Text: John C. Miller, ed., “Entry 124: John H. Ingram to Sarah Helen Whitman, Nov. 25, 1875,” Poe's Helen Remembers (1979), pp. 370-371 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 370:]

124. John H. Ingram to Sarah Helen Whitman

My dear Friend,

Just a few lines to tell you that I have written a hurried — very hurried — letter to the Tribune (under cover to Whitelaw Reid) re. Fairfield. What I have chiefly called him [Fairfield] to account for is his errata in dates, & misquotations. My own opinion is that he is an utterly worthless scamp: you perhaps know less of his Poe papers than I do. Under the flimsy veil of being friendly to Poe he used, years ago, to write papers against him, a larger portion of such papers being stolen from Poe's own writings. He is a wholesale thief — even the paper in Scribner's being full of peculations — but in that, I fancy — I feel certain — from various sentences that he is only a tool in the hands of Stoddard. He is the hired writer of the best bidder, but if my letter be inserted in the Tribune he will see some hints in it that will make him shiver. I have asked Whitelaw Reid to send the letter to you, if unable to use it, & if it appears, to forward a copy to you. If it does not appear, let me have it when read & I will correct it more carefully & print it with my Nation letter.

The Nation, I hear, although it did not print my letter, has since spoken well of me in its pages.

Fairfield, I fancy, tried to get Widdleton to let him edit or do something for his edition of Poe; therefore the publication of my “Memoir” instead of Griswold's will rather startle him.

You will see something about “The Bells” in Appleton's Journal — letter of London correspondent. First draft of “The Bells” must have been written after your engagement with Poe had been broken off.

I do hope Browne will write a new letter re. Fairfield v. Eureka. I wish I had time to copy fully for you & for him Fairfield's former remarks on Eureka, but I must not part with the originals just now. It would be well for us to have Browne write, as, just now, it looks as if we two were the only defenders & worked together.

Miss Royster (Mrs. Shelton) does not seem to have been the first love, but a Mary Star.(1) Mrs. S[hew] has herself pointed out the mistake. Mrs. Nichols, having recovered her eyesight, promises complete reminiscences. I wish Mrs. Richmond's address could be obtained. And Mary Star's. But I have learned so much of Poe's mental & worldly story that I feel fully empowered to grapple with any difficulties which may arise. I think my letter will shew Messrs. Stoddard, Fairfield & G[ill] that I know something about [the] American press, as well as the Poe chronology.

What has become of Miss Peckham? I send another London. The paper on Politian, I am informed, has been very well noticed all over the country. [page 371:]

With kindest wishes, tout à vous,

 

1. Augustus Van Cleef, “Poe's Mary,” Harper's Magazine, 78 (Mar. 1889) 634-40, purports to quote Mary Starr's reminiscences of Poe's violent attachment to herself. Her married name is not given in this article, but it was Jenning. For details see Thomas Ollive Mabbott, ed., Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Vol. I, Poems (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1969), pp. 2:32-33.