New York Herald:
Il read rather rambling com
municntion In n recent issue of YOUR
paper headed: 'Poe's Proper Shrine
should Be in New York and Not in
tichmond. The writer seemed to
know something about tho Shakes
peare Society and Poe tablets hut
ne wrote about other things. and
niade destinations. which were not
only untrue. but misleading. After
nonstingly telling OF the tracing OF
SIX separate New York City Poe resi-
denccs. the writer added:
Dozen Residences Here.
IN Richmond. where he lived h;s
whole happy (sic> boyhool and
youth, petted OF doting adopted pa.
rents, there is scant. IL any, sugse.-
ton OF his adult victssitudea mud
achievements The present writer
can modestly trace dozen separa,.
Zoe residences ut Richmond from The
| time he was years OF age until
within few weeks OF his death. and
among these still standing is Tho
! mouse where he dwe!t with his own
mother and where she died. Poe no,
only edited tile Southern Literary
Messenger In his adult years. bu,
wrote for the Richmond Examiner
and Wing. But OF all his literary
| achievements! 1t was at Richmond
that he made and completed the final
! reVisions Of the literary work of his
lifetime. including tho Raven Poe
| himself wrote: I call myself n Sir-
ginian--for ! have resided all nv life
until within the last few years in
Richmond.
Calls Aivord Ignorant.
only mention these few matters
to show the Ignorance OF the writer
of your communication. and not in
any sense TO advocate any one city
as n special place for Poe Shrine.
also observe that he failed to state
what he was doing 10 help the ex-
istence Of the Poe Cottage in some
effort being made to raise q needed
endowment fund. At an auction sale
In New YORK. city within tho past