Ɛpsilon

WCP1571

Transcription (WCP1571.1350)

[1]

Frith Hill

Godalming.

March 9th. 1888.

Dear Mr. Myers,1

As I also find other people's letters are apt to get mislaid I return you Mrs Gilmore's2- of which I have just sent a copy of the material parts to Mr. Armstrong,3 with the letter you have returned to me. I am afraid from Mrs Gilmore's letter that the life of Judge Edmonds4 she speaks of may be years before it appears, if ever. The mass of materials she has will be a laboutr [typographical error] to work up, & probably Mr. Gilmore does not feel any great interest in it. And then a very small part will certainly be given to spiritualism,- and the "5 vols of MSS. Records of Seances" will almost certainly remain entirely unused. His published books & newspaper articles &c. with his correspondence will furnish ample materials for a chapter on Spiritualism in a "Life". I think therefore if you really want these "5 vols. of MSS" you might write again to Mrs Gilmore offering to return them or any part of them when wanted, & to publish nothing with her name in. Even the first or first two vols. would probably give you what you want most - the records of the tests which convinced him.

If you do anything more in it I would offer a sum down for the use of them, say for a yrar [typographical error], with power to copy & publish any part of them you please not involving her or any of the family. It is certainly a pity not to have them,- or I fear they will never be made public.

Believe me | Yours very truly | Alfred. R. Wallace.

1
Myers, Frederic William Henry (1843-1901). British poet, classicist, philologist, and founder of the Society of Psychical Research.
2
Mrs Gimore has not been identified.
3
Armstrong, William H. (-). American spiritualist, of Milford, Pennsylvania.
4
Edmonds, John Worth (1816-1874.) One of the most influential early American Spiritualists. After a great public career, as a member of both branches of the New York State Legislature and, for some time, President of the Senate and Judge of the Supreme Court of New York, he resigned the judiciary on account of the outcry raised against his Spiritualistic beliefs.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Transcription (WCP1571.1350)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Moscoso, Alessa [2013-07-08] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-07-08] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2025-03-03]

Please cite as “WCP1571,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1571