Text: George W. Eveleth to Edgar Allan Poe — April 3, 1846

Of course, sir, I am not to believe that the three letters which have been addressed to you concerning the Broadway Journal have all failed to reach you.  I do not believe but that you have received some of them — one of them, at least. And if this is the case, why have you not taken some notice of them? If you did not get the letter in which were enclosed three dollars for your paper, why have you not let me know it after having learned that I sent the money to you? Certainly it was your duty so to do, if not to satisfy me, at least, to clear yourself from the charge of knavery. You are liable to such a charge as the case now stands; for, as it is hardly possible that everyone of the letters which have been sent to you (two by myself, and one by our post master) miscarried, and as I have not heard a word from you, so it is probable that you have received them all, the money with them, and no thanks to me for it. The Editor of the Philadelphia Saturday Post, speaking of plagiarisms (another kind of swindling) says “Mr. Poe late of the Broadway Journal” so by this I suppose you are not connected with the paper now. Well, am I going to receive my money back again, or any thing in recompense? It is not the money that I care about so much, although three dollars is something to lose. I was in hopes that I had found the opportunity of becoming a permanent subscriber to a publication conducted by my favorite, Edgar A. Poe Esq. It is for this that I care principally. It may be yet that I shall be thus favored. I have not yet ceased to expect something from you. I have thought it might be that you would connect yourself with some magazine and might give it a toss hither to us. Be assured it would be most welcome. Something I demand of you, sir, for those three dollars of mine in your possession, something in the same coin — that is, cash — or something in the shape of literature, or something in the shape — of a notification to me that you are a poor devil, and that you beg the money of me to keep you from distress — and that something, whichever it is, with tolerable speediness.

Excellent, of course; but I have seen none of it except what there is in Graham’s  Magazine for April. I wish I had the whole of it. I wish I had the whole of Mr. Poe’s poems, the whole of his writings, in short — I wish I might receive his coming work upon the literati of New York. I wish that this sheet may be taken notice of immediately by Mr. Poe, and also that I may know of the notice soon.

Phillips. Apl. 3d G. W. Eveleth

Edgar A. Poe Esquire

Endorsed Phillips Me Apr. 3 .

Paid, 10

Edgar A. Poe Esquire
or Publisher, Broadway Journal City-New-York N. Y.