WCP86

[1]

Broadstone, Dorset.

Feb^y. 29^th. 1904

My dear Will¹

I wrote to Mr. Dresser² about Sir W. Preece³ & the Admiralty as soon as I got your letter. No reply yet. I send you herewith my duplicate copy of Fortnightly cont[ainin]^g. the letter about Leonainie.

You will see how closely this story agrees with mine, and if this is any where near correct, then Riley⁴ cannot be the author, because he was born the year that Poe⁵ died. I have written to this man, Mr. Robb, & I wrote a week ago to two Editors of Poe’s works in America, and now it certainly remains for Riley to prove his case. Did he invent this story of the grandfather’s Inn in Virginia, and is the inhabitant [2] of Kokomo (in Indiana) about 40 miles from Riley’s home, the friend of his who helped him to get up the hoax? Surely he will be bound to explain all this now. Is this Mr. Bremner who wrote to the New York Critic also a friend of Riley’s? If the story of the young man coming to the Inn is all a hoax, how is it that Mr. Robb’s friend from whom he got the book containing the poem, & who believed it to be Poe’s, never appears to have heard of Riley?

You need not be afraid of my committing myself. If I write at all next month it will be merely to state the facts and ask for an explanation.

[3] As to you, you have mistaken your vocation. You should go in for being the peoples poet. Write verses like those about the monk on Chamberlain, or the Fiscal Question, or the Yellow Slavery, or any popular question of the day and the Daily Mail will send you large cheques for them.

It is really very clever — quite a tour-de-force.

Thomas Sims⁶ has just sent me a few old letters (& is going to send me more as he has fortunately kept all William’s.) among them is one I wrote from Wales to Herbert when he was at school ^{near Brentford.} 4 closely written pages, all in rhyme, and evidently all written right off! I couldn’t do it now, but at that time I often wrote rhymed letters.

[4] But this is simply rhyme — a kind of doggrel — not real humorous verse like yours, which though not quite up to the Poe mark is equal to a good deal of the Society verse of the day.

Let us have some more when you are "in the vein."

I am anxious to hear about Mr. Sleigh — whether he is a 3rd cousin or so, & can help us with any pedigree hints. Stir him up if he has not answered. I have just had a batch of American reviews of "Man’s Place"- all newspapers, & most of them favourable & good — one only dead against, but he does not say why!

The⁷ Fortnightly contains a few interesting articles besides the Poe one.

Yours affect[ionately]. Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]