The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: William H. Duckett to Walt Whitman, 20 December [1889]
Date: December 20, [1889]
Whitman Archive ID: loc.02004
Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Editorial note: The annotation, "Dec: 20 '89 Bro't to me by lad George Anderson from Bill Duckett,—Sent back word I was quite sick & hard up—(no money) W W," is in the hand of Walt Whitman.
Contributors to digital file: Cristin Noonan, Brandon James O'Neil, Andrew David King, and Stephanie Blalock
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C. T. 470.
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY.
From Philada
Received | M 12/20 18
Operator.
To Dear Friend Walt.
Walt Can you let me have ten or Fifteen Dollars have been having pretty hard luck of late and find myself Broke My board is due Monday & have about 2 Dollars to do it with Now will you kindly let me have what you can, You can give to bearer & he will bring to me Will return you both amounts after 1st of year, How is your health hope as well as your Spirits generally used to be I was over to see you some days since but you was unable to see We would like to see you very much but you understand the Circumstances well I will say So long
affectionately Yours
Wm H Duckett
Do what you can as I am in a bad way
The Bearer is Geo Anderson1 one of Our Messengers Boys here
BillCorrespondent:
William H. Duckett
(1869–1902?) was Whitman's young Camden friend, who drove the poet's horse
and buggy, lived for a while in Whitman's house, and accompanied Whitman on
numerous trips. Duckett later established a career in the telegraphy industry;
he lived and worked in Ohio and North Carolina before passing away in his native
Philadelphia as a result of alcoholism in about 1902. For more information on
Duckett, see Stephanie M. Blalock and Brandon James O'Neil, "'I am more
interested than you know, Bill,': The Life and Times of William Henry
Duckett, Jr.," Walt Whitman Quarterly Review
39.2-3 (2022), 89–117.
Notes:
1. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]