A New Poe Letter

Hitherto Unpublished Note Deals With Strange Cryptogram

By J. H. Whitty

Edgar Allan Poe furnishes a neverflagging source of interest to all Virginians and a hitherto unpublished letter lying perdu to Poe's biographers for many years is released today by the Valentine Museum.

The museum is also the repository of the important twenty-seven letters from Poe to his early patron, John Allan, known as the "Poe-Allan Letters."

This newly discovered brief note of the famous poet is written in the well-known rounded hand used by him in his later years. The letter reads:

New York: Jany 3.46.                    
85 Amity St.                                   

Chas. G. Percival Esq.

Dr. Sir,

A few moments of leisure leaves me at liberty to look at the cypher which you have done me the honor of submitting to my inspection. It is an illegitimate crypograph--that is to say, the chances are, that, even with the key, it would be insoluble be the authorized correspondent. Upon analysis, however, independent of the key-solution, I find the translation to be the 3 first verses of the 2d chapter of St. John.

I should be happy to hear from you in reply.

                                                                              Very Respy
                                                                               Yr. Ob. Sr
                                                                               Edgar A. Poe

It has been hitherto supposed that Poe paid little, if any attention to this subject in his later years, and this letter is apparently the only document of its kind known in Poe's life story after the years 1841-42. Some Poe writers, among them Professor W. M. Forest of the University of Virginia, and the late C. Alphonsa Smith of the Annapolis Naval Academy, have made publications of Poe among the prophets, and this letter goes further toward demonstrating Poe's knowledge of the Bible in recalling the chapter of St. John.

Strange as it may now seem one of Poe's earliest essays, written about the year 1826, is on a religious subject, and when published may appear as startling to Poe readers and students as his remarkable essay on "Intemperance," extensively published in school and recitation books during the years 1856--1865, but overlooked in more recent publications of his complete works.

All Poes' biographers have given full accounts of his challenge made during the year 1841 to solve any cryptogram, and his published works include "A few words on Secret Writing," originally appearing in Graham's Magazine for July, 1841, which showed wonderful ingenuity in the solving of numerous ciphers, and indicating Poe's great reasoning powers.

*          *          *

The study of cryptograms and secret writing was Poe's strongest forte, and his published articles on the subject are a source of wonder to many of his readers and considered by some as savoring toward black magic. Poe read Aaron Burr's famous code letters with ease, and maintained that he could decipher these puzzles in seven languages. He explained the card cipher, the printed book cipher, and the different methods of conveying meaning by dots, dashes and figures. His references to old books on the subject dated as far back as 1586. Poe asserted that one alphabet was not more perplexing than another; that the entire art of solution is found in the general principles of the formation of language itself, and thus is altogether independent of the particular laws which govern any cipher or the construction of its key.

In all likelihood Poe's studies in this subject formed the germs for his well-known story of "The Gold Bug," as well as some of his later detective fiction.