Text: John C. Miller, ed., “Entry 147: Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram, Apr. 18, 1876,” Poe's Helen Remembers (1979), pp. 414-415 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 414, continued:]

147. Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram. Item 290

My dear friend,

Yours of the 6th [5th] just arrived. I will only say one word tonight in reply to one of your questions, and write at once so as to avail myself of tomorrow's steamer.

You say, “Poe's Lines to Helen (headed ‘Lines to —— ——’) appeared in Sartain's Union Magazine for Novr. 1848 How then about Graham's Magazine?” They could not of course have appeared in both, nor did they appear as “To —— ——,” but “To —— —— ——.”

The first article in the number in which they appeared was a poem by Ross Wallace. All this I told you in one of my recent letters.

Now will you tell me on what authority you ask me, “How then about Graham?”

I had the very number long in the house which Poe brought to me & [page 415:] from which he read to me both his poem to me and the poem of Wallace. I have a very particular reason for wishing you to write on the enclosed card the reason for your statement the authority on which you question mine, and ask it from you as you value my friendship to reply at once. I will explain to you my reason as soon as I hear from you.

Why did you cross out the date 1848? That was the true date of the first publication of the poem.

Sincerely and affectionately your friend,

P.S. I send you a little poem which I wrote on a spray of trailing arbutus which was presented to me in the street last Thursday, because the reply, entitled “Epigea,” another name for the arbutus, was written by a young poet & botanist, the one who read with such keen enjoyment your “Rejoinder” to the “Reply” of W[m] F. G[ill], W.W.B. W.W.B. is Professor W. W. Bailey.

I long to hear about the [18]27 edition of the poems.

Faithfully your friend,

Mr. Bailey thinks of Stoddard just what we think of him. He saw much of him when S. was editor of the Aldine.

George Parsons Lathrop is, I think, the assistant editor of the Atlantic. The mention of Fairfield as an “ingenious writer who has carried his theory too far” and the whole tone of the article show that he is in league with the enemies of Poe who have taken opportunity to assail him behind the flimsy mantle of Fairfield.