Charles L. Heyde to Walt Whitman, October [?] 1888
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Van Ness & American
Hotels
Burlington, Vermont.
The "Van Ness House" has a Safety Hydraulic
Passenger Elevator, Fire Escapes, and the
Grinnell Automatic Sprinkler.
Fine Views of the Lakes and Mountains from
all parts of the House.
U. A. Woodbury, Proprietor.
L. S. Drew & H. N. Clark, Managers.
Burlington, Vt.,
Octr
Sunday 18881
Bro Walt.
Han2 improving still. We feel no anxiety, yet are watchfull —Dr Brigham3 attends her solely, he so much
resembles in person and deportment her old and revered friend Dr Thayer4—who allways felt and displayed, practicaly the warmest sympathy for her—Dr Rutherford5 had
insisted on my employing a murse, to dwell in the house with us, but Brigham assured
us that it was not required; that she would improve in a few days, and a very kind,
sisterly neighbor 
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Mrs Leach,6 volunteerd to come in daily and personaly arrange her bed, and administer to her comfort, in other ways. I assure
you, Walt, that at one time I was cast down—therefore you will excuse me for
appealing to you, as I have done—Han injoined me strictly not to inform you
of her sickness that it would worry you, but I consider her in extreme danger, and
felt it to be my duty to let her friends know, and I am [illegible]
you would have censured me severely, in event she had [illegible]
recoverd—But she must not yet know that I have written you, she will be
uneasy, as to its effect upon you—Address to me, therefore, care of Post
Master Beckwith7—I think she will gain speedily, with
caution. The climate at present bad—
Correspondent:
Charles Louis Heyde (ca.
1820–1892), a French-born landscape painter, married Hannah Louisa Whitman
(1823–1908), Walt Whitman's sister, and they lived in Burlington, Vermont.
Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor
treatment of Hannah. For more information about Heyde, see Steven Schroeder,
"Heyde, Charles Louis (1822–1892)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. Heyde's extant letters from the month of October 1888 are dated the 19th and 27th. Given that he wrote the present letter on a Sunday, we can safely eliminate the Sundays (the 21st and 28th) falling closest to these two letters. The most likely date of composition is either the 7th or 14th of October, 1888. [back]
- 2. Hannah Louisa (Whitman) Heyde (1823–1908), youngest sister of Walt Whitman, married Charles Louis Heyde (ca. 1820–1892), a Pennsylvania-born landscape painter. Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor treatment of Hannah. Hannah and Charles Heyde lived in Burlington, Vermont. For more, see Paula K. Garrett, "Whitman (Heyde), Hannah Louisa (d. 1908)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 3. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]
- 4. Dr. Samuel W. Thayer (1817?–1882) was Professor of Anatomy at the University of Vermont Medical School. According to John Brooks Wheeler, Memoirs of a Small-Town Surgeon (Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, 1936), 284–289, Thayer performed most of the operations in Burlington during the 1860s; "he kept no books and never sent a bill…he lived and died a poor man." Whitman inquired of him with regard to sister Hannah Whitman Heyde's health on December 8, 1868. [back]
- 5. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]
- 6. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]
- 7. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]