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Baltimore
June 25, 1829
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Dear Pa,
I wrote
you
on the 10th
of June in reply to yours of
the 8th
in which I urged my reasons in further support of my request to
be allowed to publish a poem — & I did intend, but forgot to say,
in conclusion, that as I had submitted the question of its being
expedient to your decision — I should by no means publish it without
your approbation — I say this now, because I fear from your silence
that I have offended you in pressing my request any farther.
The
poem is
now in the hands of Carey, Lea &
Carey and I am only waiting for your answer to withdraw it or not — It
was my wish immediately upon receiving your letter to return home thro’
Washington & ascertain the fate of my application — <of>
which I am induced to think has succeeded — as there were, I understand
several rejected — This I will do immediately upon hearing [page 2:]
from you.
In
whatever
errors I may have been led into, I would
beg you to judge me impartially & to believe that I have acted from
the single motive of trying to do something for myself — & with
your assistance I trust I may — I have left untried no efforts to enter
at W. Point & if I fail I can give you evidence that it is no fault
of mine — but I hope to succeed —
I am
afraid
you will think that I am trying to
impose on your good nature & would not except under peculiar
circumstances have applied to you for any more money — but it is only a
little that I now want.
I will
explain the matter clearly — A cousin of my
own (Edward Mosher) robbed me at Beltzhoover’s Hotel while I was asleep
in the same room with him of all the money I had with me (about 46$) [page 3:] of which I
recovered $10 — by searching his pockets the
ensuing night, when he acknowledged the theft — I have been
endeavouring in vain to obtain the balance from him — he says he has
not got it & begs me not to expose him — & for his wife’s sake
I will not. I have a letter from him referring to the subject, which I
will show you on arriving in Richmond.
I have
been
moderate in my expences & $50 of the
money which you sent me I applied in paying a debt contracted a[t] Old
Point for my substitute, for [which] I gave my note — the money
necessary if Lt
Howard had not gone on furlough would have been only
12$ as a bounty — but when he & Col: House left I had to scuffle
for myself — I paid $25 — & gave my note for $50 — in all 75$.
Since I
have
been in Baltimore I have learnt
something concerning my descent which would have, I am afraid, no very
favourable effect if known to the War
Dept: [page
4:] viz: that I am the
grandson of General Benedict Arnold — but this there will be no
necessity of telling —
[[space reserved
for address]]
Give my
best
love to all my friends — I hope you
will give me a favourable answer concerning my poem tho’ I will
strictly abide by your decision.
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I am Yours
affecty
E A. Poe
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