Text: John H. Ingram, “Poe and Mrs. Whitman,” New-York Tribune (New York, NY), vol. LXVIII, whole no. 22,721, January 30, 1909, p. 8, cols. 3-4

[page 8, column 3, continued:]

To the Editor of The Tribune.

Sir: The “Century Magazine,” New York, for January, contains an article purporting to relate the “romance” of Poe and Mrs. Whitman. It is introduced by an editorial note to the effect — the wording is very obscure — that the material has been “garbled” in the version given by Mr. Ingram in his “Life of Edgar A. Poe,” and confessedly reprinted (i. e. copied) literatim by Professor Harrison in his compilation, “Poe's Life and Letters.” Of this so-called “imperfect version” the “Century” so far refers to only one letter, purporting to have been written to Miss Blackwell, an English lady, by Edgar Poe. This letter was placed at my service by Mrs. Whitman, but as it was supposed to have been written to another lady, I naturally asked that lady's assent before using it. Miss Blackwell, in her reply, now before me, assured me there was some mistake, as no such letter could have been written to her, and begged me not “to allow her name to appear in connection with it.” Of course, I omitted the lady's name and merely quoted a few lines referring to Mrs. Whitman herself. All consideration for other people's feelings are foreign to the compilers of this “romance”; they print the letter in full, as they do, also, two of Mrs. Clemm's usual, suggestive appeals to her correspondents for eleemosynary help. I had, and have, complete copies of these two letters, as also of some dozens of others in a similar strain to various persons from the same unfortunate lady, but have deemed it more honorable for the sake of all parties to suppress them. They are of no utility to readers of Poe's life.

The remainder of the “Century” article contains little not already known about Poe, and still less about his real relations with Mrs. Whitman.

Before Professor Harrison, or any one else, compiles any more “romances” about Poe, he had better wait until the revised and enlarged version of my “Life of Edgar A. Pee” appears, when there will be plenty of authentic materials to rely upon. My copyists have had to trust pretty largely to [column 4:] my “imperfect version” in the past, and when they have departed from it have generally found pitfalls. I have sought my information from more than one source, and these industrious “muckrakers” will find, although they work under the “Century's” editorial ægis, if they publish “romances” founded solely upon data scraped from the MSS. of Mrs. Whitman, or of any other prejudiced person, they will wish they had continued to “reprint” Mr. Ingrram's statements, although “garbled,” which means, according to Dr. Johnson, “to separate the good from the bad.”

JOHN H. INGRAM.

No. 53 Etherley land, Jan. 18, 1900. Road, West Green, London, England.

The above communication was submitted yesterday afternoon to Mr. Richard Watson Gilder, Editor of “The Century Magazine.” He has replied to it as follows:

To the Editor of The Tribune.

Sir: Many thanks for letting me see Mr. Ingram's note. His quarrel is really with Professor Harrison, who was co-editor with Miss Chase of the material in the January “Century.” In the editorial introduction no reflection was intended upon Mr. Ingram, who probably received the copies with omissions and in separate passages.

Mr. Harrison was very much disappointed that we did not reprint the letters as submitted to us. He thought the versions which accompanied the article were so much closer to the originals that the whole should have been reprinted with the rest of paper.

R. W. GILDER.

New York, Jan. 29, 1900.