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William H. Duckett to Walt Whitman, 20 December [1889]

 loc.02004.001_large.jpg 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  loc.02004.002_large.jpg  loc.02004.003_large.jpg 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  loc.02004.004_large.jpg  loc.02004.005_large.jpg 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

Bill  loc.02004.006_large.jpg 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

Correspondent:
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]
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